Mack Brown out-coached Dabo Swinney in near upset of Clemson

North Carolina was a two-point conversion away from an upset win over Clemson and it’s because Dabo Swinney got out-coached by Mack Brown.

Sweat still on his brow after the North Carolina Tar Heels had a two-point try to take the late fourth-quarter lead over his No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers, head coach Dabo Swinney seemingly only had one thing on his mind: Mack Brown out-coached him on Saturday in Chapel Hill. Swinney said it multiple times in his post-game interview and, even if he hadn’t, it would be true.

On the most superficial level, you’d almost have to assume that Brown had won the mental battle on the sidelines in the matchup. His team was coming off a loss to the Sun Belt’s Appalachian State last week and most would agree that the Heels are in the midst of a rebuild under Brown. Meanwhile, they were up against the defending National Champions littered with future first-round NFL Draft picks.

Given that situation, the fact that Brown’s team was even competitive in a game where they were essentially four-touchdown underdogs at home would lead you to believe he won the coaching battle. But the game itself made that even more apparent.

Coming into this game, Clemson had relied extensively on the run game. Trevor Lawrence has seemingly not been the same player he was after earning the starting job last season but, more pressingly, he also hasn’t been asked to be that often. And that was Mack Brown’s gameplan — to ask Lawrence to show it.

North Carolina’s defense was stacked in the box to shut down the run game and they were effective in doing so. Outside of Lawrence himself scrambling, Clemson could find no consistent success when handing the ball off. And yes, Lawrence’s touchdown pass was a dime where he answered the call in a big moment. However, this was the No. 1 team needing a perfect throw from their quarterback to break a tie with a 2-2 UNC team.

On the other side of the ball, Brown had his offense in the position to succeed time and again. With zone reads in the run game, pre-snap motion and overall great play in the trenches, the Tar Heels moved the ball better than anyone could have expected.

The unfortunate truth of Saturday’s near upset is that Brown’s masterpiece was undone by his own call. He made the right decision to go for the win and the two-point conversion after a late touchdown but the play call itself was indubitably an awful one.

Even still, Mack Brown looked his friend, Swinney, right in the eyes on Saturday and didn’t back down an inch, even with less talent and an apparently severe disadvantage. And it almost resulted in a victory for the Tar Heels, which would’ve been their first in program history over a No. 1 ranked team.

North Carolina drops to 2-3 on the 2019 season but, as stated, this is supposed to be a rebuilding year. And after seeing Brown’s sideline performance in this near upset, the Tar Heels have to feel comfortable about the hands that the rebuild is in.