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CHAPEL HILL – UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media Saturday afternoon at the Kenan Football Center to discuss the team’s work to date and the upcoming season.
Fedora often recites numbers reflecting many things, including days since something of note happened and days until something noteworthy is expected to happen. On this day, the fifth-year head coach noted his team is 221 days removed from his ugly loss to Baylor in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando late December. On Friday, following the Tar Heels’ first practice, he said it was 220 days ago.
This is Fedora being Fedora, no doubt. Nothing new here. But it’s also an indication the loss to the Bears still leaves a bad taste in the mouths of everyone in the program. That, in part, has fueled the team’s offseason preparation, and the vigor with which it has jumped into August camp.
“That’s a long time to have a bad taste in your mouth,” he said. “I think our players have done really a tremendous job of preparing themselves to this point. And I’m talking the winter and Blue Dawn, spring ball, and on into the summer and now we’re starting into fall camp right now.
“They’ve done a great job. I think the leaders on the football team have done a great job with them. I think we have some of the pieces to the puzzle put together, so it should be an exciting year, should be a lot of fun, and I know these guys are biting at the bit to get at it.”
Here are some other notes from Fedora’s presser:
*This is Fedora’s fifth season at UNC, is the program about where he through it would and could be at this point?
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “We’re probably one class away, the ’17 class getting in here, before we’ll be back to full scholarships. I think we’ve got a very solid foundation. We’ve got a little more experience and age on the offensive side of the ball than we do on the defensive side – I think we have three seniors on the entire defense. So, we’re young over there but we’ve got some talent over there to build with.
“So, I think a very solid foundation has been set, I just think we’ll get better and better from here.”
*The coach says the two areas for sure the team is better right now than it was this time a year ago are offensive line and defensive line. Neither are surprise answers, and the defensive front is going to be better simply by virtue of its experience. But aside from that, is there another reason why it’s better?
“Besides experience? That’s where the gained everything,” Fedora responded. “That’s where they gained all of that knowledge, the ability to be able to do more things up front, more movement, all of those things that Tray and Gene are going to want to do with them so we can do a better job against the run.”
*Staying in base defense for 15 games would be ideal for Fedora, but it’s not feasible. The defense will play more out of base this season with added variety of looks than a year ago. Last fall, it was all about simplicity, this fall it’s being taken up a notch.
“They’re teaching it at another level now,” he said. “They’re really getting in-depth on why, so now a defensive tackle understands what the defensive end’s responsibility is, and if he’s fitting here what’s that doing to the linebacker behind him, and if the linebacker understands ‘If I fit here, what’s that doing to the safety?’
“They all have a better feel for base now so now when we start installing our 8-man and 7, 7-an-a-half and 8-man fronts and all those things, they will all understand their fits and their roles in the defense…
“You will see more things. We will not be as basic.”
*Robert Morgan is a JC transfer cornerback who just recently arrived. He was working with the 2s during Friday morning’s practice. It’s still very early for Morgan, but what has the staff seen from him that they like so far?
“The things that we saw on film: Quickness, acceleration, he can cover, he’s got good awareness,” Fedora answered. “We haven’t gotten to the hitting yet, so you’re going to see him in one-on-one drills and 7-on-7. He definitely has those types of kills.”
*The Tar Heels were in shorts and helmets for the first two practices, but Sunday they will be in full pads and will begin full contact. The coach is looking forward to one thing in particular.
“Physicality,” he said. “We’re going to be hitting (Sunday) and from this point on. First two days in helmets and shorts, everybody looks pretty running around and all that stuff, but we start playing football tomorrow, hitting people, and that’s where the game changes.”
*Punter Corbin Daly and defensive back Cameron Albright, both of whom were on last year’s roster and in the spring, are not currently on the roster.
“We just didn’t have room right now. That’s all there is – you only get 105 (roster spots). If something happens then they’ll have an opportunity to get in here. But right now, it’s just the way it is.”
