Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications
GoHeels Exclusive: Scrimmage Notebook
August 10, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Eight days into training camp, North Carolina held its first intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday morning at Kenan Stadium. Afterward, a few of the veterans on the roster met with reporters.
Here's some of what they had to say:
Antonio Williams, senior running back
On what he saw during the scrimmage that concerned him
"Just a little bit, consistency. We've got to just be more consistent every play. If everybody just does their job the best they can do, I think we'll be alright. Nothing truly concerned me. I think we looked pretty good overall. Obviously, everywhere we can improve on, but I think overall, we did pretty well."
On gaining more trust in the offense by scrimmaging
"We scrimmaged back in the spring some. That was early on in the new system, and I think this is the most real scrimmage we've had since we're kind of in it now. I think a lot of guys have confidence. It wasn't a script; (Phil Longo) was calling off the top. So, you just know his signals, you're locked in, and it made you realize how it's going to be on game day."
On the offense's tempo
"We can definitely move faster. There were a few times we were a little too slow. I know, in Longo's terms, it was a little too slow. But we'll definitely get there. I just think more repetitions. We've got a little more time and we're going to take care of it."
On the biggest challenges of facing Jay Bateman's defense
"Coach Bateman is really good at throwing different things at you, and I feel like he just knows the perfect time to throw different things. Today, we kind of saw that. It was challenging, I'm not going to say it wasn't. It was good; it was good for the offense because I think we're playing what could be the best defense in the ACC, in my opinion, if we do everything right. So, if we can go against that every day and just continue to play good against it, we'll be alright."
On how the offense fared against the defense
"It went good. The defense is turning it up. They're playing really, really good football, and I'm excited about that. That's a very good thing because defense wins championships; that's the motto, and I'm an offensive player. I think the defense is playing really good. If they can just keep getting more and more and more, it's going to make us get more and more and more, because we don't want to go out there and get shown up every day by those guys. So, I think as long as we're doing that, as long as they're getting better, the offense is going to get better and it's just going to raise the competition every day."
Aaron Crawford, graduate defensive lineman
On Bateman's play-calling
"He definitely throws everything at you, everything we can handle at least. He always tells us that he has a photographic memory, so he really puts that to use every single day. We have different calls that have different tags. Just like the offense is able to switch in and out of calls, we can do the same thing on our side, depending on what we see in their backfield sets and their wide receiver sets and everything like that. I feel like he called a great game today, but it comes down to us executing the play call because if he calls everything right and we go out and trick everything off, it's no good for us anyway."
On what impressed him about the offense
"They made some plays in space that I like to see. I felt like their explosive plays were on the edge, which is something they can continue to develop on. Especially our backs, once they hit that edge, it's hard to get them stopped. When Antonio Williams, Javonte (Williams) and Michael Carter hit the edge and their feet start rolling, they're three hard guys to beat. Getting those guys in space and making sure they're in the best space to succeed, it's a scary sight."
On how the newcomers to the interior defensive line are pushing the returnees
"We talked about it all spring how … guys are coming in to compete and they're coming in to try to take not only those (backup) spots but ours, as well, between me and (Jason Strowbridge). Not only (Jahlil Taylor and Xach Gill), but it's made us be more critical about ourselves. Whether it's Tomari Fox, (Kevin Hester Jr.) or Kristian Varner, those young guys have really come in and tried to take everything in stride. Obviously, when you're young, usually the biggest hump is not only the mental but the physical because you go from playing against offensive lines where guys can be anywhere from 200-250 pounds, and that's not the norm here. They've done a great job as far as trying to get over that physical hump. Now, I feel like it's really all mental between those three."
Myles Dorn, senior defensive back
On the quarterbacks
"They're all crazy accurate. I think it'll just be a matter of who can step up and be a leader and step up and take command of the huddle because they're all talented, they all can run, they all can throw and they're all accurate. So, whoever can just take control of the offense and get them rolling at the right time, I think, will play."
On the linebackers
"They played really well. They're smart – that's one thing that's slept on. They're super smart and they're fast. They might not be the biggest linebacking group in the ACC or in the NCAA, but they're fast. You can't really tell the difference between the speed in the secondary and our linebackers."
On the offense's explosiveness
"I think at any given time they can score. So, even if it doesn't look like they're moving the ball, it takes one play with the offense that we have, the explosiveness that we and the players that we have. If you look at Dazz (Newsome) and you look at the other guys, we have a lot of speed in that offense. And look at the running backs, who can bust away at any time. So, they're going to be put in a position to make plays and I think they're going to make them."
