Five With Fedora: Virginia

By Jeff Greenberg, GoHeels.com

1. In the first half Nathan Elliott was able to complete a high percentage of his passes. It was a different story in the second half. What was Virginia doing differently to affect Nathan's success?
"I think a lot of it went back to what they did to disrupt our tempo. In the first half we were able to get the chains moving, and a lot of that was because we were doing better on first downs and giving ourselves better down and distances. We were able to pass and run at that point. Nathan had more time and was seeing where he needed to take the ball. But that also allowed him to stay poised and step into those throws. So when they were able to get us off schedule it affected Nathan's completion rate. When we started having trouble running the ball it put us in longer yardage situations and the pressure got back to Nathan some more. At the same time it allowed them to change up the coverages they were showing earlier in the game. That put him off balance more with his feet and it affected where he could go with the ball. The offense has to be able to be efficient on first and second downs. You can't make a living on third and long. I've said before that is why balance is the key. It's not because you want to see the same amount of yardage between the pass and run and call that balance. It's because when you're doing both well, you're probably finding yourself in manageable down and distances. When you find yourself in that position you're probably moving the chains. That's what gives us the tempo we want that makes everything work."

2. One player that seems to be getting more involved with the offense each week is Beau Corrales. What has he shown you in the last few weeks and is he becoming a bigger part of the game plan now?
"Beau is a big-bodied guy that's very athletic as well. He's a guy who's 6'4" and around 220 pounds. He can go up and get the ball, and then when he has the ball he can do a lot with it. You saw him in this game make an athletic play when he caught the ball and then hurdled the first tackler before making a second guy miss as well. He's a nice weapon to have, especially when all of the pieces are out there at once. It's hard when you're the one guy out there all game long. When we are able to get him and Dyami Brown out there together it makes for a tough matchup for the defense. Beau reminds me a lot of Quinshad Davis with his length and the ability to make the tough catch. Quinshad had a knack for making the big catches when we needed them. I don't just mean touchdowns, but the catches you need on crucial downs. Beau can do that too and we'll look to get him in more situations to be successful and help the offense move the ball."

3. The defensive line had a tall task with Virginia's quarterback, but they were still able to tally three sacks and five TFLs. How would you rate their performance?
"We knew going in their quarterback would be the key to the outcome. I think our defensive line is playing really hard right now. I think they've been playing hard all year and they're giving maximum effort every week. They take a lot of pride in what they do and knowing what they're supposed to every week. Guys are able to play in different spots because they understand how each spot fits into the scheme of the defense. In this game they did a lot of great things and got pressure on him. This week it wasn't really about how many sacks we could get because it was more about trying to contain him. That's why it seemed sometimes like he was just sitting back there with time. I give our defensive backs credit too because that means they had to cover guys longer. I'm proud of the way our guys competed. There were times when our guys got back to him and disrupted what the quarterback could do. But then there were times where he broke containment. Most of that was him making a great play as opposed to an assignment breakdown. We had guys on him but he's faster than you think and he made more plays than we did. And that's why their record is what it is because he's been making plays like that all season long. He's one of the most dynamic playmakers in our league. So I think we had some success in that battle, but we needed to make a few more plays against him."

4. At this point in the season, you've had a lot of freshman see significant playing time. How would you assess the progress of this freshman class?
"Every rep those guys get is so valuable for their future and their development. But they're in there because they've either earned it, or we needed them to play when other guys have gone down. So you expect some good plays and you also know there could be some plays that aren't so good that they have to learn from and be better on the next play or in the next game. For instance, a guy like Trey Morrison, who's played a ton all year long and done a nice job for us. This wasn't his best game. The shifting and motioning, or the smoke-and-mirrors that Virginia creates caused problems for him. But he'll learn from it and there's been far more good plays this season from Trey than bad. DeAndre Hollins got significant time in this game and had to work through some growing pains, but ended up doing some good things for us. Chris Collins got in on the defensive line and played well for the most part and it gave him a taste for what he's capable of doing here. You've seen our freshman wideouts like Dyami Brown and Antoine Green, before he was injured, do some great things and give you a glimpse of what they're going to be able to do here. I think guys like William Barnes and Cade Fortin showed signs of what they can do for us once they get healthy again. Then there's Javonte Williams, who's played around 25 snaps a game for us on special teams and he's playing really well on those units. He hasn't been able to really break through into the rotation at running back because that room is doing really well and staying healthy, but when he gets his moment there I have no doubt he'll shine for us there too. Overall, I think our freshmen have shown why we wanted them here and that their future is bright."

5. This next question has two sides to it. What gets you up and keeps you going right now? And do you think the players really know how close the games have been from having different outcomes, and are they able to keep that top of mind?
"Honestly, there's one thing that gets me up and going every day and it's the guys in that locker room. It's the desire to see them succeed. I want that for them and the guys on my staff because I know how hard they're working. I want to see them break through this and have the success they want to have here at North Carolina. So I get up every morning with my mind on doing whatever I can do to put them in a position to succeed. That's what drives me every moment of every day. Seeing them break through and succeed is all that matters to me. As for what the players are seeing and thinking, I hope they see that. I hope they are thinking about how hard they've fought and how close they've been to having a completely different record. I tell them every day of every week and I think they see it too. You can tell through their body language and the conversations we have with them every day that they know it. They know the record doesn't reflect who they can be. They're trying hard to break through and their focus is on who will be the guy to make the play we need to seal the deal? Who will be that guy that helps us break through? I think that's why you see the effort and the hard work our guys are showing every week. They're fighting for that moment to happen and they won't stop fighting for it."

Players Mentioned

William Barnes

Chris Collins

Beau Corrales

Nathan Elliott

Antoine Green

Javonte Williams

Related Videos