Mack Brown shows North Carolina videos of ranked teams being upset as motivation

Mack Brown has led North Carolina to four straight wins after their 42-24 victory over Pitt, as they remain undefeated in conference play and in the driver’s seat of the coastal division of the ACC. The Tar Heels have also bumped up a few spots in the AP Poll, now ranked No. 17 in the country. This is their second week of the season being ranked, but Brown does not want them dwelling on their success, and was asked if they’ve been responding to that message.

“I think they are, I told them to enjoy Pitt until last night, get through dinner and then you’ve gotta start on next week,” Brown said.

Brown has been using a unique tactic in order to motivate and humble his team regarding their ranking, using the blunders of other ranked teams as an example for them to learn from.

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“And I show them each week now the heartbreaks of teams that are ranked and getting beat, and I said those teams all sat here ranked real high last Sunday, and then here they are with devastating losses. And it’s happening and it’s real, so you’ve got to make sure on Monday you start working on the next opponent and by Tuesday morning you’re all into the next opponent,” Brown said.

Five ranked teams fell in upset fashion during week 9’s action of college football, giving the Tar Heels plenty of material to draw inspiration from. But ultimately, Brown believes that his team’s internal leadership is what has gotten to them to this point and will continue to carry them.

“And one of the things I’ve really enjoyed about this team is they really have been a player-led team,” Brown said. “It’s something we talk about all the time but they have been, and I told them after the pregame talk Saturday I said we are leaving you. This is your team, you get on the bus, you go play, we weren’t out there on third and one. We can counsel you, we can guide you, but you got to play.”

North Carolina’s player-led culture has resulted in its best start to a season since 2015, and hopefully for the Tar Heels, it can continue to carry them to a strong finish in their four remaining games of the season and beyond.

“And very honestly, if you’re gonna be the team we want to be here there’s a story to be told, and so far your story is really good, you’ve got to finish your story. And your story’s got four weeks, and then you’ve got another chapter, but you’ve got to finish it and you’ve got to finish it right,” Brown said.