University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: Tuesday Notebook
November 12, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
When Mack Brown took over as North Carolina's head football coach last November, he said he was unsure what his team would be able to accomplish this season.
That was still the case when the season opener against South Carolina arrived in August. But 10 weeks later, UNC is still playing meaningful football, needing two wins in its last three games to reach bowl eligibly. Brown is pleased with that and more.
"I'm encouraged that we keep getting better," he told reporters on Monday. "I'm encouraged that they fight every week and we haven't had a down game; they've been very competitive and they've tried really hard. They fight back when they get down, because they've been down a lot throughout the year. All of those things are real positive.
"We've still got to make the plays to win the game at the end. That's hopefully what we can do the next three weeks. We've got a new season. We've got three weeks to try to finish this thing strong."
That starts Thursday night, when the Tar Heels (4-5, 3-3 ACC) visit Pittsburgh. Before then, Brown, Jay Bateman and Phil Longo met with reporters on Monday. Here are five notes from what they had to say:
A top priority
In UNC's 38-31 loss to Virginia on Nov. 2, quarterback Bryce Perkins completed 30 of 39 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns. The Cavaliers' quick passing game proved especially effective, as Perkins was 22 of 24 for 198 yards and two touchdowns on passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). All that resulted in Carolina posting its worst coverage grade of the season (42.1).
"We've got to do a better job covering people," Bateman said, "and we need to just line up and play our coverages better and have the ability to be a little bit more multiple in coverage than we have been because myself and the rest of the coaches feeling confident we can go out and do it. So, we spent a lot of time on that (during the open week) primarily."
Brown specifically emphasized that the Tar Heels need to do a better job defending the fade and the back-shoulder ball.
"We're trying to get Javon Terry, Storm Duck and DeAndre Hollins where they can play a fade," he said. "Just where they'll compete and it's a process. People say, 'You've got to play the ball better.' Well, you've got to see the receivers eyes go up and his hands and eyes go. And when they go, you've got to go and we're not doing that very well and Dre (Bly) is killing himself trying to get them to do that. I think we've improved in that area, but losing all these defensive backs really changed who we are defensively."
Trey Morrison and Myles Wolfolk returned from injury for the Virginia game and played 37 and 14 defensive snaps, respectively. Bateman said both players will likely be used "in spurts" again Thursday.
Protecting the passer
Pittsburgh enters this week averaging 4.44 sacks, the second best mark among FBS schools. The Panthers are one of six ACC teams ranked within the top 20 nationally in sacks per game. By the end of this season, UNC will have played all six.
"I think there's a lot of great defensive coordinators in this league," said Brown when asked if there are any commonalties among those six teams. "We talked about Bud Foster. I think Jay will be one of those; he's coming right now like he is. A lot of different schemes and a lot of people are stopping the run on first down and they really bring a lot of different stuff on third down and it has been very, very difficult to stop."
Longo knows that'll be the case against Pittsburgh, as well.
"It's an area of a defensive football that the ACC excels at," Longo said, "and I think playing Clemson, playing Virginia and playing some of those other teams that provide some of the same challenges, hopefully, should help prepare us to battle on Thursday. Their two D-ends are really, really good. No. 91 is a game-changing player and the D-tackles do a great job. They have some depth on the D-line, also, so they keep those guys fresh and they have some numbers to play.
"And so that's where the depth on the O-line comes in. It helps us stay fresh with them. Like every other game, that's where this thing is going to start for us. And I think right now we may be one man deeper than we had been all year, so that's a help. We've had a couple good weeks of practice for this game, so it will come down to who wins the physical battle at the line of scrimmage. That's kind of how I feel every week, but that's the must this week if we're going to score against Pittsburgh."
Polino provides needed depth
In regard to the offensive line being "one man deeper," Nick Polino also returned from injury for the Virginia game and played 14 offensive snaps in his first game since Week 2, according to PFF. Longo said he doesn't think Polino will start Thursday, but the redshirt senior will be in the offensive line rotation.
