CHAPEL HILL – Tuesday evening means North Carolina’s players are available for their mid-week interviews in advance of the upcoming game, which in the Tar Heels’ case is at home Saturday versus Florida State.
With six players available this week, we are splitting the interviews into offensive and defensive players. Here are videos of full interviews with Quiron Johnson, Sam Howell, and Josh Downs.
Quiron Johnson, Senior OL
*With the ongoing struggles in pass protection and consistently opening holes for the conventional ground game, Johnson said the o-line has been hurting itself, but it is also capable of fixing what has not worked much so far.
“I think the only thing that’s limiting us is ourselves,” he said. “Let’s say something bad happens, we just over-stress it, or over think it, and we just gotta be able to move on to the next play. I really don’t think there’s any weakness that we gotta fix right now, it’s just all mental stuff, that is more so as the players, we gotta do it for ourselves.”
*What are those mental issues?
“Probably just shaking off a bad play, don’t let it affect the next drive,” Johnson replied. “Just don’t get down on yourself, that’s probably the biggest issue.”
*Johnson entered the game at center on UNC’s 20th offensive play versus Duke, and it coincided with the offense moving the ball much better. What did he bring to the unit when he went into the game?
“I feel like the biggest thing I brought Saturday was just having fun,” he said. “I think sometimes rivalries like that, big games, you’re playing good teams, you’re just overthinking. You need to remember to have fun.
“When I came in, I was playing jokes with the guys, I was telling them what we need to do. Do your job, but you gotta have fun. At the end of the day, this is still a game.”
Sam Howell, Junior QB
*UNC’s offense has posted some big numbers as times but has also struggled getting going at other times. Sacks, issues running between the tackles, and only one wide receiver standing out so far have led to a bumpy ride at times. Howell says the offense is working toward getting on track like they envisioned before the season started.
“I think the thing we’re struggling with on offense is consistency,” Howell said. “I said the other day it’s one or two guys on every play that leading us to having a bad play. I just think guys are just not doing their job to the level they should be doing and it’s really costing us.
“I think we’ve just got to do a better job of just focusing every single play and knowing that if you don’t do your job it’s going to cost us.”
*FSU ranks 103rd nationally in pass defense but has played much better going back to halftime of the loss to Louisville two weeks ago. What has Howell seen on film that’s different from the Seminoles in their improved play that could be a challenge?
“I think they struggled against the pass early on because there’s a lot of new guys playing in the secondary, and it looks like they’re a lot more comfortable now the past two games than they were in the first couple of games,” Howell said. “So I think that’s probably why they’ve definitely done a better job.
“I think they do a lot of really good things well. I think they’re really good up front, so we definitely have to be prepared for that.”
*Offensive coordinator Phil Longo said Monday there is an emphasis right now in putting skill players on offense in position to excel, which means running more stuff that plays to their strengths. That is part of how an offense evolves over a season and is something the Tar Heels are very much focusing on right now.
“I think that’s something that every single year from a planning standpoint you definitely shouldn’t have the same plan every single year because your personnel changes,” Howell said. “You want to do a good job of getting your best players the football.
“I think for us this year, we obviously want to get Josh (Downs) the ball as much as possible with the type of player he is. We can still do some more stuff to try to get these outside guys involved as well. They’re doing a good job of getting open, I’m not getting them the ball enough. I still think there’s a way where we can spread the ball around more than we have been.”
Josh Downs, Sophomore WR
*Pro Football Focus rates Downs among the top wide receivers in the nation, and for good reason. He has 40 receptions for 620 yards and six touchdowns. He has clearly emerged as UNC’s go-to guy on offense. The Georgia native has embraced the role and is ready to make it stand up each week.
“Just taking on the role as one of the leaders on the offense, I definitely like doing that,” Downs said. “I’ve been in the weight room a lot this offseason trying to get my body ready physically and getting faster and stronger. Mentally, I’ve just been preparing each and every week to make big plays to help my team win and do whatever I can to help the team win.”
*FSU’s pass defense ranks No. 103 nationally in passing yards allowed per game, so what has Downs seen on film from the Seminoles’ secondary?
“They have a really talented secondary, so I’m going into this game like I would any other week, maybe even preparing a little more,” Downs said. “Just studying film even more because they definitely have some guys that can play. I don’t look at the stats on what they’ve given up because I do respect the players they have on the other side of the ball.”
*Mack Brown has used UNC’s loss at FSU last season, when the Tar Heels were No. 5 in the nation going into that game, as a reference point making things the program has learned and otherwise. Inside the walls of the program, is that game and how the Heels came out so poorly (trailed 31-7 at halftime) brought up a lot?
“I could say it gets repeated,” Downs said. “We were number five in the country at the time, and we went down and we didn’t play as well as we needed to, so there’s definitely more motivation coming into this game. We’re just looking to bounce back off of it on Saturday.”
