For Mack Brown, determining whether North Carolina shows up in character for its Halloween road assignment Saturday night at Virginia probably won’t be distinguishable until the football is kicked off and bodies are colliding.
These Tar Heels, while talented and explosive on the field, don’t get particularly noisy, and therefore aren’t the easiest of pregame reads for the Hall of Fame coach.
“They’re a strange bunch in that they never are very loud,” Brown said. “It’s not a loud team. They’re pretty much like this all the time, and that’s why it’s so hard to read them sometimes in pregame.
“Because sometimes they’re dancing and sometimes they’re quiet and sometimes they’re picking at each other a little bit. But it’s not a demonstrative team where people are screaming and shouting at each other all the time, that’s just not who they are.”
No. 15 North Carolina (4-1 overall, 4-1 league) meets slumping Virginia (1-4, 1-4) in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Saturday night, under similar circumstances that produced the setting for the Tar Heels’ only loss this season.
North Carolina tumbled two weeks ago in a night game that unraveled into an upset at Florida State, after defeating nationally ranked Virginia Tech and climbing to No. 5, its highest ranking in 23 years. Now, the Tar Heels enter Saturday night’s game at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., coming off another victory against a ranked opponent, this time their beatdown of rival North Carolina State last weekend.
Brown repeatedly has used the stumble at Florida State as a teaching tool and motivational source for North Carolina, which fell behind the struggling Seminoles by deficits of 24-0 and 31-7 during the first half that night, before coming up short at 31-28 following a considerable comeback.
“We’ve just got to continue to play better,” Brown said, “and we can’t worry about who we’re playing against. We did not handle being fifth in the country well. We were way too full of ourselves in my opinion that first half. And I told them, they wish they had that back, but you don’t get that back.”
The Tar Heels’ response to the Florida State loss became resounding, while pounding N.C. State 48-21 last week and piling up their largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in 19 years.
Javonte Williams rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, Michael Carter added 106 rushing yards and a score, Sam Howell threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, and North Carolina’s offense compiled 578 total yards. On defense, North Carolina forced four turnovers and held the Wolfpack to just 34 rushing yards, the fewest allowed by a Tar Heels defense in nine years.
Howell said he sensed that his teammates were locked in for N.C. State.
“I wouldn’t say anything specific,” the quarterback said. “I would say you can just tell by the vibe and the feeling of being out there on the field and just seeing the look that guys have in their eyes, just seeing if they’re ready to play. Definitely before the game and at the beginning of the game, I saw that in our guys, so I knew we were going to go out there and have a good game.”
Virginia has lost four straight since beating Duke to open the season, with that string of defeats suffered against Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Miami.
North Carolina has won seven of its last eight games, a stretch that dates to November of last season. The Tar Heels have lost three straight meetings with Virginia, though, and Brown is just 3-8 all-time against the Cavaliers.
“This time last year we were 2-3,” Brown said. “So we’re sitting here at 4-1 and getting better, and that shows progress in our program. And that’s what we want to do.”
Here are some other areas worth watching Saturday night as the Tar Heels visit Virginia:
KICKING IT IN GEAR?
North Carolina remains in search of consistency from kicker Grayson Atkins, twice an All-American on the Football Championship Subdivision level at Furman.
The graduate transfer is just 4 of 8 on field goals this season, and clanged a miss off the left upright on a 22-yard attempt against N.C. State. He had a costly 44-yard miss at Florida State that ultimately loomed large, and perhaps could’ve changed the outcome.
Meanwhile, Virginia kicker Brian Delaney set a school record by making 17 field goals in a row before missing at Wake Forest.
DOWNTOWN BROWN
If North Carolina receiver Dyami Brown happens to replicate his performance against Virginia from last year, buckle up for some fireworks. He hauled in six catches for a career-high 202 yards and three touchdowns in the Tar Heels’ shootout loss to the Cavaliers last season.
Howell threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns in that game, with Brown reaching the end zone on big plays that covered 47, 34 and 42 yards.
Brown, the junior, is coming off a career-best seven catches for 105 yards against N.C. State.
BACK IN THE SADDLE
Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s return from a concussion provided a boost for the Cavaliers last week during their 19-14 loss at nationally ranked Miami.
The lefty had missed more than six quarters while in concussion protocol, after a blow to the helmet by N.C. State defensive back Tanner Ingle knocked Armstrong from Virginia’s Oct. 10 loss to the Wolfpack. Ingle was penalized and ejected for targeting.
“We’re a different team with Brennan,” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “The throws he can make, how tough he is when he scrambles, just his leadership style. He makes a difference for us, even though it hasn’t shown on the outcome yet.”
This article originally appeared on Times-News: In character for Halloween? UNC’s nature can be unpredictable for Brown
