Players Tuesday: Tucker, Conley, Vohasek & Downs
CHAPEL HILL – Tuesday during the football season means several North Carolina players are available to field questions from the media.
And this week, Jordan Tucker, Ja’Qurious Conley, Ray Vohasek, and Josh Downs each took questions about what was learned from last week’s loss at Virginia Tech and about Saturday’s opponent, Georgia State.
Quarterback Sam Howell also met with the media, and we ran his report separately.
Below are the full videos of their interviews along with some notes and pulled quotes:
Ray Vohasek, Senior DL
"UNC’s defense struggled over the first three possessions of the game but made some adjustment and was much better the rest of the way. What were some of the adjustments they made?
“I think they came out with a good tempo, and I think we just simplified things,” Vohasek said. “We basically said hey we’re gonna run this, this, and this, and run it to the best of our ability, things we’ve known, things we’ve done in the past. I think that’s really what we stood on. Let’s run these simple plays, and just play hard, play our brand of defense.”
*UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said Monday he had to settle his unit down some, and that was part of them adjusting as well. Vohasek said some things played into the Heels needing to ground themselves a bit more.
“I think it took a little bit to settle in, that was the first time with a crowd, obviously Lane Stadium is a very loud stadium,” he said. “I think it was just kind of settling in, getting a feel for the game. That was a lot of guys' first reps in a game, so I think that was a big part of it, but once we settled in, I think we really showed what we can do as a defense.”
*Some observers might not see this weekend’s game versus Georgia State as much of a matchup, though the Panthers could be better than they’re perceived, but regardless of who the Heels would be playing this week, what are some of the intangibles that must improve and can show out in this game?
“I would say when it comes to the defensive side of the football, I would say it’s being gap sound, if you have the A gap, B gap, whatever it is, playing your assignment,” Vohasek said. “I think that’s big for us this week, and I don’t think we’re looking at them like this is an easy game or anything like that. We take it week by week and we prepare the same for every team, and that’s the goal here.”
*With much more depth up front, did Vohasek notice a difference in some guys being fresher late in the game, which was at times an issue last season?
“I think not even just the fatigue standpoint, I think it’s good to get different guys in there that have different skill sets, and give offensive lineman different looks and things like that. I think that really helps with the rotation because you never know what you’re gonna get. If KJ Hester comes in, he gives you a certain kind of move in pass rush, I come in, give you a different move, and just rotating bodies. Definitely with physical fatigue, I felt way better going into the fourth quarter.”
Jordan Tucker, Senior OT
*UNC QB Sam Howell was sacked six times Friday night, and he was hurried quite a few mor times, a reason he was credited with six scrambles as well. After watching the film, what did Tucker see from the OL’s performance?
“For our first game, it wasn’t really a positive session in the film room,” he said. “I think you’ve gotta learn from everything, every game, but definitely not how we wanted it to turn out, especially in the o line room with the veteran group that we have. The film, it kind of speaks for how the game went. We didn’t really run the ball, we didn’t protect Sam the best we could, we just let simple stuff go.
“There was a lot of times where the defense didn’t beat us out, but as an offensive line we beat ourselves out with miscommunications and stuff like that. It was another opportunity to learn from it, but not how we wanted it to be for the first game.”
*The noise at Lane Stadium is something a lot of the Tar Heels and even some coaches have mentioned as factor at times in the game, especially affecting the team’s on-field communication. Tucker said there were times they couldn’t even hear Howell make his checks before the ball was snapped.
“The atmosphere was great, V Tech really showed out, the stadium was packed,” Tucker said. “I love playing in big games, big atmospheres, big stadiums, it’s something I’ve always loved to do, but I can’t speak on everybody else. It’s just how it goes, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.
“They definitely had an affect in the crowd on third downs and stuff like that. It was really hard to hear the clap, hear Sam’s checks, but it just all ties back into communication, and the crowd showed out definitely.”
*As for the sacks and that Howell also threw three interceptions, in part because of the pressure he faced all night, does it bother them hearing some of the criticism Howell has received the last few days?
“Having six sacks never feels good, especially from an o line that wants to do big things, on a team that can do big things,” Tucker said. “We definitely take it personally, take it with a grain of salt, because at the end of the day we still gotta go out there and perform the next week, perform the next practice, perform the next day in the weight room, so take it with a grain of salt and just to move forward from it, learn from your mistakes, learn from where everything went wrong.
“We definitely do take it personal because not too long ago I was asked what we should be doing with Sam, and I said he shouldn’t be touched, but that wasn’t the case for Friday night. I wanna stick by that, and I know our o line room wants to stick by that, so we gotta get back in the film room, work on communication, and uphold that statement.”
*UNC didn’t have starting center Brian Anderson Friday night, so how much was the third-year starter missed?
“I know there’s been talks on the cohesiveness of the unit, and maturity in the room, and Brian’s a big part of that,” Tucker said. “He’s been here just as long as I have, and he’s killed the playbook ever since I’ve been here. Having him out there is just like having another Sam, it’s awesome.
