Tar Heels talk after GT setback
CHAPEL HILL--- Several UNC players spoke with reporters after the Tar Heels dropped its ACC season opener Saturday afternoon to Georgia Tech. What did some of them have to say?
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"It (the game) is for four quarters. We played good coming out of the second half but four quarters are hard to keep it up. We are improving, so we've just got to get better for next week playing Rutgers."
"We had some missed assignments (on Georgia Tech's long plays in the first half).
"You've got to trust your teammates---that's the whole thing. Got to do your job. It's assignment football (against Georgia Tech), so you've just got to do your job."
"We've just got to go out there and compete and play our game."
"We ran the ball very well, used different things, different formations, different looks. We've just got to keep it up."
"We know playing a team like this we are going to get two or three less possessions than a normal game. We've got to make every single one count, which is why those two (second half) turnovers (were such killers). The defense did a good job getting us the ball back."
"We handed it (Georgia Tech's 3-4 defense) well, ran the ball much better. Some of the sacks were coverage sacks because they did a good job covering our routes."
"Just a couple of plays are going to turn a football game like this---a one-score game. We've got to protect the ball."
"They were doing a good job putting two guys over (Jheranie Boyd), really taking him out of the game. They did a good job with that. We had just as dangerous receivers on our offense (as Boyd) so we were trying to work them."
"I thought the first drive of the game we did a good job marching it down the field, changing the tempo, running the ball, had a deep one (to Erik Highsmith for a touchdown)."
"I think Coach Davis does a great job of not letting it (the NCAA investigation) be a distraction. We've just got to be focused and tuned in on what we can do. That stuff is out of our hands so we have to move forward."
"At halftime our coaches came in and just put emphasis on everybody's job---not to worry about everyone else's."
"I think they (the young freshmen playing defense) are going a great job. Any freshmen coming in is going to be difficult to go out there and play. Just gotta keep playing the game."
"You can get worn down because they don't punt on fourth down, so that's an extra down for them."
"It just like two hours of 'inside run' (playing Georgia Tech). That's all it is. Very few passes---just straight run, run, run."
"It's the same thing year in and year out. (We're) not going to see anything different (with Georgia Tech). It's not hard to defend. It's more of a missed assignment thing. We get caught looking at the backfield when we are supposed to be watching our man."