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CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina coordinators Phil Longo and Jay Bateman met with the media Monday for their weekly press conference in advance of the Tar Heels’ game Friday at NC State.
They discussed some observations from the win over Wofford, the performances of Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell, and looked ahead to the matchup against the Wolfpack.
Here are the full videos of their pressers and some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say.
Phil Longo, Offensive Coordinator
*Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye got a chance to see significant playing time last Saturday against Wofford. Criswell played 38 snaps and the entire first half, completing 11 of 19 pass attempts for 125 yards, plus he ran the ball five times for 66 yards and a score. Maye played the second half while recording 33 snaps. He was 7pfor-9 with 89 yards, and a touchdown, plus he ran the ball four times for 42 yards.
While neither quarterback had a perfect performance, Longo thinks there is a lot to be excited about for both signal callers.
“Probably the toughest part of playing this position is the mental part of it,” Longo explained. “We recruit these guys because we know they have the athletic ability to do all the things that we need them to do. I think the biggest challenge for them is learning the system. It’s one thing to be able to explain it, and draw it on the board and talk about it on film. It’s a whole other thing to be able to make it translate on the field, and execute and watch the game plan come to life.
“Both of those guys did that this weekend so I was very, very pleased. I’d probably have about two plays I’d want back with both of them, and they would probably tell you the same thing. Outside of that, we made some great decisions, they did a good job getting into the rhythm of the offense both in the first half with Jacolby Criswell and in the second half with Drake Maye I was very pleased at the end of the day with their production and their decision making.”
*Throughout his career quarterback, Sam Howell has played 2,492 snaps for the Tar Heels. Howell has been the only starting quarterback UNC has known for the past three seasons. So not seeing number seven taking the first snap was not only weird for the fans but also odd for Howell.
“I asked him ‘how does it feel standing on the sideline,’ Longo said. “And that was about halfway through the second quarter, and he said what you said it’s just weird. He started every game here for three years. He’s never even been on the sideline in street clothes, he’s never been on the sideline with no helmet. He was there as a bystander, and he didn’t like it. I think he was uncomfortable. I think he was frustrated he couldn’t be out there running the offense.
“He did put that aside and did all the things I talked about in regards to helping the quarterbacks. He took the right approach, he’s extremely competitive. I’m sure he looked out on the field and said I would’ve checked this or done that. I know he’s hungry to get back on the field this week so hopefully, it serves to feed his desire to get back out there and compete like he always does.”
*Allowing 4.8 yards per play, NC State ranks top twenty in the country in total defense. Longo knows his unit needs to be prepared for a physical match-up to avoid a disappointing performance.
“It’s a huge challenge because not only they’re good at linebacker, but they are exceptional upfront,” he said. “And they have a lot of guys who are back. These guys play, right now in rhythm, they play instinctively, they’re playing fast and they are very, very physical. They look like they are having fun playing football.
“You can tell, you can see it, one of the coaches said that to me the other day. You can tell they’re in a rhythm and they are playing good ball and they have a lot of confidence. So we got to match their physicality. I think we have to scheme it up so that we can create some advantages for our guys, and we gotta attack them the same way they are going to attack us. I think it’s going to be a physical ball game Friday night.”
Jay Bateman, Defensive Coordinator
*With the announcement that sophomore safety Ja’Qurious Conley will miss the remainder of the season, Bateman is forced to shuffle his secondary around but is still confident in the group’s ability to get the job done.
“Trey (Morrison) will go to nickel, that’s what we did Saturday,” Bateman explained. “Gio (Biggers) and Cam (Kelly)will play safety primarily.
I think he’s (Conley) a tremendous athlete. He’s a big kid that can play linebacker and nickel, that’s what you are looking for at that spot. But I think Tre is an elite nickel, it changes a little what we do, but it also gives us more options coverage-wise.
“Those four kids are playing those three spots, it just means that Gio, Cam, and Tre will have to play a little bit more than they were playing. Obviously, I’m sad for Ja’ Qurious, great kid. Genetically he’s pretty gifted. I think he will attack the rehab and I think he will be ready to go as soon as he can.”
*NC State has three receivers with at least 500 receiving yards. It has five players with 23 catches or more. Running backs Zonavan Knight (684 rushing yards) and Ricky Person (573 rushing yards) have more than 550 yards rushing for the season, and quarterback Devin Leary has a 31-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With this much balance, Bateman understands that the number one priority is to stop the run.
“I told the staff yesterday, it feels like the same kids I’ve defended since I’ve been here,” he said. “At some point these dudes gotta graduate, right? I think the two tailbacks are tremendous players, I think number 79 is the best player in the conference, I think he’s a tremendous football player.
“Obviously, Devin Leary is really talented. Then number five Thomas is a really good slot receiver, just a really complete football player. The two outside kids are big, and I think they have improved the most outside. I think those two outside kids are coming along and playing at a high level.
“I think it's like anything you do. You try to pick and choose when you want to stop certain things. You try to identify situations where you have a beat on one or the other. But against these guys, the people who have not stopped the run have not stopped anything. So that’s where it has to start, I think.”
*Leary is having a career year, passing for 3,186 yards while leading the Pack to an 8-3 record with a chance to earn a berth in the ACC championship. Injuries plagued the talented quarterback last year, but Bateman knows he will be ready to go this year and much improved.
“He got hurt before our game last year,” said Bateman. “Obviously, we looked at him a little bit before he got injured. I think Devin Leary has really good arm talent. I think he can make any throw. I think the difference now from his freshman year when we played him is just knowledge, and understanding how people are going to defend him.
“But, the amount of throws he makes especially to those two outside kids when he puts them in the perfect spot, is impressive. He doesn’t throw interceptions and I think he’s a really good player. If you want to know the one thing he’s improved on I would say knowledge and efficiency running the offense.
