GoHeels Exclusive: The Tale Of The Tape

Larry Fedora said Monday that he hasn't decided whether Brandon Harris or Chazz Surratt will start Saturday's game against Louisville.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 4, 2017 | Football, Featured Writers

Watch Press Conference

By: Pat James

Two days removed from the North Carolina football team's 35-30 loss against California in its season opener, Larry Fedora met with reporters on Monday inside the Kenan Football Center.

Here are five notes from the press conference, leading up to the Tar Heels' ACC opener against No. 16 Louisville on Saturday at Kenan Stadium:

No decision at quarterback

After watching the film from Saturday's game, Fedora said he was impressed with the poise quarterbacks Brandon Harris and Chazz Surratt each showed. He also added that they communicated well with their teammates and coaches.

However, after Harris received the starting nod against Cal, Fedora said a starter hasn't been selected yet for the Louisville game and both could play.

"We'll go through this week again and decide on what we're going to do," he said. "You would think based on what you saw Saturday, whether or not that was enough to make a change, I don't know yet. But we'll see how they handle this week in practice."

Fedora said taking care of the football remains the No. 1 thing he's looking for from the quarterbacks. Harris tossed two interceptions against the Golden Bears. Surratt didn't throw any.

But Fedora said he won't make a long-term decision at quarterback after just a single game.

"You can't do it all in one game," he said. "You just can't. There's too many things, too many variables. But we'll see. We'll to continue to battle it out there, and we're going to put the guy on the field who we think can help us win a football game."

Correcting defensive mistakes

Although the defense doubled last season's interception total with two on Saturday, the unit surrendered multiple catastrophic plays. Cal's 67-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and 54-yard score in the third were among the most notable.

"We can't have it, we just can't have it," Fedora said. "Because there were too many good things defensively that they did throughout the game. That's a great example of there's never a time when you can relax, there's never a time that you don't fall back on your technique and the fundamentals you're supposed to play with."

However, Fedora said fixing those mistakes shouldn't be too difficult.

"All of the problems we created for ourselves, they're all correctable," he said. "We've just got to get them corrected."

Running backs impress

Among the bright spots for the Tar Heels in their season opener were the performances of running backs Michael Carter and Jordon Brown.

Carter, a freshman, turned 11 carries into 94 rushing yards, just 15 shy of matching Derrick Fenner's record for the most gained by a UNC player in their first career game. Carter also scored two touchdowns.

"I thought he did an exceptional job of just handling the situation," said Fedora of Carter. "Now there are plenty of things he needs to do better. But for his first college game, we were pleased with where he's at now."

Brown also impressed, especially in the passing game. In addition to rushing for 54 yards on 13 carries, he tallied 53 receiving yards on nine receptions – the most by a Tar Heel running back in a single game since Giovani Bernard caught nine passes against Miami on Oct. 15, 2011.

"They both have plenty of speed," said Fedora of Brown and Carter. "We're doing the things that we feel like we can to take advantage of that. We've got to make sure we get hats on people and get them to that second level so they can make things happen."

Carney shines

Following Saturday's game, Fedora said he wasn't sure if the defense got enough pressure on the quarterback with four men rushing. However, after watching the film, he said Malik Carney stood out along the defensive line.

"He was the guy that was the constant pressure," Fedora said. "When there was pressure, he was the guy who was right there. He was very close. He was the guy who was most consistent."

Defending the reigning Heisman

Saturday's game against Louisville and 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson marks the first time UNC has played a reigning Heisman since facing Ohio State's Archie Griffin in Columbus, Ohio, in 1975.

Last season, Jackson set Atlantic Coast Conference single-season records for most touchdowns rushing and passing (51). His 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns were the most by a quarterback in conference history.

Jackson finished with 485 total yards and two touchdown passes in the Cardinals' season-opening win over Purdue. And Fedora knows it will be a stiff challenge to keep Jackson from posting such numbers Saturday.

"He can beat you with his arm, and he can beat you with his legs," Fedora said. "I mean, he's a phenomenal player. The scheme they run with him takes advantage of all of his skill set, and you're going to have to be really sound in your rush lanes. You are going to have to be under control because if you give him a lane and people are covered, he's going to beat you."