(Players defensive interviews with Aaron Crawford, Myles Dorn and Chazz Surratt are below this report)

CHAPEL HILL – While running back Michael Carter succinctly put into perspective the way most Tar Heels view Saturday’s opener versus South Carolina, senior defensive tackle Aaron Crawford carries with him an added emotion as the game approaches.

Carter was to the point, simply saying he and his friends will be hanging out on a high level, clearly articulating the degree of focus the team has heading into the opener.

Crawford, however, basically missed all of last season with an injury, playing just seven snaps. And this from a guy who had his sights set on possibly leaving North Carolina following the season for the NFL draft.

But here he is as the season approaches, and it’s safe to say the defensive tackle is dealing with an extra layer of stuff than most of his teammates.

“I’m definitely anxious, I’ve been trying to temper it a little bit,” Crawford said Tuesday evening at the Kenan Football Center. “I haven’t played in an actual football game in its entirety since 2017 so this is something I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time and I really just can’t wait to get after it.”

*Myles Dorn can’t wait to get things going. The senior safety played a lot on a talented team that won eight games in 2016 and then saw things fall apart around him. So he’s ready to change the program’s course.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I’ve been through so much with this program. Coming in, we were a pretty good team (then) and seeing the lowest of the lows for the past two years. So I’m excited just to see the change that has happened and see where we are as a team. It’s going to be a test for us and we’re going to see where we’re at.”

About the past, are the Heels harboring any of that going into this game and season perhaps as a source of motivation, maybe even a chip on their collective shoulders?

“I think everybody’s forgotten about the past,” Dorn replied. “We’re on to a new year, a new season. Everything’s fresh, everything’s new, just around the building and atmosphere, so I think we’re just going to carry that onto the season.”

*Chazz Surratt is a linebacker now. In fact, he’s slated to start versus the Gamecocks after playing quarterback the last three seasons, if you include his redshirt year. But, with the Heels having just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, UNC Coach Mack Brown said Monday he joked with Surratt over the weekend they might need him at some point.

Now, Brown said after Sam Howell and Jace Ruder that walk-on true freshman Vincent Amendola is next in line. But, what about that exchange with the head coach, if there’s a hint of could-be to it, and when was the last time Surratt even threw the football?

“I don’t know, my shoulder’s been hurting because I play linebacker now, so it’s been a little tight,” he said, smiling. “I still throw sometimes after practice with the quarterbacks because that’s what I love to do. I threw today in practice just in the beginning in warmups but nothing like (in) practice or anything like that.”

Is he throwing with a purpose or just a guy throwing because that’s what he loves to do?

“I’ve been doing it since I was little, so that’s what I’m used to doing,” replied Surratt, who passed for nearly 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns while running for six scores at QB.

Surratt admitted he misses playing quarterback some, but not at the expense of now being a linebacker.

“Yes, I would say so because that’s what I’ve been doing, that’s all I’ve known to do. It’s definitely different, (but) I’m very optimistic for my situation now just being able to play a role on the defense and try to help our guys win.”

*Crawford has been eyeing the NFL for a couple of years, and he will play there next season. But Brown has said several times over the last month fellow defensive tackle Jason Strowbridge will also play at the next level. So they make a terrific tandem, and Crawford is one of Strowbridge’s biggest fans.

“He’s a freak athlete,” Crawford said. “He’s twitchy, he’s explosive. We’re on the same page when we’re out on the field, we can just look at each other and know what each other is thinking. And being able to run different twists and games and build off of each other of what we see…

“Having him out there is really a blessing and allowed me to elevate my game.”

*Jacob Turner contributed to this report.