Mike Norvell is here.
"Really proud of our guys. got a chance to go watch the film, it was a hard-fought battle, a lot of back and forth, momentum swings. Some really positive moments and some mistakes that made it a lot more interesting than it needed to be.
"We needed to see a game ending on the last play where we were able to find success. .... It took all three phases. Defense getting a stop in the two-minute late. The offense having a minute to get us down the field," and then the kicking game winning it. "Something we need as a football team. Not been a lot of moments where we've been able to finish a game in that fashion. .... It's something we have to be able to build upon."
Says they were 8 of 17 on cash down situations, 2 of 15 defensively. We were able to get them some stops, hold them to field goals, 6 of 6 in the red zone. Only 3 penalties. You see steps and growth from our football team, playing better football.
"The one muffed punt, we had the interception, which is something we have to clean up."
Says they gave up too many yards in return game and that the return game HAS to get better. They spend too much time on it in practice for it to look like that.
"A new and great challenge approaches here on Saturday. North Carolina is a very explosive football team. How they play, especially how they play at home, is a team that has played extremely well the last couple of years. ... Defensively, a unit that is going to attack."
Dennis Briggs is out for the rest of the season, Norvell said.
"The growth that I got to see from him ... the work that he put in ... he's not going to be able to continue onwards with the rest of this year." Says they were extremely thin on the DL, Malcolm Ray was out, and extremely thin at secondary, and hoping to get some guys back.
"Winning a college football team is hard. We've had three guys that have come down to the last play, four that have come down to the last drive. The margins are very small. ... We want to play our best game. As a football team we're extremely excited to get to win. But if you go back and watch it you see there are a lot of areas for improvement."
Says they allowed 100 yards of offense on three non-designed QB scrambles.
"I thought last night's practice, you saw guys that played pretty well, body is sore, they came out with a true intent to get better. That's what we have to do, that's what we have to continue to do to get better."
On Travis: "That was a defense that was attacking from a lot of different places. That was just a perimeter run game for us. ... There are still some things in our perimeter blocking that we have to get better at ... I thought we had a couple of opportunities to push the ball down the field that" they have to capitalize on. ... "Was really pleased with his performance."
On special teams: "It's performance based. ... It's an opportunity to impact. We've got to perform at a high level. You've seen the investment we've taken. ... We've got to take the tools that we have and the personnel that we have and make sure we're putting them in a great position and guys have to take ownership and perform in the moment."
On clock management on final drive: Says they had three timeouts on final drive, so felt like they had the opportunity. ... wanted to use tempo. Also allowed Jordan, gave him an opportunity, hit a big run on the second play. ... When is effort going to show up and make the difference? ... Cam was able to wall his guy out, two other receivers were blocking. Able to use timeout early. ... I felt confident where we were (inside the 15). Knew Ryan liked it left middle. So we set it up for him to go win the game. ... Able to middle it and Ryan went and finished it."
On Maurice Smith: "Baveon has battled throughout early part of the season. Been battling through ailments physically as well. ... Knew Maurice was going to be available Friday .... when he got going he felt good. Even though he didn't play a perfect game by any stretch ... I thought Maurice did a very nice job for the opportunites that he had. ... That's going to allow us to grow. ...Still managing guys that are getting their bodies right ... they're working hard at it."
Says they ask McDonald to do a lot of things. It was a play, the interception, that he was extremely disappointed in. .... He was banged up a little bit last week and wasn't available every day for practice ... as Cam had a play, an assignment here and there ... the effort at the end was what showed up and ended up being a huge play.
"There was a fair balance of the excitement of a win" with focusing on improvement.
"I thought Saturday provided a great picture that we did well that allowed us to win and things that we have to improve."
On Keyshawn Helton: "A great leader for us, he's a guy that comes to work every day. He's had some ups and downs throughout the course of the season, but his heart and passion shows up. ... It's what this football team needs."
On secondary: "We've had a lot of injuries. Sometimes with guys having to sit out halves of games. ... Part of that communication plays into it. There's things that have shown up in two fold, one fundamentals, and the confidence in that throughout. ... I thought for the last game and a half I think our secondary is really taking some positive steps. Had a crossing route where there was a quick motion that showed up that we've got to be better on.... They're starting to grow on that.
McLellion did some good things, he said.
