A win over Pitt is huge for UNC program under Brown

Head coach Mack Brown can get his program on track to getting over the hump with a win on Saturday.

Brett Davis/USA Today Sports

The Tar Heels will play their first game as a ranked team for control over the ACC Coastal division in front of a sold-out Kenan Stadium on Saturday. Therefore, the showdown against Pitt is no doubt a massive one for UNC. 

And it's even more important for head coach Mack Brown. 

In the fourth season of his second stint in Chapel Hill, Brown has undoubtedly turned UNC into a once-again respected college football program. His impact was felt immediately after taking over in 2019, as Larry Fedora's final 2-9 disappointment in 2018 turned into a 7-6 turnaround the very next season under Brown's leadership. 

The next year, the Tar Heels went higher, riding a high-powered offense to an 8-3 regular season finish and a New Year's Six bowl appearance. 

Since then, the college football world and UNC fans have had high expectations for the Tar Heels to build off that success and become Clemson's largest threat in the ACC. They've had the talent to do it, with Sam Howell, Michael Carter, Josh Downs and too many other names to list on the past four rosters. However, with that high-level personnel, UNC hasn't got there yet.

In fact, it seems as if when the program takes a leap forward under Brown, it takes a step back. Going into the 2021 season following the loss to Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl, UNC was ranked the No. 10 team in the country and the second highest ranked ACC team behind No. 3 Clemson. Expectations that season were to roll through the Coastal division and compete for the ACC title, but an opening loss to unranked Virginia Tech and subsequent falls to Georgia Tech, Florida State and Pitt ended that quickly. 

This year, it was the 32-45 loss to a 1-2 Notre Dame team that quickly humbled the Tar Heels after starting 3-0. Despite having arguably the best passing offense in the country, the defense failed to hold its own in the loss, giving up 576 yards of total offense. The Notre Dame game didn't ruin the Tar Heels' chances of winning the Coastal, but it did bring questions of how good the team really is. 

And they responded well, ripping off three straight Coastal wins including one over a good Duke squad for Brown's best seven-game start in his four-year tenure. 

Now, another test is here. 

Brown said this week that his team isn't worried about winning the division, nor their ranking. They're just concerning themselves with beating Pitt. 

But, in reality, this game is more than just about beating Pitt. This game is about UNC getting over the hump and finally rising to the occasion with number in front of its name and a target on its back. A win on Saturday will put the Tar Heels in the driver's seat to win the division and make the ACC Championship for the first time in Brown's second stint. 

Although they would still have to get through Virginia and Georgia Tech, this game just means more for Brown's legacy as head coach because of the history. 

Pitt, the defending ACC champions, have beaten the Tar Heels twice since 2019 with both games going to overtime. The series has been historically close, in fact, with the margin of victory between the two teams only at five points per game from 2013-2021. 

For Brown and his rolling Tar Heels, winning won't come easy. Even though this Pitt team hasn't been as consistently good compared to last year, it's bringing a stud at running back in Israel Abanikanda and a solid defensive front seven to Chapel Hill. 

The hype around this game is palpable, and a win in front of a full Kenan Stadium considering the implications will only elevate how Brown's time at UNC will be remembered. 

UNC and Pitt will play under the lights on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network. 

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