University of North Carolina Athletics
Five With Fedora - Sept. 4
September 4, 2017 | Football
By Jeff Greenberg, GoHeels.com
1. Looking back at the game, what were one or two factors that you were thinking about the most before having a chance to watch the game film?
"First and foremost were the turnovers committed by the offense. That was the number one thing I thought about after the game. We stress that every day in practice and before every game because to me it's the biggest thing that can hurt your chances of winning. You can look at the takeaways we caused and that gave us 14 points. We lost chances to score when we turned the ball over. Second, I thought about the catastrophic plays we gave up on defense. What were the reasons we gave those plays up is what I thought about. There were a lot of times that we played really good defense in this game, but then gave up those big plays. So I was concerned about the reasons behind those breakdowns and wanted to see exactly what led to them. Your vantage point on the field doesn't always give the entire picture that you can see on film. But that's what I was thinking about Saturday night."
2. After watching the game film, what players or parts of the game plan were better than you initially thought throughout or after the game?
"I think Chazz Surratt played better than I thought he did after breaking down the film. He made really good decisions according to what he saw and that's not always something you can tell from your position on the field during the game. This was his first college game and I thought the poise he showed was great. Usually guys in his position can get flustered when guys are turned loose but he didn't panic and he kept his eyes down field. You know the one throw to Fritts that could have been a touchdown was an example of that. He felt the pressure and stepped up to avoid the rush which was good, but then he drove the ball a little down the field instead of just putting it on him. But he did some good things that were great to see on film. Second, Malik Carney stood out on film after going over it. I don't think I realized how much pressure he was able to get. He was the consistent pressure for us when we had it and he played well throughout the game. We will need that from him every game and get that same consistency from across the board up front on the defense. There were other guys that played well at times but those two stood out to me."
3. What did the quarterbacks each do well individually in this game, and what two or three things do each of them need to improve upon moving forward?
"I think both of them were really poised throughout the game. They both communicated well to us on the sideline in terms of what they were seeing on the field. The things they told us they saw were correct; and that's always good because you can build on that and make progress. If a quarterback can't effectively communicate to you what they're seeing then it makes it difficult to make adjustments or take steps forward. Both made some good throws and then there were some throws they both wish they could have back. The things they both need to work on are fixable for sure. For Chazz, he needs to continue to work on his presence as the quarterback of the offense. He also needs to work on his ball control in terms how he carries it when he runs. He has to keep it tighter and secure. They both have to do a much better job of controlling the safety with their eyes in order to open things up down field. I would say for Brandon he needs to protect the ball. He needs to take the ball where the defense tells him to take it. What I mean is that there is always somewhere you can go with the pass and somewhere you cannot go with the pass. Brandon needs to see that and take what the defense gives him."
4. Both running backs had good games in different ways against Cal. Was there any discussion on getting more carries for Michael Carter in the second half?
"First, I would agree that both running backs played well for us in this game and that is what we're going to need from them in order to have an effective offense this season. Mike had an outstanding game in his first college game. He provided a spark on his first drive in the first half and got in the end zone twice for us. Jordon also had a great game. He had nine receptions and over 100 total yards. I thought he made some great runs after contact as well. It was good to see them be productive with an increased workload, in Jordon's case, and in Mike's case, his first college action. In terms of what we did in the run game in the second half, they started taking away some of things we were doing early on with certain packages and that changed how we attacked their defense. I think both backs ended up with almost the same amount of carries and then you have to factor in Jordon's contributions in being our leading receiver in this game as well. Again, I think they both had good games and we will need them both to be productive in every game."
5. What do you do now to turn the team's focus away from this loss and move forward to this week's challenge?Â
"This is part of the game. It's not the part anybody is happy about, but you can't just sit here and feel sorry for yourself. The season moves forward with or without you. Your next opponent isn't going to feel sorry for you. You have to correct what went wrong and then turn the page to creating the game plan for the next game against Louisville. These guys were disappointed after this game. They reacted the way I expected them too which is to pick themselves up and go to work Sunday. They're determined not to let one game define their season. To do that they have to go to work this week and change the result next Saturday."
