GoHeels Exclusive: Tuesday Notebook

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

When Mack Brown took over as North Carolina's head football coach last November, he said he was unsure what his team would be able to accomplish this season.

That was still the case when the season opener against South Carolina arrived in August. But 10 weeks later, UNC is still playing meaningful football, needing two wins in its last three games to reach bowl eligibly. Brown is pleased with that and more.

"I'm encouraged that we keep getting better," he told reporters on Monday. "I'm encouraged that they fight every week and we haven't had a down game; they've been very competitive and they've tried really hard. They fight back when they get down, because they've…