Says Travis has had a challenging start to the season. Injury wise and confidence. I thought the Notre Dame game he did a lot of good things, handful of plays he'd like to have that. "Jordan Travis was the starting quarterback at the start of the season for a reason. We believe in him. ... His availability has been a little bit limited. ... He's battling. ... He's pushing through. I thought he had a really good day Wednesday.... Even when he's not been on the field, how engaged he's been trying to help the other guys in that room. ... Shows that you're trustworthy. ... When we knew he was going to be able to play at a high level, he got the call."
Says team has been, on the whole, a pretty good tackling team. Struggled with the Syracuse quarterback. And they gave up 130 yards of offense on missed tackles. "Those are the ones that are going to hurt you." ... "We missed a couple of tackles in special teams that cost us in returns."
On Parchment: "It was a teaching moment. ... I appreciated Andrew's effort and the finish. ... Ball is on the ground you've got to finish the play." Says he was getting on Parchment because of how he actually played the play, not picking up the fumble. He was happy about that. It was the first part of the play that was what he was talking to him about. "I'm glad we scored."
Says goal-line stand is something you can build on. Brings up Deloach's play on the QB. "I think it can do wonders for you as you move forward. ... It showed if it comes down to one play, if it comes down to a last drive, offense, defense, special teams all played a role in getting the job done ... Our guys were able to finish and go win the game. And that's something we needed to see." Says if another game comes down to the last play, his guys are going to have confidence that they can do it.
That's a wrap on Norvell.
Kenny Dillingham is here.
On Travis: "He's a pretty tough kid. I don't think he gets enough credit for how tough he is. I think he got knocked down in the 30s last week. When he had to make a play he made a play." Says in terms of managing the game, did what they wanted him to. ... Says there were 4 or 4 1/2 plays that he listed as an MA and he can improve upon ... staying in the pocket, etc. ... says Travis has played six full games in his career. When he's played in those games, one way or another we've found a way to score and one way or the other we've won some of those games.
"I think teammates respond to McKenzie as well. I don't want it to look like there's one down, one up ... Anytime you play quarterback you don't usually get the physical beatdown that other positions get ... that's a guy that's getting that and then getting up. And playing every snap. And his teammates respond to that. ... I think that's something our team feeds off of."
Says they've emphasized penalties in practice. And that they understand how hard it becomes to move the ball when they're behind the plays. ... I think our guys are slowly and slowly learning in how to play the game on a successful level. ... We've
Says they work on perimeter blocking a lot. Keyshawn Helton made a great block on McDonald's TD catch. Had another good block later, too. On the INT, said it was the perfect read by Travis. It was a cover zero. They had the RBs out wide to give them the ball. And if McDonald gets a hand on the kid, it's probably going for 60.
Has implored his WRs they HAVE to be better out wide blocking. "To force people to step up and challenge us at the line." And that way they can make plays down field.
Says Helton was only open on his TD because he was willing to do the dirty work on the play before. "We've got to put in the dirty work in order to get wide open. ... That's a testament to him and the work he's put in."
Says Milton is Travis's No. 1 fan. "He's talking to him, building him up .. not enough positive things you can say about him. ... Says Travis has done a remarkable job continuing to work, continuing to fight. Said it wasn't easy on Travis that everybody else wanted the other guy to play.
Says he doesn't have any idea what Milton and Travis are talking about half the time.
On the offensive line: "Obviously getting those guys back is critical for us. On the same token, that Syracuse defensive front is good. ... I've got to do a better job of protecting those guys up front a little bit ... Scheme-wise that's obviously going to open us up. ... This last week we knew pressure was going to be an issue ... so we were trying to avoid negatives ... it didn't always look pretty but at the end of the day it got the job done."
Says UNC is more about creating a four-man front. Says they've recruited well in the defensive backfield and they let their corners play. They're going to challenge FSU's WRs.
On running game: "We had about 115 yards off truly dropback passes turned into scrambles and rushes. ... I do think the extension of putting those RBs out there wide, and having the threat of getting our RBs having ball out there." .... Says having Travis in there, and RBs out wide, it puts a lot of pressure on defense. ... Balance of putting those guys out there really opened up the run game. "That's the challenge. We've got to be better blocking on the perimeter."
That's a wrap on Dillingham.
