UNC’s Mack Brown says he ‘won’t resign’ after ’embarrassing’ JMU loss amid rumors | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

UNC head coach Mack Brown called it “embarrassing” to see his Power Four team lose 70-50 to visiting JMU on Saturday.

“Embarrassing day. Shocking day. You shouldn’t be at North Carolina and losing to a Group of Five team, period,” Brown said after the loss. “There are no excuses. Our defense, which has played great all spring, all preseason, played great the first three games, looked terrible today.”

Brown also told ESPN Chris Laag that he is not resigning following a report from Inside Carolina’s Adam Smith that “he quit his job after the Tar Heels’ embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.”

“I’m not quitting. I’m back at work on Monday,” Brown told Low.

Brown also told Low that he told UNC players that Saturday’s loss to JMU was his fault and that he would “resign if he couldn’t fix things.”

UNC reportedly paid the Dukes $500,000 to travel to Chapel Hill for Sunday’s game.

JMU, which had scored just 43 points in its first two games of the season, responded by scoring 53 points in the first half alone, setting a program record.

The Tar Heels’ defense wasn’t the only part of his team’s play that Brown criticized after the historic loss.

“We had communication issues, we missed tackles,” Brown said (transcript h/t Inside Carolina’s Evan Rogers.) “We had guys wide open for touchdowns. Our special teams, which was better than the three teams we played in the first three games, had an onside kick that hit us in the chest and they got a score on it. Had a blocked punt that they got a score on.”

UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell got the start Saturday after Brown had previously said he would split snaps with Conner Harrell against JMU. Criswell went 28 of 48 for 475 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.

Harrell, who replaced Criswell in the second quarter, gave the ball away at the Tar Heels’ 27-yard line on his first snap. The Dukes scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

“Jacolby played really, really well, I thought. He even had an interception for a touchdown right before halftime,” Brown said. “And Conner came in on one play and dropped the ball, and it was a touchdown. So it can only come down to one person, and that’s me. I hired everybody on this staff. I hired everybody that works in this building, and I signed every player on this team. So I mean, the people that want to blame me should blame me, because I’m 100 percent at fault.”

The UNC coach concluded, “Again, there’s only one place to put it, and that’s 100 percent my fault, I’ve got big shoulders and I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed for our entire program that we would put a product like that on the field. I feel really bad about that.”

Brown said he told his players they “deserved” the boos from fans at Kenan Memorial Stadium as the Tar Heels went into halftime trailing 53-21.

“If you play bad, people are going to boo,” Brown said.

Saturday’s loss marked the most points a Power Four program has allowed to a Group of Five team since 2012, according to CBS Sports. The game also tied a UNC record for most points allowed in a single game, set by East Carolina in 2014, though JMU is the only visiting team to accomplish the feat in Kenan Stadium.

Brown and first-year Tar Heels defensive coordinator Geoff Collins have one week to turn UNC’s outlook around before the team begins ACC play next Saturday with a road game against Duke.