Mack Brown has issued a statement following his firing as North Carolina’s head coach.

The program announced the decision to part ways with Brown on Tuesday morning. He departs Carolina as the winningest head coach in program history, having won 107 games (so far) across 2 stints with the Tar Heels.

Here’s Brown’s statement in-full:

“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time. I’ve spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and will always cherish the memories and relationships Sally and I have built while serving as head coach. We’ve had the chance to coach and mentor some great young men, and we’ll miss having the opportunity to do that in the future. Moving forward, my total focus is on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game against NC State and give them the best chance to win. We want to send these seniors out right and I hope our fans will show up Saturday to do the same.”

Despite being fired with 1 week to go in the regular season, Brown will lead the Tar Heels against rival NC State on Saturday afternoon. It’s a big game for both teams as it’s possibly Brown’s final college football game as a head coach and NC State must win in order to reach bowl eligibility.

NC State has won 3 consecutive games in this series. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.