GoHeels Exclusive: Communication breakdowns

Larry Fedora entered this season expecting to heavily rely on the North Carolina football team's defense following the departures of the offense's most significant contributors in 2016.

But after the defense surrendered 705 yards in Saturday's 47-35 loss against Louisville, most of Fedora's weekly press conference Monday consisted of answering questions about the unit's struggles during UNC's 0-2 start.

Here are five notes from the presser, leading up to the Tar Heels' first road game of the season on Saturday at Old Dominion:

Miscommunication problems plaguing defense

Through two games, UNC's defense ranks 126th in the country and last among Power 5 teams in yards per game (587). It's especially labored in the fourth quarter, during which California and Louisville have outscored the Tar Heels 34-13.

Following the loss against the Cardinals, multiple players referenced communication issues as the main reason behind the defense's rough start. And Fedora elaborated on that Monday.

"Based on a formation, you've got to communicate the coverage that you're going to run with each other," he said. "So based on splits, that adjusts some of the coverages and how you're going to decipher those routes, and then in the middle of the route there's communication that has to be made.

"If you're dropping a guy to pick someone else up and a crosser is coming, you've got to let the guy know next to you so he's picking the guy up. So there's communication on quite a bit of it that we didn't get done."

With the defense returning seven starters from last season, such communication problems might be even more surprising. But Fedora said he's not concerned about the unit's leadership. He also said he doesn't involve himself more than usual with the defense as it works through such issues.

"They know what I expect," Fedora said. "I'm not going to go in there and say, 'Hey, you need to run this. You need to try this.' But I go in there and I listen to every issue and I watch every snap with them and we talk about what the problems were and why.

"Again, why is the key word for me. I want to know why it happened, why something broke down. And as long as we know why, we can get it fixed."

Quarterbacks impress

After Brandon Harris and Chazz Surratt combined to complete 29 of 37 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns, Fedora said both appeared a little more relaxed in their second game for the Tar Heels.

Harris showed that in the second half, when he came off the bench and went 17 of 23 for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also finished the game with no interceptions after throwing two in the season-opening loss against California.

"I thought his decision-making was much better," said Fedora of Harris. "Therefore, when you do that, you're going to be more accurate. When you're making good decisions, you're going to be more accurate. When you know where you're going with the ball, you can be more accurate. I thought he threw some really good balls."

Fedora said Harris and Surratt will continue splitting reps during practice this week.

Improving the running game

With Bentley Spain already sidelined because of an injury, UNC's shuffled offensive line was dealt another significant blow when Cam Dillard exited Saturday's game in the third quarter.

Fedora said he was proud of how the offensive line held up in pass protection. However, he added the unit and tailbacks need to be more effective in the running game after the Tar Heels finished with 17 rushing yards Saturday – their fewest in a game since rushing for 17 against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26, 2009.

"We had some things that were good," Fedora said. "And then there were too many times where we were just one block, just a little bit of movement away from having a really good run and we didn't get it done.

"The continuity there is important, always is in the offensive line. But we don't have it right now so we've got to make do and find a way to make it happen."

McCargo shines off bench

Despite the offensive line's inconsistencies, Fedora said he was impressed with how redshirt freshman Jay-Jay McCargo performed against Louisville after replacing Dillard at center.

"He came in cold and did a nice job …" Fedora said. "He came in and he was level-headed, communicated well and made good snaps. So we were proud of him for that."

Facing Old Dominion

Saturday marks UNC's second game against Old Dominion. The first occurred at Kenan Stadium in 2013, when the Tar Heels set a school record for points in an 80-20 victory.

The Monarchs have since transitioned to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and are coming off a 10-3 record last season, which concluded with a win over Eastern Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl. They're 2-0 this season with wins over Albany and UMass.

"I don't think their program is anywhere close to the last time that they came here," Fedora said. "It's a totally different football team … I think Bobby Wilder has done a great job with that program, actually, getting it restarted and how far they've come with his guidance."

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Players Mentioned

Cam Dillard

Brandon Harris

Jay-Jay McCargo

Bentley Spain

Chazz Surratt

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