CHAPEL HILL – UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media following Monday’s practice to discuss preparation for Thursday’s season opener versus South Carolina in Charlotte.
Q: Coach, South Carolina, your thoughts?
Fedora: Well, we’ve got a few more days to prepare, but the game plan is in. Now, we’re polishing it up and making sure our guys know what they need to do and be able to know what to do and do it full speed.
Q: Do the kids know how big a rivalry this is?
Fedora: I’m sure they do, they know where the state of South Carolina is compared to North Carolina. They know it’s a little bit south of us. I’m sure they’re aware of that. The majority of everything we’ve done up to this week has been based on ourselves, and now it’s been all South Carolina, and that’s all they’re focused on. This is the most important game we got, it’s the next game.
Q: How much are they stoked about playing in an NFL stadium?
Fedora: I think the guys are excited about playing in Charlotte, playing in Bank of America Stadium. It should be a lot of fun and gonna be a great, great game.
Q: What’s the significant a platform is if in terms of recruiting that area?
Fedora: Obviously, there is great high school talent in the Charlotte area. There’s great high school coaching in that area. We are going to recruit that area, it's been very fertile. It's nice to be able to play there every once in a while in front of all of those people.
Q: What’s the scouting report on the Gamecocks?
Fedora: They’re good, they’re good. Coach Spurrier will have them prepared, he always does.
Q: Ty’Son Williams had a good spring, you praised him a lot, and he was listed on the depth chart this morning, how has he progressed this month?
Fedora: I think he’s done a job this camp and I anticipate him playing in this game. I think he’ll help us in this game. He's doing a lot of things for us and he is very mature. He has handled everything we have put him in, he’s handled it.
Q: How confident are you in the health of the offensive line and everybody playing?
Fedora: I think they’re pretty healthy from everything I've been told. So I think we will be at full strength. We still have few days, anything could happen.
Q: After the way last season ended and with the opportunity Thursday, does this game take on added importance?
Fedora: I don't know if there is added importance. It's pretty important the way we come out on Thursday night and the way we perform. But it doesn't define our season. It gives us an idea of where we’re at. No matter what happens we still have a long season ahead of us, so we’ve to be prepared. I think there is much better chemistry right now on this football team, but again we haven't faced any adversity yet. Who knows what this team is all about it.
Q: How important is it to avoid the slow starts that have defined the first halves of the last few seasons?
Fedora: There’s probably not a coach in the country that wants to start slow, you know. So, it’s pretty important. We don’t coach them to start slow, we don’t I assure you. So, we will execute, and that’s what it boils down to: If you’re focused and you execute usually good things are going to happen.
Q: Marquise (Williams) has been pretty loose all camp, do you sense him tightening up just a little bit?
Fedora: No, no. ‘Quise doesn't tighten up, that's just who he is. That's his personality. But he's pretty competitive and he's pretty focused. At the same time, he's a guy that is pretty loose.
Q: Going back to the depth chart, you have 8 true freshmen and most of those guys came early, have they met as a group what you expected from them to this point?
Fedora: I think some of them have exceeded expectations already. Just in the way they have handled themselves during camp, the way they prepared themselves before they got here. That was impressive with some of those guys. You don’t always see that, but those guys prepared themselves and it was obvious when they got here.
Q: Who’s exceeded it, Tommy Hatton for one?
Fedora: You could say Tommy Hatton, you could say Aaron Crawford, Ty’Son, you’ve got some guys that have really stepped up and shown they can help this football team.
Q: How anxious are you to see this defense and judge them against someone else?
Fedora: I am very anxious to see it. You have no way of knowing until we get out there and start playing and play another team. How we react to all the scenarios that are going to come up in the game. I am anxious to see it. The defensive staff has done a great job in preparing them and coaching them and now we’ve got to turn them loose and let them play.
Q: What do you remember about the last minute, the last few seconds of the game you played against them two years ago?
Fedora: I don’t really remember that game, actually.
Q: The timeouts…
Fedora: I don’t remember that.
Q: Is there one position group you are more worried about than others Thursday?
Fedora: No. I am worried about every position group we’ve got. And that's just who I am. I am not gonna sit here and say I feel great about any position, I am worried about everybody, every day. I’m worried someone might fall out of bed tonight and hurt themselves. I think about a lot of things.
Q: How hard did you guys recruit (USC WR) Pharoh Cooper?
Fedora: It was in the transition, and probably not hard enough. He is one heck of a football player. I don’t think that would have happened had we been here for a year. Unfortunately, that’s the way it played out. I can’t say enough great things about the way he plays the game.
Q: When you’re preparing to play a guy like that does it remind you of the importance of keeping guys in state?
Fedora: No doubt. You’ve got two guys, you’ve got their starting quarterback (Connor Mitch) and him, so yeah, you’re always faced with that. But again, it’s not about worrying about the ones that get away, it’s about the ones you get because you’ve got them for four years and you better do a great job of developing the ones you get.
Q: With Gene coming in and his experience, has your role changed any with game prep?
Fedora: No. I’ve never gone in the defensive room and told them what to run. The offensive guys probably wish that I’d get out of that room. I haven’t changed. I’m still involved in all special teams and the offense, and that’s about it. I can’t here and help the defense out.