Adam Fuller is up next.
On third down success: "The coverage and rush worked really well together. We simplified things in coverage" and said they had good pressure even though the sack numbers weren't there. Said they were very good on fourth down, too.
On Deloach's play: "That's a play that scored earlier in the game. ... Same look, same formation, same motion, same play. ... It was a one-on-one play in the hole, one on one with the quarterback, big quarterback." Said started the game fast and played well and in critical moments.
On Briggs: "One of our most improved players ... He was playing a lot. We support Dennis and getting him back as soon as we can on the rehab. He'll be missed, but he'll be replaced."
Says UNC's offense is the same. Offensive line is mostly back. And they've got a slot receiver that is a really good player. "They're not having a problem throwing the football right now. ... He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country."
On how FSU finished first half: "Teams runs naked. ... Loss of focus is an easy word to put on things. We just didn't make the play on that run. Playing really good football and the next thing you know that thing hits ... there was no reason to let them back in that football game. That's a play you defend on Game 1. He's a good player, don't get me wrong. He's a big player that runs away from people."
Says they're not proud of getting burned on that naked play over and over again.
On crossing route for TD: Says it was the first game Robinson has played safety. And he anticipated Knowles was going to do something else. "Our reaction wasn't good on it." ... "They came back on the next series and ran the exact same play, and Kevin and Jammie did it perfect." Says even if you get confused on a play "they can't be touchdowns."
Says they probably played 20 snaps of six DBs. The rest of them were 5 DBs. Says he's not trying to play a bunch of DBs, but injuries dictate the rotation. "We're trying to find the right group of guys." ... "I think we're starting to narrow it down. At this point, we played some new guys." Says Cooper is fully in rotation now. Knowles is fully in rotation.
Says Ray should be available this weekend. And has made a lot of growth. They need someone to step up with Briggs going down.
On lack of creating turnovers: "There are certain things you can try to do as far as taking the ball away, fundamentals. ... just disrupting the football when the quarterback has got it. ... yeah, we want more. I'm a true believer if you chase balls, number will come."
Says Thomas and Johnson have a high football IQ and acumen and were able to diagnose formations and plays. He was not pleased with Quashon Fuller when he got burned on another naked.
Says he doesn't mind players getting on other players, "Keir is definitely someone we lean on for leadership."
"I still think we're playing good, physical football in the run game right now."
Says the explosive plays have started to go down, "But you don't want them to be touchdowns."
"I think our tackling has improved this year ... we had 10 missed tackles on Saturday." But likes the way they chase down the ball carrier, because one missed tackle can't lead to a touchdown.
That's a wrap for Fuller.
John Papuchis is up next.
Says for the investment and time that's been put into it, "we haven't reaped the rewards."
"We've got to look at some different options and gives some guys different opportunities. ... Some of it is coaching, some of it is playing. There's a lot leading into us being not what we expected to be."
Says Douglas's slow kickoff returns "are certainly not by design." Says they try to determine return guys by how they handle the ball on offense, if they play on offense. ... Says he thinks the hesitation was when Douglas not sure if he should come out of the end zone or not.
Says program's philosophy is to create game-changing opportunities in special teams. They're certainly aware that hasn't happened. ... Says they don't want to just waive the white flag and fair catch everything. But they also don't want to be foolish and keep getting the ball at the 17. But it's a mindset. They don't want to concede that they're not going to return the ball on any kickoff.
Says they're averaging getting the ball at the 23 when they bring the ball out. As opposed to the 25 when they don't. And they don't want to concede they just can't do it.
Says they made some changes on kickoff coverage unit because of some injuries, and they'll definitely re-evaluate it. Because he never wants his front-line coverage guys to appear slow, which they did on Saturday.
Says they have to block it better or it doesn't matter who the returner is.
"From a big picture standpoint, we probably won a game in a way that we needed to win it." Says it didn't have to be that close though. Says fumbled punt was a huge turning point in the game.
"We can go three, four, five series at a time and look as good as anybody and then kind of out of nowhere," it turns and the defense starts giving up big plays and touchdowns.
And that's a wrap on Papuchis.
And a wrap on the day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning! Mike Norvell and his coordinators are scheduled to speak with the media beginning around 11:30.
Corey will do his usual amazing transcribing when it begins.