"I think he practiced X amount of reps that (Virginia) week and probably the number of reps he got in the game correlated with what he did in practice," Longo said. "He was a lot more active these last two weeks. I think he's feeling good. I talked with him at lunch the other day and I just said, 'How are you really feeling? Are you back to 100 percent.' He feels good. And I think he's just kind of worked himself back into practice and playing mode here.
"So he's on the two-deep to get reps and help us. And I think it gives us some depth that we missed earlier on in the season."
Continuing the streak
Since Pittsburgh joined the ACC in 2013, Carolina is 6-0 against the Panthers, having won by an average margin of 4.3 points. Pittsburgh's last win in the series came in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.
As much as the Tar Heels want to continue that streak Thursday, Brown said there isn't anything he and his staff can take from it.
"One of the things that really intrigues me is why universities have streaks against other universities," Brown said. "I've never figured it out. We had trouble beating Kansas State at Texas when I was there, and now, they beat them all the time. So, I don't know. That one always gets me. Like we talked about the streak at Georgia Tech being very difficult for us, I'm sure Pat (Narduzzi) has brought up the streak this week. And what you do if you're them, is you get tired of it and try to change it. And if you're us, you try to keep it going."
Longo also said UNC's recent success against Pittsburgh doesn't carry any significance.
"That's more of a media or a PR or a statistics thing," he said. "What happened in the past has no bearing on this game. So our focus is on what does Pitt do well on defense? What do we have to do to attack them? And the only focus the last two weeks has been on putting the plan together to win this game. That's it."
Scouting Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh enters Thursday's game at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. In their most recent game, the Panthers, who are also coming off an open week, won 20-10 at Georgia Tech.
"Pitt is a typical Pat Narduzzi team: They're going to crowd the line of scrimmage and stop the run, which they're doing as well as anybody in the country …" Brown said. "Offensively, they're going to be balanced, but they're going to throw the ball a lot. Obviously, people have picked on our corners. We've got to play better at corner and we've got to play better on the fade and the back-shoulder ball. And that's really, really important to us."
Pittsburgh ranks seventh nationally in rushing defense (85.9 yards per game), ninth in total defense (280.2 yards per game), 24th in scoring defense (20.1 points per game) and 27th in passing yards allowed (194.3 per game). Longo spoke about the challenges the Panthers present.
"When you're facing a defense like this," he said, "our approach to this week with the caliber of a talent athlete that we see on the defensive side, it really just reminds me of maybe the way we prepared for the Clemson game. And I think we've had good focus and good effort and I think we have a great plan that the staff put together. So, we'll polish it (Tuesday) and then get everything reviewed and then we're going to have to play.
"This is a very, very physical defense. They're very physical up front. I think they are a lot better than they were last year. They pursue well, they stay home, they don't give up a lot of trick plays. They don't make a lot of mental mistakes. And you've got to be good on the back end to play quarters the way they do and they are, so they're a good coverage team."
On offense, Bateman said Pittsburgh is talented at the skill positions. Quarterback Kenny Pickett is also dangerous.
"I didn't realize this until a couple days ago, but he was recruited really hard here," Bateman said. "You see why. I told Coach Brown he's got a little bit of gunslinger in him and he makes things happen. I told some of the guys, Central Florida, he killed them scrambling, just keeping plays alive, making plays with his feet. So, I think they do a good job.
"And then I think Coach (Mark) Whipple is a really, really good football coach and schematically they present a lot of problems to you. Coach Narduzzi I've known for a long time. I have a lot of respect for him. And you see, I think, a defensive-minded coach's influence on their offense. I think they're going to bring an extra O-lineman. They're going try to run power. They're going to try to be physical and run the football and then they're also going to schematically in the pass game create a lot of conflict for you with motions and shifts and proximity alignments, so you've got to handle all that. I think that they do a good job."
