CHAPEL HILL – Jacolby Criswell says his performance last week against Wake Forest was his worst of the season. The next day was about watching film and looking to fix what veered him off course from his prior trajectory.
So, Criswell and quarterbacks coach (and offensive coordinator) Chip Lindsey broke down the film.
“I didn’t play as well obviously as I wanted,” Criswell said. “I don’t think I played well at all, honestly. He said I did some good things but I did some things I don’t typically do. I wasn’t disciplined, really.”
Criswell was 14-for-22 passing with 132 yards and a score. He fumbled and was sacked five times, four times in the first quarter alone and twice in the red zone.
“I tried to force some things when they weren’t there when I could have easily got a check down or I was just inaccurate. And that’s something I’ve improved on and I just got undisciplined.”
In fairness to Criswell, he has raised his own bar since becoming North Carolina’s starter in the fourth game of the season. His accuracy numbers have gradually improved and his mistakes have minimized.
An example is that he hasn’t thrown an interception since September. That came on the final play of a 21-20 loss at Duke. Since then, he’s thrown 145 passes without being picked off. Criswell says he doesn’t know the number of consecutive passes since being picked and doesn’t want to know. When it casually came up, he essentially ran from it. His focus is straight ahead.
However, that he and the team have not been turning the ball over is a key ingredient to winning three consecutive games and is obviously important moving forward for the Tar Heels to continue their winning ways.
“One-hundred percent. Coach (Clyde) Christensen has done a really good job of making sure I’m really good with ball security to where it’s either the run game or I’m passing the ball,” he said. “And as you can see in college football, a lot of the turnovers come from the quarterback and that’s just something we don’t want for this football team.
“That’s something to where if I’m good enough I don’t have that, then we have a really high chance of winning.”
We spoke with Criswell about many others things earlier this week at the Kenan Football Center. Below is video of our Q&A session as well as some notes from what else he discussed:
*Did the early sacks against Wake affect Criswell? He answered that questions.
*UNC Coach Mack Brown has said quite a few times of late that to see the rainbow a team must go through a storm, and the Tar Heels have done that. Criswell discussed this.
*He also answered a question asking if it’s dangerous to look at the rainbow.
*Criswell said after the game Saturday night he didn’t see much of Omarion Hampton’s touchdown run late in the game, the one in which he leapt over the line of scrimmage and then carries some Demon Deacons into the end zone with him. But he did watch it on film and offered his thoughts.
*In addition, Criswell discussed having Tylee Craft’s mom in the locker room after beating Wake, which was UNC’s first home game since he passed away; on what tight end John Copenhaver brings to the field and what makes him such a quality player; and how the team is processing being bowl eligible so quickly after people were so down on them.