"Really proud of our guys. got a chance to go watch the film, it was a hard-fought battle, a lot of back and forth, momentum swings. Some really positive moments and some mistakes that made it a lot more interesting than it needed to be.
"We needed to see a game ending on the last play where we were able to find success. .... It took all three phases. Defense getting a stop in the two-minute late. The offense having a minute to get us down the field," and then the kicking game winning it. "Something we need as a football team. Not been a lot of moments where we've been able to finish a game in that fashion. .... It's something we have to be able to build upon."
Says they were 8 of 17 on cash down situations, 2 of 15 defensively. We were able to get them some stops, hold them to field goals, 6 of 6 in the red zone. Only 3 penalties. You see steps and growth from our football team, playing better football.
"The one muffed punt, we had the interception, which is something we have to clean up."
Says they gave up too many yards in return game and that the return game HAS to get better. They spend too much time on it in practice for it to look like that.
"A new and great challenge approaches here on Saturday. North Carolina is a very explosive football team. How they play, especially how they play at home, is a team that has played extremely well the last couple of years. ... Defensively, a unit that is going to attack."
Dennis Briggs is out for the rest of the season, Norvell said.
"The growth that I got to see from him ... the work that he put in ... he's not going to be able to continue onwards with the rest of this year." Says they were extremely thin on the DL, Malcolm Ray was out, and extremely thin at secondary, and hoping to get some guys back.
"Winning a college football team is hard. We've had three guys that have come down to the last play, four that have come down to the last drive. The margins are very small. ... We want to play our best game. As a football team we're extremely excited to get to win. But if you go back and watch it you see there are a lot of areas for improvement."
Says they allowed 100 yards of offense on three non-designed QB scrambles.
"I thought last night's practice, you saw guys that played pretty well, body is sore, they came out with a true intent to get better. That's what we have to do, that's what we have to continue to do to get better."
On Travis: "That was a defense that was attacking from a lot of different places. That was just a perimeter run game for us. ... There are still some things in our perimeter blocking that we have to get better at ... I thought we had a couple of opportunities to push the ball down the field that" they have to capitalize on. ... "Was really pleased with his performance."
On special teams: "It's performance based. ... It's an opportunity to impact. We've got to perform at a high level. You've seen the investment we've taken. ... We've got to take the tools that we have and the personnel that we have and make sure we're putting them in a great position and guys have to take ownership and perform in the moment."
On clock management on final drive: Says they had three timeouts on final drive, so felt like they had the opportunity. ... wanted to use tempo. Also allowed Jordan, gave him an opportunity, hit a big run on the second play. ... When is effort going to show up and make the difference? ... Cam was able to wall his guy out, two other receivers were blocking. Able to use timeout early. ... I felt confident where we were (inside the 15). Knew Ryan liked it left middle. So we set it up for him to go win the game. ... Able to middle it and Ryan went and finished it."
On Maurice Smith: "Baveon has battled throughout early part of the season. Been battling through ailments physically as well. ... Knew Maurice was going to be available Friday .... when he got going he felt good. Even though he didn't play a perfect game by any stretch ... I thought Maurice did a very nice job for the opportunites that he had. ... That's going to allow us to grow. ...Still managing guys that are getting their bodies right ... they're working hard at it."
Says they ask McDonald to do a lot of things. It was a play, the interception, that he was extremely disappointed in. .... He was banged up a little bit last week and wasn't available every day for practice ... as Cam had a play, an assignment here and there ... the effort at the end was what showed up and ended up being a huge play.
"There was a fair balance of the excitement of a win" with focusing on improvement.
"I thought Saturday provided a great picture that we did well that allowed us to win and things that we have to improve."
On Keyshawn Helton: "A great leader for us, he's a guy that comes to work every day. He's had some ups and downs throughout the course of the season, but his heart and passion shows up. ... It's what this football team needs."
On secondary: "We've had a lot of injuries. Sometimes with guys having to sit out halves of games. ... Part of that communication plays into it. There's things that have shown up in two fold, one fundamentals, and the confidence in that throughout. ... I thought for the last game and a half I think our secondary is really taking some positive steps. Had a crossing route where there was a quick motion that showed up that we've got to be better on.... They're starting to grow on that.
McLellion did some good things, he said.