When Mack Brown took over as North Carolina's head football coach last November, he said he was unsure what his team would be able to accomplish this season.
That was still the case when the season opener against South Carolina arrived in August. But 10 weeks later, UNC is still playing meaningful football, needing two wins in its last three games to reach bowl eligibly. Brown is pleased with that and more.
"I'm encouraged that we keep getting better," he told reporters on Monday. "I'm encouraged that they fight every week and we haven't had a down game; they've been very competitive and they've tried really hard. They fight back when they get down, because they've been down a lot throughout the year. All of those things are real positive.
"We've still got to make the plays to win the game at the end. That's hopefully what we can do the next three weeks. We've got a new season. We've got three weeks to try to finish this thing strong."
That starts Thursday night, when the Tar Heels (4-5, 3-3 ACC) visit Pittsburgh. Before then, Brown, Jay Bateman and Phil Longo met with reporters on Monday. Here are five notes from what they had to say:
A top priority
In UNC's 38-31 loss to Virginia on Nov. 2, quarterback Bryce Perkins completed 30 of 39 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns. The Cavaliers' quick passing game proved especially effective, as Perkins was 22 of 24 for 198 yards and two touchdowns on passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). All that resulted in Carolina posting its worst coverage grade of the season (42.1).
"We've got to do a better job covering people," Bateman said, "and we need to just line up and play our coverages better and have the ability to be a little bit more multiple in coverage than we have been because myself and the rest of the coaches feeling confident we can go out and do it. So, we spent a lot of time on that (during the open week) primarily."
Brown specifically emphasized that the Tar Heels need to do a better job defending the fade and the back-shoulder ball.
"We're trying to get Javon Terry, Storm Duck and DeAndre Hollins where they can play a fade," he said. "Just where they'll compete and it's a process. People say, 'You've got to play the ball better.' Well, you've got to see the receivers eyes go up and his hands and eyes go. And when they go, you've got to go and we're not doing that very well and Dre (Bly) is killing himself trying to get them to do that. I think we've improved in that area, but losing all these defensive backs really changed who we are defensively."
Trey Morrison and Myles Wolfolk returned from injury for the Virginia game and played 37 and 14 defensive snaps, respectively. Bateman said both players will likely be used "in spurts" again Thursday.
Protecting the passer
Pittsburgh enters this week averaging 4.44 sacks, the second best mark among FBS schools. The Panthers are one of six ACC teams ranked within the top 20 nationally in sacks per game. By the end of this season, UNC will have played all six.
"I think there's a lot of great defensive coordinators in this league," said Brown when asked if there are any commonalties among those six teams. "We talked about Bud Foster. I think Jay will be one of those; he's coming right now like he is. A lot of different schemes and a lot of people are stopping the run on first down and they really bring a lot of different stuff on third down and it has been very, very difficult to stop."
Longo knows that'll be the case against Pittsburgh, as well.
"It's an area of a defensive football that the ACC excels at," Longo said, "and I think playing Clemson, playing Virginia and playing some of those other teams that provide some of the same challenges, hopefully, should help prepare us to battle on Thursday. Their two D-ends are really, really good. No. 91 is a game-changing player and the D-tackles do a great job. They have some depth on the D-line, also, so they keep those guys fresh and they have some numbers to play.
"And so that's where the depth on the O-line comes in. It helps us stay fresh with them. Like every other game, that's where this thing is going to start for us. And I think right now we may be one man deeper than we had been all year, so that's a help. We've had a couple good weeks of practice for this game, so it will come down to who wins the physical battle at the line of scrimmage. That's kind of how I feel every week, but that's the must this week if we're going to score against Pittsburgh."
Polino provides needed depth
In regard to the offensive line being "one man deeper," Nick Polino also returned from injury for the Virginia game and played 14 offensive snaps in his first game since Week 2, according to PFF. Longo said he doesn't think Polino will start Thursday, but the redshirt senior will be in the offensive line rotation.
