Mack Brown 'Frustrated' with Tar Heel Rushing Attack

The North Carolina running backs have rushed for just 114 yards on 32 carries in their last two contests.

In his weekly press conference on Monday, head coach Mack Brown expressed his concern with the Tar Heels' ground game, as the North Carolina running backs were held scoreless for the second consecutive week.

"Right now we're not running the ball well enough on first down and we're not running the ball well enough when everyone knows we're going to run," said Brown when speaking to the media.

Caleb Hood and Omarion Hampton paced the ground game out of the backfield against Virginia Tech with 69 yards on 15 attempts, accounting for 83 percent of the rushing attempts for North Carolina running backs.

Hampton recorded a 35-yard run and Hood an 18-yard run, faltering to 26 rushing yards in their remaining 13 attempts.

"We would have trouble right now with the four minute offense," said Brown. "We'd have to throw it some because we're just not doing a good job. We're frustrated with it [and] we're not sure why."

The aforementioned duo each averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but were once again outrushed by rising star and quarterback Drake Maye, as he ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

Maye, who leads the FBS with 22 touchdowns responsible for, led the Tar Heels in rushing yards for the second consecutive game and sits second on the roster with 255 yards on the ground.

Part of fixing the issue in the running back room comes with one of the four contributors claiming their spot in the backfield.

A running back by committee approach can work, as evidenced by former Tar Heels Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, but Brown wants someone to step up.

"We need someone to take over," said Brown.

All hope is not lost however, as the running game has shown flashes of excellence, specifically during their 3-0 start to the season when they had a 100-yard rusher against Florida A&M and Georgia State. 

The chance to return to their dynamic ground game comes on Saturday in the form of Miami, who boasts a top-15 rushing defense despite their 2-2 record. 

Mario Cristobal's defense gives up an average of 2.92 yards per carry and 87 rushing yards per contest, which ranks second in the ACC.

Regardless of the staunch Hurricane defense, Phil Longo and the Tar Heel offense will seek to remedy their rushing woes.

"We’ve been fighting it and continue to look at it," said Brown. "It’s just an area where we’ve got to continue to get better.”