Fedora On Dazz, Britt, Collins & Virginia's Defense
CHAPEL HILL – UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media following Wednesday’s practice to discuss his team’s struggles, some individual players, and preparation for Virginia.
Practice was delayed nearly an hour at one point because of lightning, forcing it to end just before 7 pm. Fedora was if a day like this makes him look forward to the indoor facility currently under construction.
“Yeah, we do look forward to it, I’ll be glad when it’s here,” he said. “But, it’s a small price to pay for what we’re going to have. We’re looking forward to it.”
Here are a few snippet from what Fedora talked about:
*True freshman wide receiver Dazz Newsome was injured in the win at Old Dominion and missed the next two games versus Duke and Georgia Tech. He played a couple of snaps late in last Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame, but Fedora said Monday Newsome will be fully healthy this weekend. So how has his week of practice gone and what does he bring to the field that’s been missing?
“He’s a guy that can make plays for you,” Fedora replied. “He’s got great speed, great make-you-miss ability, and he’s back 100 percent, so we’re hoping we’re going to have some things for him.”
*With Donnie Miles out, J.K. Britt will step in and handle his role.
“He’s a guy that’s been in a lot of games and played a lot of meaningful reps, so I think he’s ready to go and he’ll do a good job for us. He won’t have the experience that Donnie had but he still knows what we’re doing. He’ll be fine.”
*Cayson Collins has recorded 27 tackles in the last two games and appears to be playing to his potential, which hasn’t always been the case. He’s been inconsistent in his UNC career. Has this been his best stretch at a Tar Heel?
“I haven’t looked at all of his film, but I would say from what I remember, I’d say the last two weeks he’s really come on and he’s being the guy that we thought he could be, he really is,” Fedora said.
*Virginia is 4-1 and has picked up some nice wins of late at Boise State and at home versus Duke last weekend. This is clearly a vastly improved UVA club, so does UNC need to attack the Wahoos differently from before?
“There are some things that we’re going to do that we have to do different because they’re different personnel this year and some of the things that they’re doing differently this year. They’re doing more than they did last year, they’re in year two of their program. They’ve probably installed quite a bit more. I know defensively they’re doing quite a bit more things than they did last year.”
*Why has Virginia been so effective defensively?
“They’ve got their guys and they’ve got a lot of confidence right now,” he said. “They’re getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback especially on third downs.”
