University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Takeovers
September 17, 2015 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
The math adds up: Carolina lost the turnover battle in the season opener against South Carolina, tossing three interceptions without turning over the Gamecocks, and the Tar Heels lost by a 17-13 score. The next week against North Carolina A&T, Carolina did not commit a turnover and forced three (two interceptions and a fumble), and won 53-14. So this week, the Tar Heels have focused on winning the turnover battle and giving themselves an opportunity to beat Illinois on Saturday.
The game against the Illini represents a chance for Carolina to defeat a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 1999. To do that, head coach Larry Fedora said, they'll need a complete game from all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. “It's going to take all three phases,” Fedora said after practice Wednesday. “We're not going to get it done with or two. We're going to need all three on Saturday to make it happen.”
Illinois brings a 2-0 record under interim head coach Bill Cubit to Kenan Stadium. The Illini have outscored Kent State and Western Illinois by a combined score of 96-3, forcing six turnovers themselves along the way. Fedora couldn't name a team a recent Tar Heel opponent that's reminiscent of the Illini. “They've scored 96 points in two games, and they've allowed three points,” he said. “Whoever that resembles, I don't know, but that's pretty dang good.”
And so to keep a high-powered offense off-balance, to stay in step with the high-scoring Illini, the Tar Heels will look to create those game-changing plays and get the ball back to the Tar Heel offense. “The game doesn't change,” Fedora said. “You take care of the ball, you create takeaways, you create some game-changing plays on special teams and if we do those three things, we have a chance to win. And in those games that we haven't been successful, we haven't done those things.”
After the confidence-building win over the Aggies, the Tar Heels have had a good week of practice, building on sound defensive performances. Certainly, there is still room to grow. “We didn't really execute third down how wanted to,” cornerback Des Lawrence said of the game against North Carolina A&T (the Aggies were 7 of 15). “Coach (Gene) Chizik expressed that to us. That's another focus going in this week, and so i think taking away from the A&T game, we learned that we can get turnovers. We can help our offense a lot, and also we've got to turn those takeovers into points.”
Lawrence may have conflated turnovers and takeaways in saying 'takeovers,' but the meaning is the same: take away the ball, force turnovers, and take over the game. All through camp, the Tar Heel defense worked a drill called 'train wreck,' practicing stripping the football out of a ball-carrier's hands. That work continues into the season. “It's something that we emphasize, taking shots on the ball when the opportunity presents itself,” linebacker Cayson Collins said. “Whenever we got the opportunity, if we see a ballcarrier running with it loose in his arm, we're taking a shot on it. I feel like that's something we can do to kind of help the turnover battle tilt in our favor.” And as the game goes on, those hits add up. “If you take enough shots on the ball,” Collins said, “it's going to come out.”
Last weekend, Carolina turned three turnovers into 14 points. This Saturday, the caliber of opponent is different, but the mission is the same: take away a scoring opportunity and hand the ball back to the offense. “If we don't get them, it's going to be a tough day,” Fedora said. “We know we have to win that turnover battle. So offensively, we've got to take care of it. Defensively, we've got to create some.”
Turn over. Take away. Take over.
