What UNC football coach Mack Brown said the Tar Heels need to fix against Georgia Tech
North Carolina coach Mack Brown used four words Monday that probably sums up the game plan for Georgia Tech this week: “Run the (darn) ball.”
To be even more specific, have Omarion Hampton run the ball.
The Tar Heels, now ranked No. 17, gave the ball to Hampton 19 times Saturday in their 31-27 loss to Virginia that raised eyebrows around the ACC and college football. The sophomore running back had two carries on the Heels’ first possession of the second half — for 18 and 8 yards — and then rarely saw the ball again.
That was a mistake, Brown said Monday. That was a mistake, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey echoed.
It’s also a mistake that likely won’t be repeated this week as the Tar Heels (6-1, 3-1 ACC) go to Atlanta for a road game against the Yellow Jackets (3-4, 2-2 ACC).
Brown said he did not sleep much Saturday night after the loss, saying he watched and rewatched the Virginia game five or six times. The Cavaliers had a bye week to better prepare for UNC, but were also a 24-point underdog.
So what happened?
“We had the better team,” Brown said. “We didn’t have the better team Saturday.
“Virginia put in new stuff. They were fresh. There’s absolutely no pressure. There’s no buzz around the game. There were all kinds of checkmarks that said it would be a tough one.”
It was all of that. The Heels’ Armani Chatman intercepted a Virginia pass in the end zone and later caused a late Virginia fumble at the goal line that resulted in a touchback, or it could have been worse for UNC.
One stat Brown mentioned after the game and again Monday was the Cavaliers having the ball for 37 minutes. Virginia did a good job milking its offensive possessions, but the Tar Heels also could have reversed some of that had Hampton continued running the ball in the second half and UNC eaten up more minutes.
Hampton rushed for 234 yards against Appalachian State and 197 in the win over Miami. He can be explosive. Why not more touches Saturday against a team that was 13th in the ACC in rushing defense?
“You’ve got a great back like Omarion and then you don’t hand him the ball,” Brown said. “Omarion was averaging 7.2 yards per carry, so get him the ball. Get him the ball.
“If we’re dropping some balls and not protecting well and the passing game’s off, go with what you’re doing best. … We said we were going to get the ball to Omarion, that it was one of our goals for the week. So why didn’t we?”
It wasn’t a situation, Brown stressed, where the head coach gets on the headset and keeps barking about it — “Run the (darn) ball” — to Lindsey, who sits up in the coaches’ box and is not on the sideline.
“You hate to get involved with play selection in a game,” Brown said. “It’s hard to talk to a guy a lot as he’s trying to figure out what he’s doing up there. Sometimes, you can have too much conversation.”
Lindsey, in his first year as the offensive coordinator, said the offense was a “little bit off all night” while conceding Hampton should have had more second-half carries.
“We need to do a better job getting that adjusted and getting us back on the right track,” he said Monday.
And there was a lot more going on in the game, too. After the Heels took a 24-14 lead early in the second half, Virginia responded with a 13-play, 74-yard drive that took 5:39 off the clock.
“Why didn’t defense stop ‘em when it’s 24-14 and put us in a position, right there, to go up 17?” Brown said. “And offensively, why don’t we kill some clock and run the ball some if we’re not throwing it consistently?
“It was a complete loss by our whole team because everybody could have stepped up.”
Scouting Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets were beaten 38-23 by Boston College on Saturday, although quarterback Haynes King passed for 204 yards and ran for 150 on 10 carries. King, a transfer from Texas A&M, did have three passes picked off.
Brown on the Jackets’ offense: “They’re a lot like Virginia. They’re going to run the ball. They’re got a new quarterback (in) Haynes King whose dad is a high school coach in east Texas. He can fly. He’s a track guy. And they’ve got great speed. They’ve got the best speed at wide receiver of anybody we’ve seen. They’re really, really fast.”
Injury update
UNC announced Monday that junior defensive lineman Jacolbe Cowan is out for the season with an upper-body injury. Placekicker Liam Boyd will be monitored during the week for his lower-body injury.
North Carolina (6-1, 3-1 ACC) vs Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2)
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta.
TV: ACC Network.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 4:06 PM.