"I think he practiced X amount of reps that (Virginia) week and probably the number of reps he got in the game correlated with what he did in practice," Longo said. "He was a lot more active these last two weeks. I think he's feeling good. I talked with him at lunch the other day and I just said, 'How are you really feeling? Are you back to 100 percent.' He feels good. And I think he's just kind of worked himself back into practice and playing mode here.
"So he's on the two-deep to get reps and help us. And I think it gives us some depth that we missed earlier on in the season."
Continuing the streak
Since Pittsburgh joined the ACC in 2013, Carolina is 6-0 against the Panthers, having won by an average margin of 4.3 points. Pittsburgh's last win in the series came in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.
As much as the Tar Heels want to continue that streak Thursday, Brown said there isn't anything he and his staff can take from it.
"One of the things that really intrigues me is why universities have streaks against other universities," Brown said. "I've never figured it out. We had trouble beating Kansas State at Texas when I was there, and now, they beat them all the time. So, I don't know. That one always gets me. Like we talked about the streak at Georgia Tech being very difficult for us, I'm sure Pat (Narduzzi) has brought up the streak this week. And what you do if you're them, is you get tired of it and try to change it. And if you're us, you try to keep it going."
Longo also said UNC's recent success against Pittsburgh doesn't carry any significance.
"That's more of a media or a PR or a statistics thing," he said. "What happened in the past has no bearing on this game. So our focus is on what does Pitt do well on defense? What do we have to do to attack them? And the only focus the last two weeks has been on putting the plan together to win this game. That's it."
Scouting Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh enters Thursday's game at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. In their most recent game, the Panthers, who are also coming off an open week, won 20-10 at Georgia Tech.
"Pitt is a typical Pat Narduzzi team: They're going to crowd the line of scrimmage and stop the run, which they're doing as well as anybody in the country …" Brown said. "Offensively, they're going to be balanced, but they're going to throw the ball a lot. Obviously, people have picked on our corners. We've got to play better at corner and we've got to play better on the fade and the back-shoulder ball. And that's really, really important to us."
Pittsburgh ranks seventh nationally in rushing defense (85.9 yards per game), ninth in total defense (280.2 yards per game), 24th in scoring defense (20.1 points per game) and 27th in passing yards allowed (194.3 per game). Longo spoke about the challenges the Panthers present.
"When you're facing a defense like this," he said, "our approach to this week with the caliber of a talent athlete that we see on the defensive side, it really just reminds me of maybe the way we prepared for the Clemson game. And I think we've had good focus and good effort and I think we have a great plan that the staff put together. So, we'll polish it (Tuesday) and then get everything reviewed and then we're going to have to play.
"This is a very, very physical defense. They're very physical up front. I think they are a lot better than they were last year. They pursue well, they stay home, they don't give up a lot of trick plays. They don't make a lot of mental mistakes. And you've got to be good on the back end to play quarters the way they do and they are, so they're a good coverage team."
On offense, Bateman said Pittsburgh is talented at the skill positions. Quarterback Kenny Pickett is also dangerous.
"I didn't realize this until a couple days ago, but he was recruited really hard here," Bateman said. "You see why. I told Coach Brown he's got a little bit of gunslinger in him and he makes things happen. I told some of the guys, Central Florida, he killed them scrambling, just keeping plays alive, making plays with his feet. So, I think they do a good job.
"And then I think Coach (Mark) Whipple is a really, really good football coach and schematically they present a lot of problems to you. Coach Narduzzi I've known for a long time. I have a lot of respect for him. And you see, I think, a defensive-minded coach's influence on their offense. I think they're going to bring an extra O-lineman. They're going try to run power. They're going to try to be physical and run the football and then they're also going to schematically in the pass game create a lot of conflict for you with motions and shifts and proximity alignments, so you've got to handle all that. I think that they do a good job."
Players Mentioned
Defensive Back
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Defensive Back
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Offensive Line
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Defensive Back
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Defensive Back
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