CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina started something new Monday, as its coordinators were available to the media in addition to head coach Mack Brown for its weekly press conference.

Previously, just head coach Larry Fedora and before him Everett Withers, Butch Davis and John Bunting were the only coaches available to the media on Mondays, but Brown wanted his coordinators to also be included at the outset of each week.

Posted below are the press conferences for both offensive coordinator Phil Longo and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, in that order, along with a few notes from what each had to say.

*Many of the questions directed at Longo were about true freshman quarterback Sam Howell, so here’s one of Longo’s responses:

On how Howell has adapted since being named the blue team quarterback on Aug. 18: “Going back all the way through to the spring, I think Sam, Jace (Ruder) and Cade (Fortin) at the time, did a good job learning the system, and that was the challenge in the spring… When we got here in August, really the offense was learned, it was a matter of the three of them competing… When we made the decision to start Sam, and as I told them both in the room, I want them both to prepare as starters – the plan is to have them in the plan every single week.

“And with regard to (Sam), he’s done a good job of leading. I think making a decision enables Sam, in this particular situation, to prepare as the starter and have two weeks to feel what it’s like to be that guy. And I think he’s accepted that role pretty good and he did a good job in practice yesterday.”

About Ruder possibly also playing versus South Carolina, Longo said: “There is a package for Jace and/or the option to play Jace. We’re going to kind of let the situation dictate what we do.”

*Longo said the things they are harping on to the offense this week: “We’ve got to do a good job of securing the football. There have already been some football games played and really the win was dictated by turnovers, so we’ve got ball security is a number one priority. In some of those other games, so you saw some mistakes.

“You have those first-game mistakes, penalties, the turnovers, the miscues, those are the things we’re trying to harp on right now is we play a clean, consistent, smart football game where we’re not putting the ball on the ground, and if we can do those two things, it will go a long way to allowing us to play some successful football.”

*The center and right guard spots have been concerns since camp opened, but with Nick Polino moving over to center about 11 days ago and Marcus McKethan going to right guard, it appears the group is settling down some with needed chmistry.

“Right now, I think (offensive line coach) Stacy (Searels) is developing some continuity. We’re getting pretty stout up front now in practice, we like where we’re going. It’s been five guys playing together for a while and we’ve got two or three guys that coach Searels is preparing to be the next tackle and the next guard and the next ceter.”

*Depth up front on the defensive line was a concern entering fall camp and was relieved some with the development of players such as Jahlil Taylor, Xach Gill and JC transfer Jay Vohasek. We last spoke with Batemaen 11 days earlier, so have the reserves up front continued their growth?

“That was probably our biggest concern coming in and Jahlil’s done a really good job. He’s 318 pounds and hard to move. I think Ray’s been really good as he’s become more comfortable with the players and the defense he’s improved. Xach Gill has improved, and I think you have a couple of young kids – I think Tomari Fox, Tomon’s little brother, is going to be a really good player. So that’s become less of a concern.”

*Forcing turnovers is paramount to success, and it’s something UNC hasn’t done much of over the last three seasons. Bateman employs an aggressive defense that wants to force opponents into making mistakes.

“I think in college football that’s the deal. You want to try to create negative plays and create turnovers and win third downs, because offenses go so fast and run so many plays and get the ball out in space so much, they’re going to make a play or two. If you can limit explosive plays and win on third down and cause turnovers and create negative plays and get them off par, that’s the key, I think. We talk about turnovers all the time.”

*Bateman was asked about his climb up the coaching ladder, going up a level with each job, in which his last jump was Army to UNC, and about now coaching at a P5. Is he excited to be coaching games as big as P5 ones?

“I coached in the Army-Navy game, so I’m good. We’ve prepared the same way I’ve always prepared.”