Mack Brown responds to questions about his future at North Carolina

Mack Brown had to face questions about his future at North Carolina following the Tar Heels' latest loss, this time 21-20 to

North Carolina blew a 20-0 lead in the second half and saw a drop to 3-2 on the year while the rival Blue Devils improved to 5-0. Brown questioned his own team if he should stick around following a blowout loss to James Madison , but he regretted saying that out loud.

Safe to say, it hasn't been easy in Chapel Hill for the national champion head coach who returned to UNC a few years ago out of retirement. Brown hasn't quite gotten over the hump his second time around.

"I say go to the Pittsburgh game next week and really support these kids," Brown said postgame. "They're great kids that work their rear ends off to do the best they can do. Everybody in the country that loses a football game has noise. So I don't worry about the noise."

Mack Brown future in question at UNC?

Even before the Duke game, the JMU loss shook the foundation of Brown's program at North Carolina. So say ESPN's Pete Thamel and Rece Davis at least.

"I know it's one loss. One game," Davis explained . "Things happen. 70? To James Madison. With a new coach? Not like this is Cignetti having built, built, built. Coming off all these FCS Championships. Better, better, better. Undefeated. Trying to get into a New Year's Six Bowl. It's not that. It's a lot of guys gone. It's a new coach. And they come into your place and put 70 on you? That's a tough loss."

Thamel explained just how much the JMU Dukes had to rebuild this offseason after Curt Cignetti went to Indiana. Ultimately, that could be an indictment on Brown and UNC.

Brown is 110-75-1 in his time at North Carolina, which included his first stint from 1988-97. But since 2019, Brown is 41-29, which is by no means bad.

However, since a 9-5 campaign that saw UNC go to the ACC title game two years ago, things seem to be going in the opposite direction for Brown and the Tar Heels.