Q: Coach, South Carolina, your thoughts?
Fedora: Well, we’ve got a few more days to prepare, but the game plan is in. Now, we’re polishing it up and making sure our guys know what they need to do and be able to know what to do and do it full speed.
Q: Do the kids know how big a rivalry this is?
Fedora: I’m sure they do, they know where the state of South Carolina is compared to North Carolina. They know it’s a little bit south of us. I’m sure they’re aware of that. The majority of everything we’ve done up to this week has been based on ourselves, and now it’s been all South Carolina, and that’s all they’re focused on. This is the most important game we got, it’s the next game.
Q: How much are they stoked about playing in an NFL stadium?
Fedora: I think the guys are excited about playing in Charlotte, playing in Bank of America Stadium. It should be a lot of fun and gonna be a great, great game.
Q: What’s the significant a platform is if in terms of recruiting that area?
Fedora: Obviously, there is great high school talent in the Charlotte area. There’s great high school coaching in that area. We are going to recruit that area, it's been very fertile. It's nice to be able to play there every once in a while in front of all of those people.
Q: What’s the scouting report on the Gamecocks?
Fedora: They’re good, they’re good. Coach Spurrier will have them prepared, he always does.
Q: Ty’Son Williams had a good spring, you praised him a lot, and he was listed on the depth chart this morning, how has he progressed this month?
Fedora: I think he’s done a job this camp and I anticipate him playing in this game. I think he’ll help us in this game. He's doing a lot of things for us and he is very mature. He has handled everything we have put him in, he’s handled it.
Q: How confident are you in the health of the offensive line and everybody playing?
Fedora: I think they’re pretty healthy from everything I've been told. So I think we will be at full strength. We still have few days, anything could happen.
Q: After the way last season ended and with the opportunity Thursday, does this game take on added importance?
Fedora: I don't know if there is added importance. It's pretty important the way we come out on Thursday night and the way we perform. But it doesn't define our season. It gives us an idea of where we’re at. No matter what happens we still have a long season ahead of us, so we’ve to be prepared. I think there is much better chemistry right now on this football team, but again we haven't faced any adversity yet. Who knows what this team is all about it.
Q: How important is it to avoid the slow starts that have defined the first halves of the last few seasons?
Fedora: There’s probably not a coach in the country that wants to start slow, you know. So, it’s pretty important. We don’t coach them to start slow, we don’t I assure you. So, we will execute, and that’s what it boils down to: If you’re focused and you execute usually good things are going to happen.
Q: Marquise (Williams) has been pretty loose all camp, do you sense him tightening up just a little bit?
Fedora: No, no. ‘Quise doesn't tighten up, that's just who he is. That's his personality. But he's pretty competitive and he's pretty focused. At the same time, he's a guy that is pretty loose.
Q: Going back to the depth chart, you have 8 true freshmen and most of those guys came early, have they met as a group what you expected from them to this point?
Fedora: I think some of them have exceeded expectations already. Just in the way they have handled themselves during camp, the way they prepared themselves before they got here. That was impressive with some of those guys. You don’t always see that, but those guys prepared themselves and it was obvious when they got here.
Q: Who’s exceeded it, Tommy Hatton for one?
Fedora: You could say Tommy Hatton, you could say Aaron Crawford, Ty’Son, you’ve got some guys that have really stepped up and shown they can help this football team.
Q: How anxious are you to see this defense and judge them against someone else?
Fedora: I am very anxious to see it. You have no way of knowing until we get out there and start playing and play another team. How we react to all the scenarios that are going to come up in the game. I am anxious to see it. The defensive staff has done a great job in preparing them and coaching them and now we’ve got to turn them loose and let them play.
Q: What do you remember about the last minute, the last few seconds of the game you played against them two years ago?
Fedora: I don’t really remember that game, actually.
Q: The timeouts…
Fedora: I don’t remember that.
Q: Is there one position group you are more worried about than others Thursday?
Fedora: No. I am worried about every position group we’ve got. And that's just who I am. I am not gonna sit here and say I feel great about any position, I am worried about everybody, every day. I’m worried someone might fall out of bed tonight and hurt themselves. I think about a lot of things.
Q: How hard did you guys recruit (USC WR) Pharoh Cooper?
Fedora: It was in the transition, and probably not hard enough. He is one heck of a football player. I don’t think that would have happened had we been here for a year. Unfortunately, that’s the way it played out. I can’t say enough great things about the way he plays the game.
Q: When you’re preparing to play a guy like that does it remind you of the importance of keeping guys in state?
Fedora: No doubt. You’ve got two guys, you’ve got their starting quarterback (Connor Mitch) and him, so yeah, you’re always faced with that. But again, it’s not about worrying about the ones that get away, it’s about the ones you get because you’ve got them for four years and you better do a great job of developing the ones you get.
Q: With Gene coming in and his experience, has your role changed any with game prep?
Fedora: No. I’ve never gone in the defensive room and told them what to run. The offensive guys probably wish that I’d get out of that room. I haven’t changed. I’m still involved in all special teams and the offense, and that’s about it. I can’t here and help the defense out.
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