UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media following Friday’s 25-23 loss to No. 18 Stanford in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX. Here is what Fedora had to say after the game:
Opening statement
“We didn’t make enough plays today to win the football game. Our guys fought all the way to the end and put ourselves in position to possibly tie it up, but we just didn’t get it done. The game still boils down to taking care of the football and creating turnovers, and they created three and got a lot of points off of the three. So, that’s the bottom line from the game.”
On the final 2-point play conversion
“It’s a play we’ve worked on for about two years and it’s got about four options to it. We didn’t get it protected well enough to be able to execute it.”
On what went wrong in between the first and last drives of the game in which the Heels drove for touchdowns
“It wasn’t that they were doing anything that we didn’t prepare for, basically it was just you’ve got to block them and you’ve got to finish blocks, and you’ve got to break tackles and you’ve got to make plays when you have the opportunity, and we just didn’t that enough.”
On how he evaluates the season and not closing the way he wanted to
“I’m proud of what this football team accomplished. We didn’t reach the goals we wanted to reach, and that always gnaws at you, and that will eat at you for a year until you get back out on the football field and play another game. But, I’m proud of the senior class and proud of what they’ve accomplished since they’ve been here, though this football team in November and now in December, we just didn’t play the way we would like to play as a team. We played well in some areas. Today, our defense played extremely well, played well enough to win the football game for sure. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to get that done.”
On why the defense had so much success, including getting three stops in the red zone
“It wasn’t scheme, I can tell you that. It had nothing to do with the scheme, it was their will to be physical on each and every snap. They knew they were going to get blocked, it was how long are you going to stay blocked? I thought they did a tremendous job of fighting off blocks, ripping off blocks and making tackles.”
On Stanford’s Solomon Thomas getting the sack on the 2-point conversion and earlier in the game on a key 3rd down
“If you go back and look, it seemed like every time there was a play number 90 was making it. I’m not sure we blocked him – I’m not sure we ever blocked him. He seemed like he made about every play there was.”
On if they had normal personnel along the offensive line on the 2-point conversion attempt
“We had who we have. We don’t have anybody else, that was all we got. Caleb Peterson hasn’t been out there for a long time, neither has John Ferranto.”
On Mitch Trubisky and the decision he has to make
“Well, I’m sure from here he’s probably going to head home and spend some time with his family, and I’m sure whenever he wants to reach out and call we’ll probably talk. If he needs more information we’ll get that information to him and whatever advice he asks for I’ll give it to him, and then he and his family will make a decision.”
On if Donnie Miles and M.J. Stewart are also still in the decision making process
“They are.”
On going into the offseason
“Our guys that are back will use that as motivation. The winter workouts or blue dawn or spring ball or the summer workouts or fall camp, whatever it is, I hope they still feel this feeling that you have in your gut right now until we step out on the field again. And I hope they never forget it. It makes you a better person, it really does. You can lay down and cry about it, or you can get up and bust your ass and be a better football player because of it.”
Opening statement
“We didn’t make enough plays today to win the football game. Our guys fought all the way to the end and put ourselves in position to possibly tie it up, but we just didn’t get it done. The game still boils down to taking care of the football and creating turnovers, and they created three and got a lot of points off of the three. So, that’s the bottom line from the game.”
On the final 2-point play conversion
“It’s a play we’ve worked on for about two years and it’s got about four options to it. We didn’t get it protected well enough to be able to execute it.”
On what went wrong in between the first and last drives of the game in which the Heels drove for touchdowns
“It wasn’t that they were doing anything that we didn’t prepare for, basically it was just you’ve got to block them and you’ve got to finish blocks, and you’ve got to break tackles and you’ve got to make plays when you have the opportunity, and we just didn’t that enough.”
On how he evaluates the season and not closing the way he wanted to
“I’m proud of what this football team accomplished. We didn’t reach the goals we wanted to reach, and that always gnaws at you, and that will eat at you for a year until you get back out on the football field and play another game. But, I’m proud of the senior class and proud of what they’ve accomplished since they’ve been here, though this football team in November and now in December, we just didn’t play the way we would like to play as a team. We played well in some areas. Today, our defense played extremely well, played well enough to win the football game for sure. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to get that done.”
On why the defense had so much success, including getting three stops in the red zone
“It wasn’t scheme, I can tell you that. It had nothing to do with the scheme, it was their will to be physical on each and every snap. They knew they were going to get blocked, it was how long are you going to stay blocked? I thought they did a tremendous job of fighting off blocks, ripping off blocks and making tackles.”
On Stanford’s Solomon Thomas getting the sack on the 2-point conversion and earlier in the game on a key 3rd down
“If you go back and look, it seemed like every time there was a play number 90 was making it. I’m not sure we blocked him – I’m not sure we ever blocked him. He seemed like he made about every play there was.”
On if they had normal personnel along the offensive line on the 2-point conversion attempt
“We had who we have. We don’t have anybody else, that was all we got. Caleb Peterson hasn’t been out there for a long time, neither has John Ferranto.”
On Mitch Trubisky and the decision he has to make
“Well, I’m sure from here he’s probably going to head home and spend some time with his family, and I’m sure whenever he wants to reach out and call we’ll probably talk. If he needs more information we’ll get that information to him and whatever advice he asks for I’ll give it to him, and then he and his family will make a decision.”
On if Donnie Miles and M.J. Stewart are also still in the decision making process
“They are.”
On going into the offseason
“Our guys that are back will use that as motivation. The winter workouts or blue dawn or spring ball or the summer workouts or fall camp, whatever it is, I hope they still feel this feeling that you have in your gut right now until we step out on the field again. And I hope they never forget it. It makes you a better person, it really does. You can lay down and cry about it, or you can get up and bust your ass and be a better football player because of it.”
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