Says Travis has had a challenging start to the season. Injury wise and confidence. I thought the Notre Dame game he did a lot of good things, handful of plays he'd like to have that. "Jordan Travis was the starting quarterback at the start of the season for a reason. We believe in him. ... His availability has been a little bit limited. ... He's battling. ... He's pushing through. I thought he had a really good day Wednesday.... Even when he's not been on the field, how engaged he's been trying to help the other guys in that room. ... Shows that you're trustworthy. ... When we knew he was going to be able to play at a high level, he got the call."
Says team has been, on the whole, a pretty good tackling team. Struggled with the Syracuse quarterback. And they gave up 130 yards of offense on missed tackles. "Those are the ones that are going to hurt you." ... "We missed a couple of tackles in special teams that cost us in returns."
On Parchment: "It was a teaching moment. ... I appreciated Andrew's effort and the finish. ... Ball is on the ground you've got to finish the play." Says he was getting on Parchment because of how he actually played the play, not picking up the fumble. He was happy about that. It was the first part of the play that was what he was talking to him about. "I'm glad we scored."
Says goal-line stand is something you can build on. Brings up Deloach's play on the QB. "I think it can do wonders for you as you move forward. ... It showed if it comes down to one play, if it comes down to a last drive, offense, defense, special teams all played a role in getting the job done ... Our guys were able to finish and go win the game. And that's something we needed to see." Says if another game comes down to the last play, his guys are going to have confidence that they can do it.
That's a wrap on Norvell.
Kenny Dillingham is here.
On Travis: "He's a pretty tough kid. I don't think he gets enough credit for how tough he is. I think he got knocked down in the 30s last week. When he had to make a play he made a play." Says in terms of managing the game, did what they wanted him to. ... Says there were 4 or 4 1/2 plays that he listed as an MA and he can improve upon ... staying in the pocket, etc. ... says Travis has played six full games in his career. When he's played in those games, one way or another we've found a way to score and one way or the other we've won some of those games.
"I think teammates respond to McKenzie as well. I don't want it to look like there's one down, one up ... Anytime you play quarterback you don't usually get the physical beatdown that other positions get ... that's a guy that's getting that and then getting up. And playing every snap. And his teammates respond to that. ... I think that's something our team feeds off of."
Says they've emphasized penalties in practice. And that they understand how hard it becomes to move the ball when they're behind the plays. ... I think our guys are slowly and slowly learning in how to play the game on a successful level. ... We've
Says they work on perimeter blocking a lot. Keyshawn Helton made a great block on McDonald's TD catch. Had another good block later, too. On the INT, said it was the perfect read by Travis. It was a cover zero. They had the RBs out wide to give them the ball. And if McDonald gets a hand on the kid, it's probably going for 60.
Has implored his WRs they HAVE to be better out wide blocking. "To force people to step up and challenge us at the line." And that way they can make plays down field.
Says Helton was only open on his TD because he was willing to do the dirty work on the play before. "We've got to put in the dirty work in order to get wide open. ... That's a testament to him and the work he's put in."
Says Milton is Travis's No. 1 fan. "He's talking to him, building him up .. not enough positive things you can say about him. ... Says Travis has done a remarkable job continuing to work, continuing to fight. Said it wasn't easy on Travis that everybody else wanted the other guy to play.
Says he doesn't have any idea what Milton and Travis are talking about half the time.
On the offensive line: "Obviously getting those guys back is critical for us. On the same token, that Syracuse defensive front is good. ... I've got to do a better job of protecting those guys up front a little bit ... Scheme-wise that's obviously going to open us up. ... This last week we knew pressure was going to be an issue ... so we were trying to avoid negatives ... it didn't always look pretty but at the end of the day it got the job done."
Says UNC is more about creating a four-man front. Says they've recruited well in the defensive backfield and they let their corners play. They're going to challenge FSU's WRs.
On running game: "We had about 115 yards off truly dropback passes turned into scrambles and rushes. ... I do think the extension of putting those RBs out there wide, and having the threat of getting our RBs having ball out there." .... Says having Travis in there, and RBs out wide, it puts a lot of pressure on defense. ... Balance of putting those guys out there really opened up the run game. "That's the challenge. We've got to be better blocking on the perimeter."
That's a wrap on Dillingham.
Adam Fuller is up next.
