CHAPEL HILL – Tuesday means several North Carolina players are made available to the media to discuss how things have gone so far, the most recent game, upcoming opponent and more personal stuff about them and their games.

The No. 15 Tar Heels (4-1) visit Virginia (1-4) on Saturday night at Scott Stadium for an 8 pm kickoff.

This week, Ladaeson “Dae Dae” Hollins, Dyami Brown, Jordan Tucker and Emery Simmons were available, and here are videos of their full interviews along with some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*Ladaeson Hollins picked up his first start of the season this past weekend versus NC State and had a solid game grading out at 67.4 after playing a season-high 46 snaps. But Hollins played 287 snaps a year ago and this is his third year in the program, so he’s got a pretty good handle on where things are with the secondary, which has lost five players for the season due to opting out, a transfer and other attrition.

And on Saturday, Patrice Rene was out with an injury, prompting Hollins’ start. In addition, five defensive backs are out for the season with three players opting out, one transferring and the other being ruled academically ineligible. Also, Ja’Quarious Conley has also missed time this season with an injury.

So, what was once the deepest room on the team has been depleted, so what are Hollins’ thoughts on where the secondary is at this time as the group isn’t nearly as fortified as it once was?

“The secondary, I would say we know we have to bring it every game, we know we have to bring it every practice,” Hollins said. “We’re a leg of the defense, we need the secondary to play good. So, knowing that, I think we just lock in more, watch more film, practice is more focused, and we try to get a better understanding of our plays.

“We don’t want to go out there and make no mistakes or blow a coverage or something like that. So, we just lock in.”

*Many UNC fans might still refer to Hollins as “DeAndre” because that’s the name he went by his first two seasons at Carolina, but he’s now listed on the official roster as “Ladaeson DeAndre Hollins.” His teammates and many people around the Kenan Football Center just call him “Dae Dae.” So, what does he prefer, and why did UNC make the change on the roster?

“I wanted my full name, Ladaeson, because all my life I never really went by Ladaeson, and that’s my name so I felt like I should start embracing that. In elementary schools is when it kind of went left because my teachers weren’t pronouncing it right, and my mom was like, ‘alright, just call him DeAndre.’

“And then boom, and DeAndre carried with me throughout middle school, high school and then I got to college and I was like, ‘Man, that’s not really my name but it’s my name.’ I really want people to know my name is Ladaeson. But my grandma gave me the name “Dae Dae” and I’ve been really holding on to that one, I love it. And I love her.

“So, Dae Dae and Ladaeson, that’s fine, DeAndre, that’s fine as well. So y’all make it up, y’all do what you wanna do.”

*Dyami Brown is more than happy to talk about the younger wide receivers on the Carolina roster, as we saw Tuesday. With sophomore Emery Simmons getting his first career start, in place of injured senior Beau Corrales, Brown was asked about Simmons’ performance and the kind of player he is. Simmons, by the way, caught a career-high five passes for 38 yards in the win over NC State.

“Emery worked hard throughout the week, with Beau being out,” Brown said. “He just became the next man up. He said in an interview early on, before the season started, he said his role was to be the next man up and making sure there is no drop-off, and that's what he did.

“He came out the whole week, working hard, he even stayed after practice, came in early before practice and he just worked. So, when you see Beau out and Emery come in, you see there wasn't a drop-off at all on the other side. So, that's something that is very good.”

*Since Brown was happy discussing Simmons, he was also asked about true freshman Josh Downs, whom some players and the coaches talked about a lot during fall camp as one of the newcomers to watch this season. Downs caught his first career touchdown pass versus the Wolfpack, a 17-yard reception in the third quarter that put UNC ahead 24-7.

“Emery worked hard through out the week with Beau being out, so he just became the next man up,” Brown said. “I think he said in an interview before the season started his role was to be the next man up and making sure there’s no drop off, and that’s what he did.

“So, he came out the whole week working hard. He even stayed after practice, came in early before practice and he just worked. When you see Beau out and Emery come in, there wasn’t a drop off at all.”

*The offensive line is drawing rave reviews for its run blocking these days, and for good reason. They have opened up gigantic holes and paved the way for both Michael Carter and Javonte Williams to run for more than 1,100 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns so far. Carter and Williams are combining to average 7.3 yards on 156 attempts.

On the flipside, the pass protection has been suspect at times, though the group has had its best games keeping pressure from Sam Howell in two of UNC’s last three games. So how would Tucker, a junior from Roswell, GA, evaluate where the o-line is right now?

“I think our improvement dates all the way back to last year and how we ended the season,” Tucker said. “Getting the three-game win streak I think, as an o-line, everyone really bought in. The young guys really bought in, saw that they were gonna get playing time in the future. We didn't get the spring, but everyone attacked the fall and just film studied at home.

“We've just been jelling to a whole different level. Those dogs wanna fight and I'm ready to fight with them. But, throughout these first four or five games, we've just been jelling, moving and we're shooting for 250 (rushing yards) a game, if not more.”

*Blocking assignments are specific to certain run plays. Backs must adapt to the blocking scheme, not the other way around. So, with that in mind, offensive linemen simply try to execute their duties for each play, it doesn’t matter who is in the game, even when you have big-time players like Carter and Williams rotating.

“We’re balls to the wall every time,” Tucker said. “We’re trying to block for a touchdown every time because we know both of them can do it. So, not really a matter of patience versus power, but I know both of them have patience, both of them have power and both of them have speed. Most of the time, we don’t even know who’s in the game.

“I know who’s in the game when I see them pass me running for a touchdown.”

*“Next man up” is a term often used in sports, and it means when a starter or regular contributor is unable to play, a reserve must step into that role and perform. No excuses, “next man up” mentality is mandatory. At least if the player is going to excel it is. Emery Simmons carries that mindset every day as a UNC football player.

And the sophomore wide receiver got a chance to live that slogan this past weekend when he started for the first time as a Tar Heel, filling in for injured senior Beau Corrales. Simmons played 63 snaps and caught five passes for 38 yards.

“Just going through the week, knowing that he wasn't there practicing, I just had in my mind, 'next man up,'” Simmons said. “I could possibly be starting, or I just knew I'd probably be more in the rotation this week just because we're down a man. So, now it's really next man up. Throughout the week, that was just my mentality, even though that was my mentality throughout the whole season.

“Now it just came true, it was literally next man up, so I felt like I was ready for that role and luckily it worked out good this weekend.”

*Of course, a player can carry the right attitude into every game but getting called on for their first start sometimes means dealing with emotions, excitement and finding ways to quickly get into game-mode. Simmons experienced some of that, but the jitters quickly subsided after Sam Howell found Simmons for a 7-yard sideline pass on UNC’s first offensive play of its 48-21 rout of NC State.

“This weekend, it was kind of nerve-racking until the first snap,” Simmons said. “After I got my first catch, then everything just seemed like it clicked, and everything was rolling.”

*Jacob Turner contributed to this report.