Players' Tuesday: Gemmel, Fox, McKethan, McMichael & Howell

CHAPEL HILL – Tuesday during game weeks means several North Carolina players are available to meet with the media to discuss what they learned from their previous game while looking ahead to their next opponent.

For the Tar Heels, that means Virginia Tech’s visit to Kenan Stadium this Saturday for a noon kickoff. The Hokies are 2-0 and ranked No. 19 in the nation while UNC is 2-0 and ranked No. 8 in the nation.

Virginia Tech won last year’s meeting in six overtimes, and it comes into this game averaging more than 300 yards per game rushing while also having registered 13 sacks and 29 QB hurries in its first two games, wins over NC State and at Duke.

Here are full video interviews with Jeremiah Gemmel, Tomari Fox, Marcus McKethan, Kyler McMichael and Sam Howell plus some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*The Tar Heels are ranked No. 1 in the nation allowing just 54 rushing yards per game and they’re No. 3 allowing an average of only 2.0 yards per attempt. What does Jeremiah Gemmel think they’ve done well to turn in two high-level performances so far?

“I think heating them up with our blitzes, our exotic blitzes and new packages that we put in this fall camp have been working real good for us the past two (games),” Gemmel responded. “So I think the exotic blitzes that we put in this fall camp have really helped this season.”

*As much as the Hokies hurt the Heels running with power last year and it’s certainly a big part of what they do in the ground game now, they also use a lot of eye candy, utilizing jet sweeps and jet motion to throw off defenses. How much are the Tar Heels zeroing in on that element of Virginia Tech’s attack?

“They have athletic guys at receiver like a lot of guys do in the ACC, and they not only like to get them the ball on bubble screens but they also like to run jet motions with them and get them out in space,” Gemmel said. “They like to motion from the boundary, from the slot and from the extra receiver.

“That’s what I was talking about with a lot of moving parts with their jet motions. And sometimes they don’t get the ball, sometimes it’s two separate plays in one. They will fake the jet and run a QB power or an inside zone. You just have to be cued in, and whoever’s on one side of the ball and whoever’s on the other side of the ball just have to stay in their gaps and play their responsibility.”

*The Hokies have had success with their two quarterbacks so far and that’s without the projected starter even available yet. But Hendon Hooker will play this weekend along with Braxton Burmeister and Quincy Patterson, who led the Hokies to their six-overtime win over Carolina last year in Blacksburg.

So how are the Tar Heels preparing to face three different quarterbacks, each of whom can run but are also a bit different?

“All three are very good, all three are very capable of playing,” sophomore defensive lineman Tomari Fox said. “Anyone of them can damage us so we’ve got to really prepare for all of them. Last year, we got to see the two, Hooker and Patterson, we haven’t seen the Oregon transfer much, so we’re watching a lot of film on him. He’s the guy we’ve been mainly seeing so far.

“Just trying to prepare for all of them the best we can through watching film, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, to who’s more prone to do this, who’s less likely to do that. Kind of getting a feel for tendencies.”

*Fox played all 74 snaps on defense for UNC at Boston College, so it was by far his heaviest work load as a Tar Heel. So, looking back, how was that for him and how does he see the rotation up front with guys taking on multiple responsibilities working out?

“I played a lot of snaps this past game (and) I didn’t really notice it; just kind of in the game trying to focus,” Fox said, before speaking more about the entire defense. “But as far as Coach (Jay) Bateman rotating guys in and out, it’s crazy to see people shifting just back and forth: rush end, nickel, safety, corner, everybody just sliding around and giving different looks and things like that.

“Even I, going from a five to a four-I, playing the three, playing the zero. I played a lot of snaps but I also gave a lot of different looks and so did my teammates, and I feel like that’s what Coach Bateman wants.”

*The offensive line has been criticized for allowing four sacks and 17 QB hurries versus Boston College. But as offensive coordinator Phil Longo noted Monday, two of the sacks were not because of the o-line: One was charged to a running back and the other to Sam Howell for holding onto the ball too long.

