University of North Carolina Athletics
Anthony Saunders Looks To Break Loose At Tailback
October 13, 1999 | Football
Oct. 13, 1999
Anthony Saunders |
He sat out his freshman year as a redshirt, then played fullback last season. Saunders carried the ball just 16 times for 55 yards.
This year he's 15 pounds lighter and back at tailback. Last week he had his first collegiate 100-yard game, picking up 110 yards on 17 carries. He's a young man with great potential both on the field and off.
TarHeelBlue talks to the bruising tailback who has a soft spot for kids and his family.
TarHeelBlue: You had a really good game at Georgia Tech. What did it do for your confidence?
Anthony Saunders: "It helped me realize that I still have the talent I had when I came here. We still have a great offensive line and a good offensive scheme. It helps to know that we can run the ball on a top-ten team. As long as we come out and have our minds set on the job that we can do, we're going to do it."
TarHeelBlue: Do you think you're any faster this year than last year?
Anthony Saunders: "Yes, I feel a lot faster. I've dropped about fifteen or twenty pounds, so that helps out a lot. I worked on my agility and my speed work this past summer with Coach George Smith. That made me feel really good coming into the season. I definitely feel a lot faster than last year."
TarHeelBlue: Do you enjoy working with Bulldog (George Smith)
Anthony Saunders: "Yea, he's tough, but you've got to love it. It's all about football and getting better. He wants what's best for you, so you've just got to love it."
TarHeelBlue: Do you enjoy tailback more than fullback?
Anthony Saunders: "Yes. The two jobs are totally different. As a tailback you get a lot more carries, and when you're a running back you want a lot more carries and you want to score. At fullback there's a lot more blocking, but in this offense the fullback catches a lot of balls and gets a lot of attention.
"In a way one's not better than the other, but if I had to pick I'd take fullback."
TarHeelBlue: There's a lot of talk about going for a touchdown instead of a field goal at the end of the game last week. Was the team behind going for the TD?
Anthony Saunders: "Yes, we were behind it 100%. It was a good call. Georgia Tech has a great offense that's very capable of driving the length of the field. We were behind it 100%.
"No guts, no glory. We had to go for it. It turned out the wrong way, but you live with it and just move on. Joe Hamilton's probably going to win the Heisman Trophy, and he did what it took to get the ball down there.
"I think it was a great call, and I'm going to stand behind it."
TarHeelBlue: How's the team's attitude this week?
Anthony Saunders: "Sunday we were down a little bit because we let one slip that we thought we had, but we're still enthusiastic. We know we still have a chance to beat the in-state schools and have a winning season. Those goals are still out there, and we know we have to come back and work hard.
"Today (Tuesday) we came out with a lot of enthusiasm. We were running around and coaching each other up. The coaches were working us really hard, and we know we can turn the season around."
TarHeelBlue: What other sports did you play in high school?
Anthony Saunders: "I ran track and played some basketball. I ran the hurdles and was on a couple of relay teams, plus I also did some jumping, but the hurdles and the relays were mainly what I did.
"Basketball was mostly hustle and play some defense. I wasn't much of an offensive player, but it was always fun. It was mainly something to do after football to have fun with and to stay in shape."
TarHeelBlue: Did you play tailback all four years of high school?
Anthony Saunders: "I played fullback my freshman year when we lived in Asheboro, then played tailback my last three years at Western Guilford. Mereceda (Perry) and I played on the team together at Asheboro.
"Merceda's a great guy. Actually, we're roommates now."
(At this point Alge Crumpler walks up and offers this observation: "See, the key to Anthony's quickness this year is that he's been cutting back on those late night snacks. I told him to cut back a couple of weeks ago, and that a 100-yard game would soon happen.")
TarHeelBlue: I've read that you rushed for 424 yards and scored five touchdowns in a high school playoff game. Is that figure correct?
Anthony Saunders: "That was my senior year in the second round against Clayton. That night coach said he was going to give me the ball, and I just gained yards all over the field that night. It was fun, but I was pretty tired after the game. We beat them something like 42-16."
TarHeelBlue: What are you majoring in at Carolina, and what do you want to do after you graduate?
Anthony Saunders: "I'm majoring in English, and I'd like to teach high school English in the 11th or 12th grade. I really want to work with kids in that age group, maybe have a little impact before they go off and experience college. I want to let them know that college is a very important thing and something they need in their life.
"I don't think I'd be the conventional type of teacher. I think I'd be a little looser and be the type of teacher that the kids would come talk to. I don't want to be their age, but I want to be young and be someone they would share things with. I want to give them some good advice.
"I really want to mentor kids and direct them in the right direction in their lives."
TarHeelBlue: You must be aware of the little kids that hang around after the games.
Anthony Saunders: "You've got to be, because they're always watching us. Even when you lose or you mess up, you've still got to stay positive because they look at you like heroes. I've got a great opportunity to use the talent that God gave me to help out young people."
TarHeelBlue: Is there anything in particular that you do to pump yourself up for a game?
Anthony Saunders: "I just usually relax and listen to gospel music and try to stay focused. No matter what it's great to be out there. God's given us a great opportunity to come out on the field, so I just relax and try to have fun out there. I don't try to put too much pressure on myself because it's just a game. The most important thing is to just compete and have fun."
TarHeelBlue: It sounds like your faith is important to you.
Anthony Saunders: "Oh yes, always. I've always got to put God first, because without Him I wouldn't even be in this college, let alone be able to play football. That's what's most important.
"I love playing football, I love college and I love God. The most important thing is family and friends. I love to do things for other people."
TarHeelBlue: There's a lot of people who are critical of the team and especially the coaching staff right now. How would you respond to that criticism?
Anthony Saunders: "Sometimes when things are not going the way people expect it's easy to point fingers and blame other people. It's very easy to point fingers at the coaches. It's easy to point fingers at the players.
"Sometimes things just go the way they do and you've got to keep fighting back. We're not going to sit around and point fingers at the coaches. We're going to stand behind each other. We believe they're going to get the job done up top, and we're going to get the job done on the field.
"People are naturally going to blame somebody when things aren't going as expected. Somebody has to take the blame, so I guess we have to take it.
"We'll take it, and when we win we'll take the glory that they give us. We just have to deal with it now."
Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
