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Fedora On Attitude, Learning, Morning Ritual & More

CHAPEL HILL – UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media following Wednesday’s practice to discuss his team’s preparation for Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech, something he says to himself every morning and learning during the course of a season.

Here are some snippets of what Fedora had to say:

*About how the attitude of the team has been this week, Fedora said: “That’s the impressive thing about this group, they’re attitude’s been really good, all the way through. Again, I’ve got to credit the seniors and the older guys for making sure that’s the way it is. It’s not easy to do what they’re doing. So these guys have stayed positive, they’re pulling for each other and they’re still working extremely hard.”

*Fedora said he hasn’t tried any additional motivational tactics this season.

“No extra motivation. The motivation’s got to come within, and that’s where the leadership is doing a really good job of making sure everybody is staying together. When you’re not getting the results you want, the easy thing would be to splinter off, that’s the easy thing, that’s what everybody in the real world does. The thing that I can tell you about this group is they’ve been tightknit the whole way and they’re still that way, so I’m proud of them for that.”

*The reason Fedora gave for starting Brandon Harris at quarterback versus Virginia was because he practiced better last week, so how has Surratt done this week?

“He’s been fine, he’s been fine. He’s competing every day just like he has every week.”

*On how Surratt has handled being the QB of a team struggling and dealing with losses when he rarely lost before.

“He’s done a good job of handling. I don’t think there’s anybody out here that’s not in that unique situation, and so they’re all learning from the experience. You find out a lot about a guy, you find out a lot about yourself, you find out a lot about everybody on the team and what they’re made of. Chazz has handled it well. I talk to him daily about what it means to be an elite quarterback, just little things you’ve got to do.

“At that position, if you’re going to lead the team you’ve got to be consistent every day, the way your frame of mind is, demeanor, all those things have to be the same. Because nobody can follow somebody that’s up and down all the time. So that’s something that all of those quarterbacks are learning.”

*As for Fedora, how he is handling something that is new to him as a head coach, too?

“Just adversity, that’s all it is. You attack it every day. I wake up in the morning and I say ‘It’s going to be a great day, I cannot fail I can only learn and grow.” I set my attitude and then I attack the day. Whatever happens happens. It doesn’t mean everything good is going to happen, but I can control my attitude about how I’m going to address it and how I’m going to act.”

*Fedora has said that to himself every morning since 1996 when he was 34 years ago.

“It’s the first thing I say in the morning and I say it out loud to myself, yes. Actually, after I brush my teeth I get in the shower and that’s when I say it. My wife hates hearing it so I wait until I get in the shower…

“It’s something I came up with. It was right after when I first got to the Air Force Academy, and I had just decided, I had been through some things there before at the end of the Baylor run and it was like, ‘Hey, you know what, I’m gonna have a positive attitude everything no matter what it is. I’m blessed, we’re all blessed.’ So I’m going to be positive about it live my life a certain way. I had it written down on a card and had it taped on my mirror, so that’s how it started. Now, when I wake up it’s just a habit.”

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