GoHeels Exclusive: Midweek Notebook

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

In each of Beau Corrales' first two seasons at North Carolina, the Tar Heels won just one game by the time November rolled around.

So, with UNC sitting at 4-4 overall and tied with Virginia atop the ACC Coastal Division at 3-2 in conference play, the junior receiver said the excitement around the Kenan Football Center is palpable heading into Saturday's 7:30 p.m. home game against the Cavaliers.

"It's fun just being in a situation you've been looking forward to your whole life," Corrales told reporters on Tuesday. "These are the kinds of games you want to be playing in. These are the kinds of environments you want to be playing in.

"It's fun just being able to be aware that you're in it, and at the same time, being aware of the opportunities we have at stake and just making sure we bust our butts to get the job done."

Corrales was one of six players who met with reporters on Tuesday evening. Here are five notes from what they had to say:

'Balling for them'

Tickets for Saturday's game have been sold out since last Friday, marking the fifth time in as many home games that Carolina will play in front of a sellout crowd.

The fans certainly seemed to make a difference in last Saturday's 20-17 win over Duke. Aaron Crawford confirmed that Tuesday and cited the crowd noise as one of the reasons why the Blue Devils committed three false starts.

"The fans have been phenomenal," he said. "They definitely have an impact on the game – more than they could ever know. We've been having O-line's coming in here and false starting every single game this year. Really, as a D-line, we take pride in that. We see them jump and, whether that's because they can't hear or they're worried about what they need to do, we feel as if they're just rushing and they're not relaxed and not poised to get whatever they need to do done.

"So, it's definitely a good feeling to see that, and I'm glad the fans are happy to be here – just as happy as we are to be playing for them. I know this week is a sellout and we've got one more after that. So, if they keep showing up, we'll keep balling for them."

Fans can purchase great seats from other fans through UNC's official secondary ticketing partner StubHub by clicking HERE. Limited tickets remain for the final home game against Mercer on Nov. 23. They can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Hollins steps up

When Storm Duck sustained an upper-body injury in the first quarter against Duke, sidelining the cornerback for the rest of the game, the Tar Heels turned to DeAndre Hollins.

On Monday, Jay Bateman said he and Dre' Bly moved Hollins from nickelback to boundary cornerback about two weeks ago due to attrition in the secondary. But despite practicing at the position for only a short time, Hollins said he felt prepared.

"Last couple of weeks I've been kind of just trying to get my footwork right for corner, get my technique right and get deeper in the playbook and know both sides at corner," he said. "When they threw me in the game, I was pretty confident. … When I saw Storm, I immediately jumped up and was like, 'Hey, I've got you, bro.' And then I went in and did what I had to do."

One thing Bateman said he was sure of was that Hollins would know what to do once he got on the field.

Every Friday, Carolina's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach gives the defensive backs a test – which mostly consists of short-answer and fill-in-the-blank questions – to help them prepare for the upcoming game. He said Hollins always does the best on those tests.

As well as he's done on those, Hollins said that doesn't give him any extra confidence going into a game.

"I feel like you shouldn't get anything on the test wrong unless you make a short check mistake," Hollins said. "That's not really a big deal, but most of it is a big deal. Once a test gets in front of you, you've got to be confident about that itself because, if (the coaches) don't trust that you know your stuff, they're not going to put you in the game."

Secondary perseveres

Considering Patrice Rene, Myles Wolfolk, Trey Morrison, Cam'Ron Kelly and Duck have all sustained injuries this season – and Bryson Richardson suffered a season-ending injury in the offseason – UNC's secondary has performed admirably. The Tar Heels rank 57th nationally and seventh in the ACC in passing yards allowed (216.4 per game).

Myles Dorn said Tuesday no one could've predicted in the preseason that the secondary would have to overcome so many injuries. But the senior think it's been able to because of "the leadership in the room and kind of everybody trusting everybody."

"We're all close," Dorn said. "So, if somebody goes down, it's not like a stranger is getting on the field. We're all close knit. When somebody gets on the field, we're all hoping for him to do well."

McKethan's emergence

Marcus McKethan began spring ball at tackle, but moved to right guard about two weeks before the season opener. He's since started all eight games at that position.

"I wasn't getting much work, but I already knew most of the assignments at guard because I was prepared if I had to move in," said McKethan when asked about his transition on Tuesday. "So, I wasn't too unsettled, I guess."

He hasn't appeared to be. According to Pro Football Focus, his 614 snaps at right guard are the most among all ACC offensive linemen. And although he hasn't been as efficient as a run blocker, his 75.5 pass-blocking grade is the fifth best among all guards in the conference who have played 27 snaps or more.

After redshirting in 2017 and playing 46 snaps last season, McKethan credited his teammates for helping him earn a starting job as a redshirt sophomore.

"I feel like my work ethic is the biggest thing that's grown," he said. "Just going through the years, I watched Charlie Heck and other guys like him just constantly put in work and constantly get better. It made me want to get better."

Howell's self-evaluation

After emerging as one of the ACC's top quarterbacks through the first eight weeks of the season, Sam Howell struggled some against Duke, completing 10 of 26 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He entered the game having thrown three interceptions.

"I think there were a couple of plays where I just tried to do too much," he said. "I tried to make something out of nothing. And that caused two turnovers. So, just knowing when something is there and something is not there and just trying to stay within the play on every single play."

Phil Longo spoke glowingly on Monday about Howell critiques himself after games. The freshman detailed that process.

"Depending on what time the game is, I'll go eat with my family or something and then I'll watch the game myself and take notes on what I did wrong," Howell said. "And then I'll come in (Sunday) and we'll have a workout and then we'll meet and watch the game. I pretty much know all the mistakes I made through the game."

Players Mentioned

Beau Corrales

Aaron Crawford

Myles Dorn

Charlie Heck

Ladaeson DeAndre Hollins

Sam Howell

Cam'Ron Kelly

Marcus McKethan

Trey Morrison

Patrice Rene

Bryson Richardson

Myles Wolfolk

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University of North Carolina Athletics