On third down success: "The coverage and rush worked really well together. We simplified things in coverage" and said they had good pressure even though the sack numbers weren't there. Said they were very good on fourth down, too.
On Deloach's play: "That's a play that scored earlier in the game. ... Same look, same formation, same motion, same play. ... It was a one-on-one play in the hole, one on one with the quarterback, big quarterback." Said started the game fast and played well and in critical moments.
On Briggs: "One of our most improved players ... He was playing a lot. We support Dennis and getting him back as soon as we can on the rehab. He'll be missed, but he'll be replaced."
Says UNC's offense is the same. Offensive line is mostly back. And they've got a slot receiver that is a really good player. "They're not having a problem throwing the football right now. ... He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country."
On how FSU finished first half: "Teams runs naked. ... Loss of focus is an easy word to put on things. We just didn't make the play on that run. Playing really good football and the next thing you know that thing hits ... there was no reason to let them back in that football game. That's a play you defend on Game 1. He's a good player, don't get me wrong. He's a big player that runs away from people."
Says they're not proud of getting burned on that naked play over and over again.
On crossing route for TD: Says it was the first game Robinson has played safety. And he anticipated Knowles was going to do something else. "Our reaction wasn't good on it." ... "They came back on the next series and ran the exact same play, and Kevin and Jammie did it perfect." Says even if you get confused on a play "they can't be touchdowns."
Says they probably played 20 snaps of six DBs. The rest of them were 5 DBs. Says he's not trying to play a bunch of DBs, but injuries dictate the rotation. "We're trying to find the right group of guys." ... "I think we're starting to narrow it down. At this point, we played some new guys." Says Cooper is fully in rotation now. Knowles is fully in rotation.
Says Ray should be available this weekend. And has made a lot of growth. They need someone to step up with Briggs going down.
On lack of creating turnovers: "There are certain things you can try to do as far as taking the ball away, fundamentals. ... just disrupting the football when the quarterback has got it. ... yeah, we want more. I'm a true believer if you chase balls, number will come."
Says Thomas and Johnson have a high football IQ and acumen and were able to diagnose formations and plays. He was not pleased with Quashon Fuller when he got burned on another naked.
Says he doesn't mind players getting on other players, "Keir is definitely someone we lean on for leadership."
"I still think we're playing good, physical football in the run game right now."
Says the explosive plays have started to go down, "But you don't want them to be touchdowns."
"I think our tackling has improved this year ... we had 10 missed tackles on Saturday." But likes the way they chase down the ball carrier, because one missed tackle can't lead to a touchdown.
That's a wrap for Fuller.
John Papuchis is up next.
Says for the investment and time that's been put into it, "we haven't reaped the rewards."
"We've got to look at some different options and gives some guys different opportunities. ... Some of it is coaching, some of it is playing. There's a lot leading into us being not what we expected to be."
Says Douglas's slow kickoff returns "are certainly not by design." Says they try to determine return guys by how they handle the ball on offense, if they play on offense. ... Says he thinks the hesitation was when Douglas not sure if he should come out of the end zone or not.
Says program's philosophy is to create game-changing opportunities in special teams. They're certainly aware that hasn't happened. ... Says they don't want to just waive the white flag and fair catch everything. But they also don't want to be foolish and keep getting the ball at the 17. But it's a mindset. They don't want to concede that they're not going to return the ball on any kickoff.
Says they're averaging getting the ball at the 23 when they bring the ball out. As opposed to the 25 when they don't. And they don't want to concede they just can't do it.
Says they made some changes on kickoff coverage unit because of some injuries, and they'll definitely re-evaluate it. Because he never wants his front-line coverage guys to appear slow, which they did on Saturday.
Says they have to block it better or it doesn't matter who the returner is.
"From a big picture standpoint, we probably won a game in a way that we needed to win it." Says it didn't have to be that close though. Says fumbled punt was a huge turning point in the game.
"We can go three, four, five series at a time and look as good as anybody and then kind of out of nowhere," it turns and the defense starts giving up big plays and touchdowns.
And that's a wrap on Papuchis.
And a wrap on the day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning! Mike Norvell and his coordinators are scheduled to speak with the media beginning around 11:30.
Corey will do his usual amazing transcribing when it begins.
Last edited by a moderator:
