Tar Heels keep football ‘in perspective’ post-Helene as UNC prepares to face Pittsburgh

For North Carolina’s football coaches and players, any lingering pain from the loss to Duke has been tempered by the devastation that has been experienced by so many in the western part of North Carolina.

Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed and families and communities badly disrupted by the carnage caused by Hurricane Helene.

“I know how important our sport is,” UNC coach Mack Brown said Monday. “We love football and we love the kids. But I want thoughts and prayers for the people in western North Carolina. …

“Roads are out, trees are down. They are encouraging people not to go to the mountains. The people up there can’t get off the mountain. They don’t have food. There’s no water in some of the hospitals. I mean, it is totally devastating to think a storm can do that much damage.”

UNC defensive coordinator Geoff Collins played college football at Western Carolina. He said his mother lives in Franklin, southwest of Asheville. His wife is from Lenoir and has long-time friends there. One of his best friends lives near Swannanoa.

“That area is near and dear to my heart, for a lot of reasons,” Collins said Monday.

Brown said it was important this week to “keep things in perspective.” And, yes, there is another football game to prepare for — Saturday against undefeated Pittsburgh.

‘They are great kids’

The noon game at Kenan Stadium offers the chance for the Tar Heels (3-2, 0-1 ACC) to put aside the 21-20 loss at Duke, even its ACC record and perhaps tamp down the increased “outside noise” that has come — much of it on social media — after a couple of losses.

Brown realizes the “Mack must retire” crowd will not quiet down anytime soon. At 73, after 36 years as a head coach, after winning a national championship, the Hall of Famer might also come to that conclusion — after the season, not during it. Or not at all.

While Brown was so angry after the 70-50 loss to James Madison that he apparently offered to step aside, he’s still the coach and its his program. He has work to do. And he wants to do it while shielding, as best he can, much of the criticism from the players.

“We have great fans,” Brown said. “Some are better than others. Some are vocal, some are not. Usually the really positive fans don’t say anything; they go back to work. The negative fans gripe when you’re winning. They go crazy when you’re losing.

“What we’ve got, like Saturday, is be mad at me. I’m mad at me. So come to the game to support the kids. They are great kids. And they are trying and they are college kids. I’ve been a head coach for 36 years, so there’s nothing anyone can say, to me or about me, that I haven’t heard, good or bad. I’ve had it all.”

Explaining the loss at Duke

Brown, Collins and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey did their best Monday to explain how the Tar Heels took a 17-0 halftime lead over Duke, increased it to 20-0 in the third quarter and then lost the rivalry game.

There were the expected plaudits for Duke, now 5-0. Lindsey noted the Heels’ lost their offensive rhythm in the second half against a Duke defense that intensified the pressure. As for Collins, he talked about missed tackles and needing better execution in alignments and taking care of assignments.

Brown said he thought his team became frustrated and “panicked” — his word — during the loss to James Madison two weeks ago at Kenan. That didn’t happen against Duke, he said.

“We tried to do too much,” he said. “That’s when missed assignments come and missed tackles. They tried to do too much because they want to win so badly.

“And (Duke) has good players. So when they make a play, don’t think the world is coming to an end.”

Collins said the same. The Blue Devils got in a nice groove running the ball in the second half, winning the play upfront, mixing in some sizable pass plays, and the Heels could not slow their momentum.

“Some things started sliding away from us,” Collins said. “When things started happening negatively, and we’re going to stop doing this, we have a tendency to try to do too much and try to do things outside the framework of what our individual responsibility is.”

On Rucker, and Holstein

Collins said the defensive staff identified 12 plays that affected the game, saying eight of those plays involved missed tackles. That’s correctable stuff, he said, and the possible return of edge rusher Kaimon Rucker — out the first five games with a lower-body injury -- for the Pitt game would be a boost for the defense.

And not just on the field with his play. “He knows which buttons to push, which guys to put his arms around, which guys to ramp up or which guys to calm down,” Collins said.

Brown said Pitt (4-0) has more of a multiple look on offense this season with Alabama transfer Eli Holstein taking over at quarterback. The 6-4, 225-pound freshman had thrown for 1,183 yards, with 12 touchdowns and two picks — three TD passes in each game.

“He, to me, is the difference on the football team,” Brown said. “Same defense, same tough guys. They make it really hard to run. For us, again, we’re going to have to throw the ball better.

“They are the most complete football team we’ve played this year.”