1. Looking back at the game, what were one or two factors that you were thinking about the most before having a chance to watch the game film?
"First and foremost were the turnovers committed by the offense. That was the number one thing I thought about after the game. We stress that every day in practice and before every game because to me it's the biggest thing that can hurt your chances of winning. You can look at the takeaways we caused and that gave us 14 points. We lost chances to score when we turned the ball over. Second, I thought about the catastrophic plays we gave up on defense. What were the reasons we gave those plays up is what I thought about. There were a lot of times that we played really good defense in this game, but then gave up those big plays. So I was concerned about the reasons behind those breakdowns and wanted to see exactly what led to them. Your vantage point on the field doesn't always give the entire picture that you can see on film. But that's what I was thinking about Saturday night."
2. After watching the game film, what players or parts of the game plan were better than you initially thought throughout or after the game?
"I think Chazz Surratt played better than I thought he did after breaking down the film. He made really good decisions according to what he saw and that's not always something you can tell from your position on the field during the game. This was his first college game and I thought the poise he showed was great. Usually guys in his position can get flustered when guys are turned loose but he didn't panic and he kept his eyes down field. You know the one throw to Fritts that could have been a touchdown was an example of that. He felt the pressure and stepped up to avoid the rush which was good, but then he drove the ball a little down the field instead of just putting it on him. But he did some good things that were great to see on film. Second, Malik Carney stood out on film after going over it. I don't think I realized how much pressure he was able to get. He was the consistent pressure for us when we had it and he played well throughout the game. We will need that from him every game and get that same consistency from across the board up front on the defense. There were other guys that played well at times but those two stood out to me."
3. What did the quarterbacks each do well individually in this game, and what two or three things do each of them need to improve upon moving forward?
"I think both of them were really poised throughout the game. They both communicated well to us on the sideline in terms of what they were seeing on the field. The things they told us they saw were correct; and that's always good because you can build on that and make progress. If a quarterback can't effectively communicate to you what they're seeing then it makes it difficult to make adjustments or take steps forward. Both made some good throws and then there were some throws they both wish they could have back. The things they both need to work on are fixable for sure. For Chazz, he needs to continue to work on his presence as the quarterback of the offense. He also needs to work on his ball control in terms how he carries it when he runs. He has to keep it tighter and secure. They both have to do a much better job of controlling the safety with their eyes in order to open things up down field. I would say for Brandon he needs to protect the ball. He needs to take the ball where the defense tells him to take it. What I mean is that there is always somewhere you can go with the pass and somewhere you cannot go with the pass. Brandon needs to see that and take what the defense gives him."
4. Both running backs had good games in different ways against Cal. Was there any discussion on getting more carries for Michael Carter in the second half?
"First, I would agree that both running backs played well for us in this game and that is what we're going to need from them in order to have an effective offense this season. Mike had an outstanding game in his first college game. He provided a spark on his first drive in the first half and got in the end zone twice for us. Jordon also had a great game. He had nine receptions and over 100 total yards. I thought he made some great runs after contact as well. It was good to see them be productive with an increased workload, in Jordon's case, and in Mike's case, his first college action. In terms of what we did in the run game in the second half, they started taking away some of things we were doing early on with certain packages and that changed how we attacked their defense. I think both backs ended up with almost the same amount of carries and then you have to factor in Jordon's contributions in being our leading receiver in this game as well. Again, I think they both had good games and we will need them both to be productive in every game."
5. What do you do now to turn the team's focus away from this loss and move forward to this week's challenge?Â
"This is part of the game. It's not the part anybody is happy about, but you can't just sit here and feel sorry for yourself. The season moves forward with or without you. Your next opponent isn't going to feel sorry for you. You have to correct what went wrong and then turn the page to creating the game plan for the next game against Louisville. These guys were disappointed after this game. They reacted the way I expected them too which is to pick themselves up and go to work Sunday. They're determined not to let one game define their season. To do that they have to go to work this week and change the result next Saturday."
Players Mentioned
Defensive End
/ Football
Tailback
/ Football
Quarterback
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