University of North Carolina Athletics
Five With Fedora: Pitt
September 25, 2018 | Football
By Jeff Greenberg, GoHeels.com
1.) You went into this game against a Pitt defense that is designed to stop the run and take away the short passing game in the process, and yet, that's exactly what your offense was able to do in this game. What were the keys to that success?Â
"Pat's defense has always had a focus on taking away your ability to run the football. By playing what looks like quarters, but by having their defensive backs pressed low, it also makes it tough on your short passing concepts. So you have to be creative and you have to be opportunistic. When the opening is there, you have to seize it because it will be the only opening on that play that you have a chance to exploit. Sometimes that opening is the right run. Sometimes it's the open guy in the flats. And if you have a shot down field, you have to capitalize on those when they're there for the taking. I give a lot of credit to our coaches. I thought all week long that they designed a game plan that was ready to do just that. And then our players took that game plan and worked it all week long in practice. Our week of practice was fantastic. They attacked every day to win just that day. That work each day added up to the execution you saw in this game. They took their opportunities when they were there and it was a great all-around team effort on the offense that produced the results on the scoreboard."
2.) You've noted each week that you can see the offensive line making steps forward and getting better. How did they perform in your eyes this week?
"I think it was another step forward for that group. I think what you're seeing is that they're starting to gel and come together as a unit. A large part of that is because you're starting to see the same group together taking the majority of the snaps. When that happens and you start to stay healthy up front, the guys start to get a feel for each other and can sense what's going on more on each play. It helps them to improve their instincts and know how the guy next to them is going to react to different situations. As a result, they start to play faster because they're reacting faster. I thought those guys did a great job of keeping Nathan off the ground and they were able to open more holes for the backs. A big part of this game was the fact that they were able to do it whenever we needed it most. In the crucial situations on third down, short-yardage and in the red zone. The final drive to finish the game was an example of that."
3.) One thing that took a toll on the players in this game was how hot it was and when combined with the physicality of this game, made for extremely difficult playing conditions. Yet, at halftime, you were walking around the locker room with a certain grin on your face. What were thinking at that moment?
"I was thinking that the guys in that locker room were in great physical condition. I knew that we had been practicing in this every single day since the first day of camp. They had pushed through it in practice and I knew they would have plenty left in the tank in the second half. Guys were in there telling each other, "We were built for this. We were built for this second half." We said this would be a 60-minute game. Not 50 minutes, not 57 minutes, but a total 60-minute game. You could see it in their eyes and in their body language at the half. They knew what had to be done. So yes, I may have been grinning because those moments are what we do this for. Being in the middle of a game like that and a fight like that is why you work so hard. You have to recognize that moment and enjoy it, because the challenge of it is what drives you every day when it's 100 degrees and you're wondering if it's worth the effort. Our guys knew it was worth it in practice and they knew they had what it was going to take to win the second half."
4.) You just mentioned that you promised them it would be a 60-minute game against Pitt. The third quarter was going to play a huge part in determining the winner. What did your team show you coming out of the locker room to start the second half?
"Well again, it started in the locker room at half time before we went back out onto the field. Our coaches did a great job of making some key adjustments to our schemes for the second half. And then it was the players that took charge of the locker room and they refused to lose this game. The leaders on both sides of the ball said exactly what was about to happen. We were going to run back onto the field and win a 30-minute fight. I think we out scored them 17-0 in the third quarter and held them to around 5 yards of offense. You could see it from the sidelines. Our guys were the more physical team in the second half. Our guys were winning the battle up front in the trenches. Then our playmakers started making more plays. Nobody stopped until the clock read zeroes. Our guys showed me what they're made of and that there is a lot of grit in that locker room. They know it now too. They can see what it takes to win each day and then win the week by winning a 60-minute fight on Saturday. You have to be able to look each other in the eye and know you left it all out here. The blueprint is there. We don't need any other players than the ones in that locker room. We don't need to reinvent our schemes. We have everything we need right in that locker room. Now, we have to build it from here."
5.) You told the team before the game that they had put deposits in the bank every day at practice with their hard work and preparation; and that this game was their opportunity to cash in on those deposits and win this game. What did it show you to see them answer that call and seize this opportunity?
"We had some unforeseen circumstances hit us with the hurricane. It knocked us out of our routine and really shook us out of our mental routine. You couldn't be human and not be affected by what was happening to the people of this state. To some of the families of our guys. So we came together as a team and decided to make it a positive. We were going to be a positive force off the field and in the community to help in the recovery. And we were going to turn this challenge into a positive situation for us on the field in practice to be ready to win this game. Every day and everything we did each day had to be important. It had to be important on that day. So that by Saturday, we could add up all of those days and know when we stepped into the Tar Pit to face Pitt we had given everything we had to win that game. I think each guy in that locker room bought in and just did exactly that. I told them so after the game and let them know that I couldn't have been prouder of them and how they handled these last two weeks."
