Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Football: Mack Brown’s struggles after the “Bye Week”

By Nick Delahanty

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during the first half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during the first half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Since returning back to the UNC Football program, Mack Brown has struggled to get his teams ready to play after their scheduled “bye week.”

For most teams, the scheduled “bye week” is a good thing.

That unfortunately hasn’t been the case for the UNC football program since Mack Brown returned to campus.

With the Tar Heels loss to Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, they are now 0-5 in games played after the team’s off week. Here are the outcomes of all five of those contests, all of which were under Brown’s direction.

2019: 43-41 loss at Virginia Tech (6OT)
2019: 34-27 loss at Pittsburgh (OT)
2020: 31-17 loss to Notre Dame
2021: 44-34 loss at Notre Dame
2022: 45-32 loss to Notre Dame

Yes, the Tar Heels had two off weeks during the 2019 season and returned to action with two overtime losses.

The last three “bye weeks” have resulted in losses to the Fighting Irish, as Notre Dame continues to have the UNC football program’s number.

Now, why have the Tar Heels struggled so much after a week off?

Let’s examine the team’s most recent loss to the Fighting Irish. Tar Heels fans were hopeful that the team’s defensive unit would look at least a little bit better in this one, as Notre Dame’s offense was struggling a bit heading into this matchup.

However, the Fighting Irish offense looked like a completely different unit, as they were able to exploit the Tar Heels’ defense essentially throughout the entire game.

Offensively, the Tar Heels once again put up points, but at some point, the defense has to put together a few timely stops. North Carolina has a few tough challenges looming ahead on its schedule and will face a similar result as they did on Saturday if they don’t find a quick fix to the team’s defensive woes.

It’s rather disappointing to see the team struggle after a week off, especially after winning their first three games of the season. We’re certain that Mack Brown and his staff feel the same way, as the extra time should be a good thing for a team heading into a rather big contest.

At this point, is it possible to just fill the schedule up and not have a “bye week” at all? That simply may be the best option at this stage of the game.

UNC Football Week Four Schedule Report. dark. Next

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC football news, updates, and recruiting.
 

Home/UNC Football