Mack Brown told ESPN on Saturday that he will not resign after an emotional locker room scene with his players following North Carolina’s embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison, which is in only its third season as an FBS school.

Brown, a College Football Hall of Famer, said he told the players it was his fault and that he would resign if he couldn’t fix things. The 70 points were the most ever given up by the Tar Heels, who went to 3-1.

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

Brown, 73, is in his sixth season at North Carolina. He told ESPN he was aware of some of the messages and that messages in emotional locker rooms can be misinterpreted, but he was adamant he will not resign.

Brown has led UNC to winning records in four of his five seasons. The Tar Heels won eight games last season and nine the season before that, finishing first in the ACC’s Coastal Division. Brown spent 16 seasons at Texas, winning a national championship in 2005 and playing again in 2009. He resigned under pressure after the 2013 season and, after a coaching hiatus, returned to North Carolina in 2019 for his second stint in Chapel Hill. Brown coached North Carolina from 1988 to 1997.

The Tar Heels travel to rival Duke next Saturday.