Pre-ACC Championship Game Defensive Report

**************************************************************************************

Remember, for just $8.33 a month, YOU CAN BE A TAR HEELS INSIDER, TOO!!!

***************************************************************************************

CHAPEL HILL – As No. 24 North Carolina prepares to face Clemson in the ACC championship game, four Tar Heels were made available to the media Tuesday evening at the Kenan Football Center to field questions about a variety of things.

Among the topics were how the team finished the season, losing consecutive games at home, the mood around the program this week, some individual things about performance, playing the Tigers, and about what winning the school’s first ACC football title in 42 years would mean.

UNC is 9-3 and finished league play at 6-2 and as the Coastal Division champions. Clemson is 10-2 and was 8-0 in winning the Atlantic Division.

Below are videos of interviews with LB Cedric Gray and DE/Jack Kaimon Rucker along with a few notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*Gray learned just moments before his interview began that he was named first-team All-ACC. He was obviously quite happy.

“It makes me feel good,” Gray said. “It was a little bit of a personal goal with me before the year, so achieving that is definitely very exciting. I’m very glad to be a part of that club of people. It’s definitely an honor I’m extremely happy about.”

*In all, 11 Tar Heels made the All-ACC team on some level. Gray says it indicates there is a great deal of talent in the program.

“It shows a lot,” Gray said. “I think we do have a very talented team anywhere you look on both sides of the ball on any kind of position. And I think that shows with 11 players on that team. It definitely shows how hard our guys have worked, not just during the offseason, but throughout the year to continue to get better.”

*UNC lost its last two regular season games after starting the campaign 9-1 and riding a six-game win streak. Some of the Heels believe having a conference championship to play for this weekend has made it much easier cutting the cord to how they closed the regular season. Gray agrees.

“It’s definitely something I’ll probably say, I was telling the guys, ‘That left a sour taste in our mouths but look at the big opportunity we have in front of us, it’s a huge opportunity; ACC championship game versus a very good team like Clemson.

“Winning that one would mean a lot for this program; this program hasn’t had one in a long time. So, we have a very, very big opportunity in front of us. Everybody is exciting and focused in on that.”

*Rucker says the team is in the right frame of mind getting ready for such a big game and that the guys are enjoying it.

“It’s an exciting experience not just being able to win the Coastal, but having this opportunity to be in the ACC championship,” Rucker said. “But we’re not here to take part, obviously we’re here to win it. I feel like the environment around here knows this is a different battle than we’d had throughout the entirety of the season.

“We obviously know how much is at stake because the winner of this gets the Orange Bowl.”

*Rucker played all but seven snaps at jack in the NC State game. And even though he was starting some and playing a lot at defensive end, the jack job is basically his now.

“It’s sad for me to have this opportunity with Noah getting hurt, because obviously I’d rather be playing with him alongside Des (Evans) and Ray (Vohasek), and the list continues. Getting this opportunity, I can’t let up. I can’t let it slip out of my fingers.

“Every opportunity that’s put forth in front of me I have to take it.”