Eight days into training camp, North Carolina held its first intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday morning at Kenan Stadium. Afterward, a few of the veterans on the roster met with reporters.
Here's some of what they had to say:
Antonio Williams, senior running back
On what he saw during the scrimmage that concerned him
"Just a little bit, consistency. We've got to just be more consistent every play. If everybody just does their job the best they can do, I think we'll be alright. Nothing truly concerned me. I think we looked pretty good overall. Obviously, everywhere we can improve on, but I think overall, we did pretty well."
On gaining more trust in the offense by scrimmaging
"We scrimmaged back in the spring some. That was early on in the new system, and I think this is the most real scrimmage we've had since we're kind of in it now. I think a lot of guys have confidence. It wasn't a script; (Phil Longo) was calling off the top. So, you just know his signals, you're locked in, and it made you realize how it's going to be on game day."
On the offense's tempo
"We can definitely move faster. There were a few times we were a little too slow. I know, in Longo's terms, it was a little too slow. But we'll definitely get there. I just think more repetitions. We've got a little more time and we're going to take care of it."
On the biggest challenges of facing Jay Bateman's defense
"Coach Bateman is really good at throwing different things at you, and I feel like he just knows the perfect time to throw different things. Today, we kind of saw that. It was challenging, I'm not going to say it wasn't. It was good; it was good for the offense because I think we're playing what could be the best defense in the ACC, in my opinion, if we do everything right. So, if we can go against that every day and just continue to play good against it, we'll be alright."
On how the offense fared against the defense
"It went good. The defense is turning it up. They're playing really, really good football, and I'm excited about that. That's a very good thing because defense wins championships; that's the motto, and I'm an offensive player. I think the defense is playing really good. If they can just keep getting more and more and more, it's going to make us get more and more and more, because we don't want to go out there and get shown up every day by those guys. So, I think as long as we're doing that, as long as they're getting better, the offense is going to get better and it's just going to raise the competition every day."
Aaron Crawford, graduate defensive lineman
On Bateman's play-calling
"He definitely throws everything at you, everything we can handle at least. He always tells us that he has a photographic memory, so he really puts that to use every single day. We have different calls that have different tags. Just like the offense is able to switch in and out of calls, we can do the same thing on our side, depending on what we see in their backfield sets and their wide receiver sets and everything like that. I feel like he called a great game today, but it comes down to us executing the play call because if he calls everything right and we go out and trick everything off, it's no good for us anyway."
On what impressed him about the offense
"They made some plays in space that I like to see. I felt like their explosive plays were on the edge, which is something they can continue to develop on. Especially our backs, once they hit that edge, it's hard to get them stopped. When Antonio Williams, Javonte (Williams) and Michael Carter hit the edge and their feet start rolling, they're three hard guys to beat. Getting those guys in space and making sure they're in the best space to succeed, it's a scary sight."
On how the newcomers to the interior defensive line are pushing the returnees
"We talked about it all spring how … guys are coming in to compete and they're coming in to try to take not only those (backup) spots but ours, as well, between me and (Jason Strowbridge). Not only (Jahlil Taylor and Xach Gill), but it's made us be more critical about ourselves. Whether it's Tomari Fox, (Kevin Hester Jr.) or Kristian Varner, those young guys have really come in and tried to take everything in stride. Obviously, when you're young, usually the biggest hump is not only the mental but the physical because you go from playing against offensive lines where guys can be anywhere from 200-250 pounds, and that's not the norm here. They've done a great job as far as trying to get over that physical hump. Now, I feel like it's really all mental between those three."
Myles Dorn, senior defensive back
On the quarterbacks
"They're all crazy accurate. I think it'll just be a matter of who can step up and be a leader and step up and take command of the huddle because they're all talented, they all can run, they all can throw and they're all accurate. So, whoever can just take control of the offense and get them rolling at the right time, I think, will play."
On the linebackers
"They played really well. They're smart – that's one thing that's slept on. They're super smart and they're fast. They might not be the biggest linebacking group in the ACC or in the NCAA, but they're fast. You can't really tell the difference between the speed in the secondary and our linebackers."
On the offense's explosiveness
"I think at any given time they can score. So, even if it doesn't look like they're moving the ball, it takes one play with the offense that we have, the explosiveness that we and the players that we have. If you look at Dazz (Newsome) and you look at the other guys, we have a lot of speed in that offense. And look at the running backs, who can bust away at any time. So, they're going to be put in a position to make plays and I think they're going to make them."
Players Mentioned
Running Back
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
Defensive Line
/ Football
Running Back
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