University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications
GoHeels Exclusive: Weekly Press Conference Notes
September 11, 2018 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
In the aftermath of Saturday's 41-19 loss at East Carolina, North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora met with reporters for his weekly press conference on Monday.
Here are five notes from the press conference, leading up to Saturday's home opener against Central Florida:
'Circle the wagons'
Saturday marked the second straight loss by UNC to open the season. But as Fedora referenced Monday, the Tar Heels have overcome other difficulties during his seven-year tenure.
"This is not the first bit of adversity that I've ever faced as a football coach," he said. "So you lean on the lessons you've learned from the past, and you hope you've learned from the mistakes you've made in the past and you rally your team around what we need to do.Â
"And that is basically circle the wagons, believe in each other, believe in what we're doing, not worry about anything else, and stay focused on your job and do your job."
The 2013 team adopted that mindset. After losing five of its first six games that season, Carolina went 6-1 over its last seven, including a 39-17 victory over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl. The next season, a loss in the the Quick Lane Bowl resulted in Fedora's first losing campaign as a head coach. But UNC rebounded with 11 wins and an appearance in the ACC Championship Game in 2015.
So faced with adversity again, Fedora doesn't plan to change his approach.
"I hate the fact that we're 0-2 right now, but it is what it is," he said. "You can't dismiss it. You've got fight, scratch and claw to overcome it. You go through the obstacle, not around it. That's something we talk about as a team. Adversity is something you have to deal with."
Trying to finish
The Tar Heels drove into East Carolina territory and scored on 5-of-6 first-half possessions on Saturday. But they managed only 19 points, 12 of which came on four field goals.
"We just didn't finish the drives off," Fedora said. "When we got down into the red zone or the top of the red zone, a lot of that was around the 30-yard line or the 28-yard line, we weren't able to consistently run the ball down there. We needed to be more physical, and we needed to be able to punch that ball in."
Quarterback breakdowns
With 5:33 left in Saturday's game, freshman Cade Fortin made his collegiate debut. He completed 3-of-6 passes for 15 yards. He also rushed for 17 yards on the final play.
Fedora said Monday that Fortin's role could expand against UCF.
"We've said the last two weeks that we expected Cade to play, and I'm going to continue to say that," Fedora said. "I think he showed he can do some good things out there, which was promising. So there will be no reason not to."
Fortin entered Saturday's game after Nathan Elliott completed 22-of-38 passes for 219 yards. Fedora said Elliott's footwork problems led to some accuracy issues.
"That's usually the case with a quarterback," Fedora said. "What you have to be careful of is when you're in this position right now, you still have to play. You can't be worried about making mistakes. You rely on the fundamentals you've been taught, the techniques you've been taught, and you rely on what you see with your eyes … If you do those things and you're comfortable in the system, you're going to do fine."
Weather concerns
Much of Monday's press conference was spent talking about the impending weather.Â
With Category 4 Hurricane Florence expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Thursday, UNC officials are monitoring the storm and will make a decision about Saturday's game based on consultation with the appropriate state, local and campus authorities.
"The main concern is the safety of the fans, the safety of the people who work in the stadium and the safety of the players," Fedora said. "So I know the University will do what's right. I don't doubt that, and I'll go along with whatever they decide."
'Guys who can run all over'
UCF opened the season with a 56-17 win over UConn. The Knights then beat South Carolina State 38-0 on Saturday, extending their winning streak to 15 games after going 13-0 last season.
So far this season, UCF has rushed for 612 yards, the seventh most in the nation. The Knights boast three players who have rushed for more than 100 yards, and eight different players have registered a carry. As a team, UCF averages 7.4 yards per rush.
"They can run at every position," Fedora said. "They got guys who can run all over the field, a lot of really good athletes. … They've scored on everybody that they've played against, so they do a really good job with their offense. Watching their special teams this morning, they've got guys that can take the ball and take it the distance any time."
In the aftermath of Saturday's 41-19 loss at East Carolina, North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora met with reporters for his weekly press conference on Monday.
Here are five notes from the press conference, leading up to Saturday's home opener against Central Florida:
'Circle the wagons'
Saturday marked the second straight loss by UNC to open the season. But as Fedora referenced Monday, the Tar Heels have overcome other difficulties during his seven-year tenure.
"This is not the first bit of adversity that I've ever faced as a football coach," he said. "So you lean on the lessons you've learned from the past, and you hope you've learned from the mistakes you've made in the past and you rally your team around what we need to do.Â
"And that is basically circle the wagons, believe in each other, believe in what we're doing, not worry about anything else, and stay focused on your job and do your job."
The 2013 team adopted that mindset. After losing five of its first six games that season, Carolina went 6-1 over its last seven, including a 39-17 victory over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl. The next season, a loss in the the Quick Lane Bowl resulted in Fedora's first losing campaign as a head coach. But UNC rebounded with 11 wins and an appearance in the ACC Championship Game in 2015.
So faced with adversity again, Fedora doesn't plan to change his approach.
"I hate the fact that we're 0-2 right now, but it is what it is," he said. "You can't dismiss it. You've got fight, scratch and claw to overcome it. You go through the obstacle, not around it. That's something we talk about as a team. Adversity is something you have to deal with."
Trying to finish
The Tar Heels drove into East Carolina territory and scored on 5-of-6 first-half possessions on Saturday. But they managed only 19 points, 12 of which came on four field goals.
"We just didn't finish the drives off," Fedora said. "When we got down into the red zone or the top of the red zone, a lot of that was around the 30-yard line or the 28-yard line, we weren't able to consistently run the ball down there. We needed to be more physical, and we needed to be able to punch that ball in."
Quarterback breakdowns
With 5:33 left in Saturday's game, freshman Cade Fortin made his collegiate debut. He completed 3-of-6 passes for 15 yards. He also rushed for 17 yards on the final play.
Fedora said Monday that Fortin's role could expand against UCF.
"We've said the last two weeks that we expected Cade to play, and I'm going to continue to say that," Fedora said. "I think he showed he can do some good things out there, which was promising. So there will be no reason not to."
Fortin entered Saturday's game after Nathan Elliott completed 22-of-38 passes for 219 yards. Fedora said Elliott's footwork problems led to some accuracy issues.
"That's usually the case with a quarterback," Fedora said. "What you have to be careful of is when you're in this position right now, you still have to play. You can't be worried about making mistakes. You rely on the fundamentals you've been taught, the techniques you've been taught, and you rely on what you see with your eyes … If you do those things and you're comfortable in the system, you're going to do fine."
Weather concerns
Much of Monday's press conference was spent talking about the impending weather.Â
With Category 4 Hurricane Florence expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Thursday, UNC officials are monitoring the storm and will make a decision about Saturday's game based on consultation with the appropriate state, local and campus authorities.
"The main concern is the safety of the fans, the safety of the people who work in the stadium and the safety of the players," Fedora said. "So I know the University will do what's right. I don't doubt that, and I'll go along with whatever they decide."
'Guys who can run all over'
UCF opened the season with a 56-17 win over UConn. The Knights then beat South Carolina State 38-0 on Saturday, extending their winning streak to 15 games after going 13-0 last season.
So far this season, UCF has rushed for 612 yards, the seventh most in the nation. The Knights boast three players who have rushed for more than 100 yards, and eight different players have registered a carry. As a team, UCF averages 7.4 yards per rush.
"They can run at every position," Fedora said. "They got guys who can run all over the field, a lot of really good athletes. … They've scored on everybody that they've played against, so they do a really good job with their offense. Watching their special teams this morning, they've got guys that can take the ball and take it the distance any time."
Players Mentioned
Quarterback
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