University of North Carolina Athletics
Carfley Shares His Thoughts Heading Into Indiana Game
September 8, 1999 | Football
Sept. 8, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ryan Carfley, a senior from Ridgewood, N.J., is one of Carolina's leaders both on and off the football field. Heading into Saturday's non-conference battle with Indiana, the starting center shared his thoughts about last weekend's loss to Virginia, as well as what he expects to see this weekend when the Heels take the field in Bloomington.
Q: What is your mood and the mood of the team after last Saturday's loss to Virginia?
A: "I'm pretty disappointed. I'd have to say that losing a game like that is probably one of the more difficult loses I've had since I've been here. But we've basically taken it upon ourselves. It's on us now especially as an offense to get ready for this Indiana team. We're playing a great ball club on Saturday and nobody's taking them lightly at all."
Q: How do feel you feel about the progress of the Carolina offense under offensive coordinator Steve Marshall?
A: "I think Coach Marshall is a great coach. I've got nothing but good things to say about his offense and what he does. All he can do is call the plays. There were some breakdowns that came down on film and it wasn't anyone in particular, kind of one of those situations where it's a different person on a given play. The stuff was there. I have nothing bad to say about Coach Marshall or his offense. He's a good coach and a good friend. I'm also not really disappointed with the play of our offensive line and I'm not truly disappointed with the play of our offense in general. It's all correctable. We have nothing but a positive outlook for this week coming up. It's all things we can work on."
Q: What is it like having to block for such a mobile quarterback like Ronald Curry?
A: "It's definitely different. There is not really a clearly defined pocket a lot of times, he creates his own things, which is fine, but you've just got to hold on to your blocks a couple seconds longer. What he (Curry) does though and what he brings to the table far outweighs the extra two to three seconds that you've got to hold a block for him. He can really get you out of a tough situation, and we are real fortunate to have him. Sometimes we may lose track of him back there, but I know that when he tucks the ball and runs, nine times out of 10, good things are going to happen."
Q: How do you feel this year compared to last year at 0-1?
A: "No one has forgotten where we came from last year, and that is going to be some motivation for us. But the overall motivation for us is the team that weˇre playing this week. Indiana is a good football team that we definitely can't afford to take lightly, especially at 0-1.
"The 0-1 last year, I think we were shocked. We were coming off an 11-1 season. I don't think anybody was really ready to lose. I think we just got used to being undefeated, or 11-1 and 10-2. But we all know what it takes now. We went through last season, and none of us want that to happen again."
Q: Can you tell us about the players-only meeting you had on Sunday in the locker room?
A: "We sat in the locker room and talked as a team, minus the coaches, and set up a lot of things that we want to have happen. No one has forgotten about last year, we don't want that to happen again, without a doubt.
"A lot of the seniors just wanted to talk. The best thing that I've seen from Sunday to today is that there hasn't been a lot of finger pointing. We've all pretty much taken it upon ourselves. This is our team. This is the senior's team. We as a unit lost, and we as a unit have to correct it. I think that is the biggest difference between last year and this year."
Q: Do you feel better about how are you coming together as a unit this year?
A: "Personally I felt like, especially watching it on film, it was like night and day from last year to this year. This group that we have is coming together. I would have liked to have been more cohesive against Virginia. I would have expected it to be so, but we're definitely a tight knit group and we have a better understanding on how to run the offense."
Q: What have you learned so far in your preparation for Indiana?
A: "I looked at them briefly yesterday. They're quick. Their front seven is pretty fast. Two years ago, they were more of a traditional Big Ten, physical-type team. This will be a physical team, but they're quicker so I think it will be a more difficult task for us."
Q: What are you going to be doing this week in practice to get ready for Saturday?
A: "I believe as a line we're going to be paying a lot more attention to detail ? walking through our blocks and paying attention to different ripples and defenses that make them what they are. The difference between one defense and another is generally pretty small, but the impact it has on the play can be pretty big if it is not executed right. I think the real motivation for the entire team is going to be doing the little things right."
Q: On a lighter note, what's this we hear about you being able to dunk a basketball?
A: (Laughing) "There's absolutely no truth to that at all. Back in my younger days, when I was weighing about 230, that might have been a pretty good goal, but I gave that up a while ago. A couple of knee surgeries and ankle surgeries after that haven't helped either. I can touch the rim. I can touch the net, the backboard, but this body ain't meant to go up over it for dunk."
