Everything North Carolina coach Mack Brown said about Notre Dame football

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown is a conflicted man a few days ahead of his team’s matchup against Notre Dame. On one hand, he said it shouldn’t be as hard for his players to learn a defensive system and execute it on the field as the Tar Heels have made it seem since he took over as head coach in 2019. On the other hand, Brown said it’s simply a sign of the times in college football.

“A lot of people aren’t playing good defense,” Brown said. “There are a lot of points being scored.”

Not by Notre Dame this year.

The Fighting Irish rank 115th nationally in scoring offense with 18.3 points per game. That pales in comparison to North Carolina’s 51.3, which is good for sixth in the country. It’s also a long shot away from the 37.7 points per game the Tar Heels allow, which is 119th nationally.

Saturday’s matchup is the ultimate “something has to give” game. Brown spoke more on Notre Dame vs. North Carolina in his weekly Monday press conference. Here’s everything he said about the Irish.

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Opening statement on Notre Dame

“They’re a national brand. They’re an outstanding team. They had a big win against Cal on Saturday. It should be a great weekend and a lot of fun. We’ve been in a position (to beat Notre Dame) the last two years. We were down by seven here two years ago. They ended up scoring with five minutes left to beat us by 14. We didn’t make a first down in the second half. We’ve been really good around here offensively. They completely shut us down better than anyone we’ve played since we’ve been here.

“Then last year we were down by four with a chance to win, and they broke a 91-yard run which you just can’t have happen. We had a fourth-and-3 where we stopped them and got off the field, but we had a facemask (penalty) on the other side of the field with a different player. We’ve got to be tougher, be more confident in the fourth quarter and we’ve got to finish stronger to give us a chance to win because those are things we haven’t been able to do. They’re very, very physical on both lines of scrimmage. This will be a great test for us to see if we can handle this.”

On not being ranked in the Associated Press Top 25

Note: This isn’t about Notre Dame, but it’s relevant considering the Irish were the consensus No. 5 team in the country in preseason polls but are no longer ranked with a 1-2 record.

“What I’ve told the team, and I really believe this, is that polls do not matter until the College Football Playoff poll comes out. All the stuff we talk about in preseason, we have no clue what we’re talking about when we say, ‘This team is ranked No. 6.’ Just like us last year; we weren’t the eighth-best team in the country. But we were for a month until we played.

“So I don’t talk about or even look at polls until the CFP comes out. Isn’t it the middle of October? Or the later part of October? Somewhere in there? That’s when we have enough valid information to start picking teams. We’re just picking them now for fun. When I worked for ESPN, they were asking us after the national championship game, ‘Pick your four teams for next year that are going to play for the national championship.’ I’m sitting there saying, ‘I don’t have a clue, man.’ Just pick four, just pick four. Just do that. You need to put it out there. Let’s make sure there are valid reasons we’re picking teams before we start picking them.”

On Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman

“I’ve admired him. They did such a tremendous job at Cincinnati before he went to Notre Dame. He’s got a great future ahead of him. I don’t know him really well. I spoke to him before the game last year. I had known Brian Kelly for forever. We coached together at some all-star games. I do not know Marcus Freeman well, but everything I’ve heard has been first-class.”

On selling out the stadium against Notre Dame

“You love to play a national brand. It helps your program. And it’s obviously fun for our fans to go to Notre Dame or have them come here. We’re one of the three ACC teams that have played them three years in a row. That doesn’t happen often. So we were very, very fortunate with the COVID year that we got them on the schedule. But I’d love to play Notre Dame every year.”

On the Irish’s early season struggles

“They played Ohio State who may be the best team in the country. So watch that video. It was a great game til the end. Don’t take that for granted. And then I don’t think there is any question they would tell you they weren’t as excited about Marshall. And when you stand around, you can get beat. It was close and it was tight, but you can let a team like Marshall hang in until the end. Then they get excited and the pressure gets back on you. And then with a new quarterback, they beat Cal on Saturday.

“So they’re really a team, in my mind, that’s 1-1 and they played one of the best teams in the country in Ohio State. There was a learning process with that second game. I think it’s the same old Notre Dame. They’re going to run the ball and be physical and not make many mistakes. They’re really strong on both lines of scrimmage. The quarterback played much better in the second half. He’s a guy we have known in the past. Talented. You’re going to have to play a great game to beat Notre Dame.”