UNC Football Head Coach Mack Brown: 'Embarrassed for Whole Program'

The 73-year-old took full responsibility for the UNC football squad's dismal outing against James Madison.

UNC football versus James Madison / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Two weeks after James Madison narrowly defeated Gardner-Webb, 13-6, in a low-scoring affair at home, the Dukes (3-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) recorded a 70-50 road win over the winningest active head coach and his outhustled 16th UNC football team in Kenan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

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JMU's 53-21 halftime lead marked the most points the Tar Heels have allowed in any half in program history. And the Dukes' 70 total points tied for the most by any UNC football opponent.

Here's what UNC's Mack Brown said in his opening statement to the media following the devastating defeat that his Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0 ACC) shouldn't soon forget:

"Embarrassing day. Shocking day. You shouldn't be at North Carolina and lose to a Group of Five team, period. There are no excuses.

"Our defense, who played great all spring, all preseason, and played outstanding for the first three games, looked awful today. We had communication problems. We had missed tackles. We had guys wide open for a touchdown.

"Our special teams, who had been better than the three teams we had played the first three games, had on onside kick that hit us in the chest, and they get it for a score, had a blocked punt that they get for a score.

"Jacolby [Criswell], I thought, played really, really well. He even had an interception for a touchdown right before the half, and Conner [Harrell] came in for one play and fumbled the ball, and that ended up being a touchdown.

"So, it can only come back to one person, and that's me. I hired everybody on this staff. I hired everybody that works in this building. And I've signed every player on this team. So, I mean, the people that want to blame me, they should — because I am at fault, 100 percent.

"I missed it. We had a great week's practice. I thought we'd win the game. And we had a bust on the first play of the game with a quarterback that runs 50 yards, that somebody doesn't take the quarterback. Then, we have a fumble on the first drive. I mean, it was just a day that started wrong.

"I really thought we'd turn it around at halftime and still win the game, because we could have. And we moved the ball at times well enough in the second half to win the game. But we still couldn't stop them, and we had to score every time we had it to have a chance to win the game.

"So, congratulations to JMU. I should have said that. I think Bob [Chesney] is a really good coach, and they did a great job coaching today. And they did a better job than I did. And that's what it is.

"I felt bad for our fans and our students that came, for them to have to look at something like that. And again, there's only one place to put it, and that is on me, 100 percent. I've got big shoulders.

"And I'm embarrassed for our whole program that we would put a product like that on the field. I feel really bad about that."

UNC football looks to bounce back when the Tar Heels travel to Durham to face Duke (4-0, 0-0 ACC) at 4 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN2).

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