“I think it was definitely missed, but at the same time it’s always next man up, especially in the o line room when we’re trying to rotate guys a lot. It’s always next man up, and we just gotta get back to it, and get back to communicating. There shouldn’t be a drop off from first team, second team, third team.”
- Noah Stabrowski
Ja'Qurious Conley, Sophomore Safety
*The adjustments UNC made on defense have been discussed a lot the last couple of days, what did Conley see in the changes that were made?
"We started off very slow,” he said. “We had a certain call that could handle anything they were running, but it was hard because (of) how fast they was going to get lined up. So coming into the second half, Coach Bateman told us that he was just going to call the call, and we were going to get lined up and just go run it.
“I think that helped, I wish that we would have seen it earlier and prepared for it earlier, but we didn't. Coming out for the second quarter was pretty good, just being able to go line up, and just run our defense, and play as fast as we could, just like they were. "
*Conley played nickel last season, starting the Boston College game and then taking over during the win over Wake Forest in November, so he started the final four games there. But he was moved to safety in the offseason and started there Friday. How does he think it went for him?
"I like playing safety,” he said. “Nickel was pretty good, too. I like just being able to blitz a lot. Being in the (run) fit a lot. Moving me to bandit, that's what we call a strong safety. Moving me to bandit, it was pretty good to me. I just want to be in the fit, (I) want to be involved.
“There were sometimes where I was in the post, but I was having to come back down and be able to get in the run fit. So, being a safety is just fun to me. I just love to be able to play fast and then come downhill and just run and hit.”
*Communicating was something Conley had to learn at safety, and it wasn’t natural he said in early August. So how does he think he did in the communication department at safety in Blacksburg?
"Communication went kind of well for me,” Conley said. “I feel like I was able to play full-time fast. As fast as I could and being able to know the defense well this year.
“Being in the film room with Coach Bateman all the time, and Gio Biggers and all the rest of the safeties. They've been able to help me get the hang of the defense. It just all leads up to being able to play fast, and when you know what you're doing, you are able to just go out there and play."
*Conley curiously mentioned closing his eyes a few times in the game Friday, so what’s all that about?
"It's not a problem that I had to work on, but something I'm not used to,” he said. “In high school, you kind of get to be as physical as you want. You got people that are probably a little bit smaller than you. But now that you are playing bigger kids, you kind of get nervous that last second. So, I guess that's just what I was doing, getting nervous at the last second, but I promise it will never happen again."
Josh Downs, Sophomore Wide Receiver
*Downs has said a few times how much confidence he gained from his four-catch (two TDs) performance in the Orange Bowl. So what did nine receptions for 132 yards and a TD in Blacksburg do for his confidence?
"The Orange Bowl was a big confidence booster. Virginia Tech was me just really noticing that I can do it to the max. I didn't play up to the best of my ability by any means. The offense didn't either, but I did some good things out there.
"I did some good things I can improve on and build off of. So, it helped me build some more confidence and get ready for Georgia State this week."
*Friday night was Downs’ first game as an every-down receiver, as he played 65 snaps versus the Hokies.
“It's a lot bigger role,” he said. “Defense is really pointing me out on every single play, so that's one thing that's different. They're looking for me everywhere I line up. It's also a role that I've prayed for and that I really wanted. I'm glad I stepped into that role that Dazz Newsome was in last year, and I'm going to keep working with it and keep going."
*It was also the first time Downs was the primary receiver for Sam Howell. Did he need a live game against another team to cement his chemistry with Howell, and how much did it grow on the night?
"I wouldn't say we needed it, but it was definitely good to have it. I played minimal snaps live with Sam, besides practice. It was good for the first time to go out there and be with him on the field for pretty much every single play of the game. It was definitely a great experience to get one under the belt. We're going to build off of this.
"It was the first game without Dyami (Brown) and Dazz (Newsome) in two years, and Beau Corrales for Sam. He had a whole new receiver core there. It was good to have one game under our belt. We're going to come out and prove a lot in these next few weeks, so it's going to be good."
*Downs doesn’t mince words, so while he’s disappointed in the outcome at Virginia Tech, he also says the Tar Heels may have needed it.
“We definitely got to improve, and we know that it's no secret,” Downs said. “We will. We went to work today; we went to work Sunday; we're going to go to work tomorrow. We're going to improve every single day. Nobody's hanging their heads. We have tremendous ability tremendous potential in that room. It's going to show in these next few weeks. We've been balling out all fall camp.
“We balled out in the spring, so it's going to come to fruition. I think Friday was a good wake-up call for us because we came in ranked 10th. I don't know if we were feeling ourselves. But I think it was a good wake-up call. To go into Virginia Tech, we took a tough loss, but I think we're going to bounce back harder than anybody in the nation."
- Brandon Peay