Players Talk Notre Dame, Themselves & More

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina will host its biggest game of the season Friday when No. 2 Notre Dame visits Kenan Stadium for a 3:30 pm kickoff.

This is a stage UNC hasn’t been on very often, something the No. 25 Tar Heels spoke about Sunday evening when four of them were made available to the media in advance of this week’s game.

Typically, UNC’s players are available Tuesday mornings, but with final exams now over and this being not only a Friday game but Thanksgiving week, the Heels took questions two days early.

Among the topics were the Fighting Irish, not just what they do well, but also the excitement of having a game of this magnitude and playing on a national stage. In addition, some of the Heels were asked questions about elements of the team and their personal games.

Here are the full video interviews along with some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*The Tar Heels and Fighting Irish were both off last week, so each will go into Friday’s game not having played in 13 days. For UNC, bye week was also final exams for the semester, so that helped with respect to minimizing the hype for this game.

“My exams actually worked out pretty well, I was able to get most of them out of the way, I was able to watch them (Notre Dame),” Gemmel said. “But at the same time, they had a bye week, too. So, studying them you want to be on top of all their tendencies, but they also have a bye week and also studying us, too.

“So, we’re also throwing in some wrinkles in practice to make sure we’re on top of everything.”

*Carolina’s defense gave up 53 points and 606 yards to Wake Forest their last time out and now face a Notre Dame team that is ranked No. 24 in the nation in total offense averaging 462 yards per game and No. 22 in scoring at 37.6 points per contest. How have the Heels been approaching playing the most prolific offense on their schedule?

“First of all, Notre Dame does a really good job of running the ball and passing the ball, they’re really balanced offensively,” Gemmel said. “So for me, it’s just getting in with the d-line and getting in with the secondary as many times during the week that I can talking over our checks. Notre Dame likes to attack your weaknesses, and we’ve seen that on tape throughout the year, so getting in with the guys, the front seven and the back end, will be really important this week.”

*Notre Dame is a bit different than many of UNC’s opponents so far in that the Irish don’t snap the ball as quickly as most teams. Gemmel thinks this will help the defense from getting as tired as it appears to have done at times this season.

“They don’t rally run their tempo as much as most other teams we see in the ACC,” Gemmel said. “They usually take their time coming up to the line. So, I don’t think being as tired would be a factor because we’ll have time in between snaps – we’ll have 20-30 seconds to be able to look at the scheme or the formation.

“Most of the time, we only get about five or six seconds to look at the formation and then the ball is snapped.”

*Notre Dame has attempted 222 passes while only allowing 13 sacks on the season. It tops the ACC in that department. What is the challenge for the Tar Heels trying to apply pressure to Irish QB Ian Book?

“I think the main point would be rush lane integrity,” Fox said. “You want to take advantage of their setbacks and their mistakes, so we don’t want to rush anything if it’s not there, but we do want to be able to take those opportunities that are presented to us.

“They have a very impressive offensive line, they have a very athletic quarterback, so the biggest thing is just maintaining our gap and maintain rush integrity.”

*UNC’s defensive line rotation has expanded the last couple of games, with some freshmen getting increased game reps along with the core trio of Fox, Ray Vohasek and Jahlil Taylor. How does Fox see the rotation coming along with some younger Heels added to the mix?

“I think it’s solid,” Fox said. “I think everyone’s time is coming – I think the young guys are starting to come along really well. Just the fact of being able to trust them in games and crucial situations. When you have that kind of trust, it makes it a lot easier on guys like me, Ray, Jahlil, Xach and anybody else who’s getting in, because now we don’t have to play five, 10, 15 plays in a row depending on how long the drive is.”

*And which of the freshmen is impressing Fox the most?

“I don’t want to give it to him just yet,” Fox said, smiling. “But I think Myles (Murphy) stepped up. He and Clyde (Pinder), both of them have been coming into their own, forging their own path. They’re getting the plays down and we’re being able to trust them.\

“Myles still has some work to do technique-wise, but he’s crazy explosive, he knows how to make plays, he gets push, he gets knock-back, he can be in the backfield. If I’m going to give it to anyone, it will probably be him.”

*Just because UNC had final exams last week and the team was in the midst of an open date doesn’t mean they weren’t working to get better. The Tar Heels practiced for most of the week, so what were the points of emphasis?

“Just being consistent with everything that we do,” Carter said. “I know that we had a bye week, but that doesn’t mean it’s an off week. So, just trying to put together multiple weeks of great practices, and that’s what separate good teams from great teams. And I think that we’ve put together a good, probably eight weeks in a row of practice – like great practices.

“That was our biggest step that we took this last week.”

*Notre Dame’s defense is ranked No. 9 nationally allowing just 304 total yards per contest. The breakdown: No. 4 rushing D allowing 85.1 yards and No. 43 passing yards allowed. The Irish are No. 16 in giving up just 16.6 points per outing. So, what impresses Carter about the Fighting Irish on defense?

“I saw them play against Clemson on TV and the atmosphere was crazy,” Carter said. “As far as film goes, I think they’re a really good team, I don’t think they have any weak links, so it’s just a matter of doing our job.”

*Javonte Williams is also on pace for 1,000 rushing yards as is Carter, and he’s received plenty of media attention locally but not so much nationally, though that’s beginning to slowly change. So, Carter was asked what awards his teammate should be up for this season.

“I think he deserves all of them,” Carter said. “You got back to the work he’s put in since he’s been here and you look now where he’s at, he definitely deserves everything he’s getting. I’m very excited for him and he really deserves the Doak (Walker) award, so I hope they give it to him.”

*The Tar Heels have scored 40 or more points in each of their last four games, averaging 51 versus NC State, Virginia, Duke, and Wake Forest. What has been the difference in the offense taking it to another level and staying there, as it averaged 35.3 points over its first four contests?

“I just think we’re playing more consistently,” Howell said. “We were having some bad quarters of football on the offensive side of the ball early on. And I think we’ve been playing better for all four quarters and we’ve eliminated some penalties that had been killing our drives. I just think we’re playing smarter and more consistent football.”

*Howell is coming off a record-setting day versus Wake Forest when he passed for 550 yards, six touchdowns and even scored the game-winning touchdown on a 20-yard run. So, what is the most interesting thing someone has said or written about him since that amazing performance?

“I’d say the coolest thing I’ve heard is actually today when I was walking off the field from practice, coach (Phil) Longo told me that there was actually a stat put out that said I’m the highest graded quarterback in the fourth quarter in college football history. There’s never been one graded higher.

“That was a pretty cool stat I heard from coach Longo today at the end of practice. That’s probably what I’d say.”

*Notre Dame Football is one of the biggest names in all of sports, if not the most legendary along with the New York Yankees. So, what kind of opportunity does Howell see in this week’s game?

“We definitely understand this is a big opportunity for our team and it’s a tremendous challenge against a team like Notre Dame,” Howell said. “We know the impact a win like this can have on a program. It’s definitely a game we want to win and we’re going to put in all the work.

“We’re blessed to be where we are and blessed to have the opportunity to play a team like Notre Dame. They’re a really good team, an historic program, we’re definitely going to give it our all and have to play our A game to have a chance to win.”