The UNC football program has drastically improved in this area

Mack Brown provided a stat that shows one of the biggest areas of improvement with regard to this year’s UNC football squad.

The UNC football program had an off week this past weekend, so Mack Brown had some time to chat with the ESPN Scoreboard Show.

You can see the entire interview above, but Brown touched on one area that was eye-popping and needs to be highlighted.

During the team’s 4-0 start, the improvements on the defensive side of the ball have been well talked about. One of the biggest improvements has come in regard to allowing touchdowns, as the secondary has really shut down opposing teams from finding the endzone through the passing game.

"“We’re playing better defense. We’d given up 14 touchdown passes at this time last year. This year, we’ve given up 2. And we’re stopping the run a little better.”"

Improvement has come from the entire defensive unit, as they currently rank fourth in the ACC in pass defense efficiency and sixth in yards allowed per play, two areas that last year’s team ranked dead last in the conference.

Through four weeks this season, the Tar Heels defense has allowed 12 fewer touchdown passes. That stat in itself is a testament to how much this unit has improved.

Of course, there are plenty of games left to be played, but you have to be encouraged to see that this group has shown signs of drastic improvement thus far. As the schedule gets tougher as we get deeper into ACC play, it will remain to be seen if the defense can continue its success through the end of the regular season.

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