That said, how does McKethan think the line did in pass protection versus the Eagles?

“I feel like we did okay,” the junior guard said. “We still haven’t met our standard, we still want to perform better and do better protecting our QB.”

What will make a difference?

“I just think we’ve got to be consistent every play and be prepared,” McKethan replied.

*Staying on Virginia Tech’s pass rush that has resulted in 13 sacks and 29 QB hurries through two games, the Hokies played eight players on the line at least 25 snaps versus Duke, so they have depth and will use a lot of guys. Is it a challenge preparing for that many players who will be on the field a lot?

“I don’t think that affects us that much because we’re still going to watch film, we’re going to know what they’re capable of,” McKethan responded. “So we’re just going to go out there and perform. I don’t really see how that affects us and our tempo that much.”

*Mack Brown downplayed UNC’s run defense rankings Monday noting Syracuse had a rebuilt offensive line and its top two running backs opted out and then Boston College just didn’t run the ball much. But Carolina is third in the nation allowing just 2.0 yards per attempt, so it’s clear the Heels have improved in that area. From McMichael’s vantage point, why has UNC made such strides defending the run?

“We have amazing linebackers,” McMichael said. “We expected a lot of runs from both of those teams and we expect a lot of runs out of Virginia Tech as well. Of course, we want to be prepared on the back end, but because of our linebackers being so fast laterally, I believe we’re able to stop the run with a lot of teams. Win our matchups on the back as well, (they’re) just as important.”

*Cornerback has been a deep room since fall camp started, but the Tar Heels have had to move some guys around and along with an injury or two, it’s thinned out some. Storm Duck, a starter and one of the team’s best players, got hurt late in the BC game and was replaced by Obi Egbuna, who got his first serious taste in a tight game situation. Duck’s status for this weekend has not been announced by UNC yet and is unknown at this time.

Tony Grimes is a true freshman who enrolled early and Patrice Rene is still working his way back from an ACL injury that occurred 13 months ago. So, what are McMichael’s thoughts about the room right now?

“Depth is always a great thing,” McMichael said. “Being able to get those guys out there and get some playing time and them acclimated is going to be good for the unit as a whole. Having depth and being able to alternate guys there’s nothing but positives that come out of it.

More specifically, what are his thoughts about Egbuna, a sophomore who has mostly played on special teams.

“He’s a very aggressive player, that’s something I give to him,” McMichael said. “He’s a smaller DB but he comes with a lot of power. Uses his hands at the line, he’s very quick laterally. He’s aggressive overall.”

*The Tar Heels’ most gut-wrenching loss last season probably wasn’t the near-miss versus Clemson but rather the six-overtime defeat at Virginia Tech. So, is revenge on anyone’s mind this week at the Kenan Football Center?

“Yeah, the main thing I remember from that game is we had so many opportunities to win the game and we didn't make the play,” Howell said. “There were so many times where there's a lot of people that weren't positioned to make a play to win the game, and we just didn't make the play. So definitely, we do want to get that on back, because that's one that slipped away from us last year. But no, it's a new year, a new team, so we're just trying to go 1-0 this week.”

*Being more patient in the passing game is one of the big topics of this week, and were discussed at length by Mack Brown and Phil Longo on Monday. How does Howell balance the desire to hit the big plays with taking what the defense gives which might mean biting small chunks moving down the field?

“I think you just said it, we just got to do a better job of taking what they give us,” Howell said. “I think we've had so much success throwing the ball down the field, and that's something that teams are really tried to take away from this year. So there's a time for it, but it hasn't been as open as it was last year. So we've got to take what they give us and just be more patient.

“I know that's stuck with me. Just taking the underneath stuff when it’s there and not trying to force the ball downfield when it's not there. And once you start doing that the deep ball start opening back up.”