By james art 
What Mack Brown said after UNC football’s loss to Duke
Following UNC football’s loss to Duke, head coach Mack Brown discussed what went wrong for the Tar Heels and the program’s plan moving forward.
There’s no time for firsts like the present for North Carolina football coach Mack Brown.
Brown, 73, is nearing the end of his storied college football coaching career, but he’s still aiming for one big accomplishment: beating his alma mater, Florida State. Brown and the Tar Heels (4-4, 1-3 ACC) have their best shot against the Seminoles (1-7, 1-6), coming off their worst season in recent memory.
UNC snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a 41-14 win over Virginia. The Tar Heels opened the season 3-0 before the slump and got back to .500 with a chance to salvage a potential bowl game berth with a strong finish to the season.
In Year 5 under coach Mike Norvell, the Seminoles would be denied a bowl berth for the third time in five years. FSU is coming off a 36-14 road loss at rival Miami and has lost four in a row. The Seminoles haven’t scored more than 21 points this season.
Brown, who transferred to Florida State from Vanderbilt, played one season for the Seminoles and graduated from FSU. As a coach at Tulane and UNC, Brown has never beaten Florida State, but he has a ripe opportunity on Saturday.
Here’s what you need to know about Brown’s record against Florida State and his time with the Seminoles:
Mack Brown as a Florida State player
Brown was a three-sport athlete at Putnam County High School in Cookeville, Tennessee. He accepted a scholarship to play football at Vanderbilt, where he joined his older brother and quarterback Watson Brown. In 1970, Brown rushed 82 times for 364 yards and three touchdowns, adding seven receptions for 50 yards and a score with Vanderbilt.
He transferred to FSU and played the 1972 season with the Seminoles, finishing with 31 catches for 98 yards and 10 receptions for 76 yards. Several knee surgeries and a brutal hit during training put an early end to his playing career. However, he graduated from Florida State in 1974, where he began his career as a collegiate coach and student.
Mack Brown’s coaching record against Florida State
Brown never beat FSU as a head coach. In the last meeting between the programs, he is 0-11 against his alma mater, including a 35-25 loss to FSU in 2021 in Chapel Hill. UNC’s last win in the series was 37-35 in Tallahassee on Oct. 1, 2016. However, Larry Fedora was the coach at the time. Brown is 0-6 all-time in Tallahassee.
He coached against FSU three times while coaching at Tulane (1985-87) and then during his two stints at UNC (1988-97 and 2019-present). Nine of Brown’s 11 losses have come against former legendary coach Bobby Bowden.
Here’s a look at Brown’s record against Florida State as UNC’s head coach:
- October 10, 1992 (Tallahassee): Florida State 36, UNC 13
- September 18, 1993 (Chapel Hill): Florida State 33, UNC 7
- September 24, 1994 (Tallahassee): Florida State 31, UNC 18
- Nov. 11, 1995 (Chapel Hill): Florida State 28, UNC 13
- September 28, 1996 (Tallahassee): Florida State 13, UNC 0
- Nov. 8, 1997 (Chapel Hill): Florida State 20, UNC 3
- Oct. 17, 2020 (Tallahassee): Florida State 31, UNC 28
- Oct. 9, 2021 (Chapel Hill): Florida State 35, UNC 25
Here’s a look at Brown’s record against Florida State as Tulane’s head coach:
- August 31, 1985 (New Orleans): Florida State 38, Tulane 12
- Oct. 11, 1986 (Tallahassee): Florida State 54, Tulane 21
- October 31, 1987 (Tallahassee): Florida State 73, Tulane 14