When North Carolina held on to beat Appalachian State on Saturday, most people in Carolina Blue breathed a sigh of relief. Tar Heels coach Mack Brown, meanwhile, felt like dancing, and that is just what he did in the locker room after the thrilling 63-61 win.
Since beginning his second stint at North Carolina in 2019, Brown has been known to bust a move in the locker room. Even if Saturday’s win over the Mountaineers may not have been the cleanest victory in program history, Brown still wanted to celebrate with his players.
In a high-scoring shootout that saw both teams cover the over-under of 55.5 on their own, North Carolina held a 41-21 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. However, Appalachian State stormed back with a whopping 40 points in the final 15 minutes. The Tar Heels scored 22 of their own and did just enough to hang on for the win, including getting stops on two critical 2-point conversions for the Mountaineers.
North Carolina’s offense, led by quarterback Drake Maye, was explosive. It totaled 567 yards and averaged nearly 8 yards per play. However, the defense struggled to slow down Appalachian State, which piled up 664 yards on offense.
Brown and his coaching staff will try to get that side of the ball sorted out before the Tar Heels host Georgia State in Week 2.
