RALEIGH, N.C. — In 1997, Coach Mack Brown led the University of North Carolina Tar Heels to an 8-0 start, before ending the year 11-1, with a win over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
Twenty-six years later, Brown is back coaching the Tar Heels and helped them begin their 2023 season 6-0, which is the best start since that 1997 campaign. Unfortunately for Mack and then-No. 10 UNC, Virgina came to Chapel Hill Saturday and stunned thousands of fans, along with players and coaches, by beating the Tar Heels 31-27.
As a result of the loss, the Tar Heels dropped to No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll in week nine, and now have the task of rebounding after a gut-wrenching loss to the Cavaliers.
Luckily for them, former UNC great and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Na Brown says not only can UNC still have a great season, but the Tar Heels can still cement themselves in UNC history with a bounce-back effort. After all, he speaks from experience.
"They're feeling bad about it," Na Brown said about this year's team. "They wanna prove they're not that team that lost to Virginia. It's just about one game at a time. Of course it's a cliche, but it's about the pride you have in the team. We're always considered a basketball school, football is second fiddle always, but this gives us that chance to jump up there with basketball."
In 1997, UNC lost to Florida State 20-3, snapping its perfect 8-0 start. The team then bounced back with a 17-10 win over Clemson to get back to its winning ways. The Tar Heels went on to win every game left on their schedule, including the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fast forward to this year, and the Tar Heels have five regular-season games left on their schedule with a big matchup against No. 20 Duke on Nov. 11 in Chapel Hill. There's plenty of chances for UNC to climb back up the top 25 rankings and into playoff contention once again.
Mack Brown says his team needs to regain its focus and get back its momentum. The Heels can't dwell on the past as fans complain about one of the worst losses in UNC history. After all, Brown says this isn't close to the worst loss ever.
"I've lost a bunch of them. I've won 280 and lost 140 or something," Mack Brown said. "When people say this is the worst loss ever, I say, 'no, I got a bunch of them. I got a long list of bad losses.' You coach 35 years, you're probably going to have some bad losses."
Brown has the benefit of history on his side, providing a little bit of perspective. Unfortunately, his players who are 50 years younger don't have that same perspective. That's why it's so important they listen to the words of Na Brown, a former player who's been through exactly what they've been through. He says they have to play with confidence and not be afraid of making another mistake.
"When we went out on the field, we knew we were better than everybody. Whether we were or not, again, it's just that mindset of going out there," Na Brown said about the 1997 team's mindset. "Everything starts from the top, but I think this was more of a player [led] team than anything else."
On the 1997 team, the Heels had players like Brown, quarterback Chris Keldorf and cornerback Dre' Bly. This year, they have equal talent, if not better, with quarterback Drake Maye leading the offense, wide receiver Tez Walker catching passes and linebacker Cedric Gray leading the defense. Brown says there's no lack of talent on this team, and he sees bits of himself in this year's offense.
"I played slot receiver a lot," Na Brown said. "You got [Kobe] Paysour, he plays slot a little bit. J.J [Jones] plays slot a little bit. To me, it's like looking at everyone and taking bits and pieces from all of them about some of the things that I did. It's a different game now, the way we played and the way they play now ... But I wouldn't mind playing in [this] offense back then."
The Tar Heels kick off against Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. Saturday in Atlanta.
In 1997, the Tar Heels bounced back from their loss to FSU. This year's team will look to do the same.