Larry Fedora Press Conference Recap

Larry Fedora met the media in the wake of UNC's 56-29 win over Liberty. Here is some of what he had to say in his weekly press conference.

-Marquise Williams is now the official starter at quarterback with the "OR" disappearing from the depth chart. Fedora thought both Williams and Mitch Trubisky played well. He noted the two Williams interceptions should have probably resulted in touchdowns. Both were underthrown to open receivers.

-The plan for San Diego State is for Williams to start and Trubisky to play "as needed." Trubisky was slated for the third series of the Liberty game and then the staff worked off "feel" for the rest of the game. It should be noted, Trubisky played every third series well into the second half. According to Jones Angell, the final snap count was: Williams 50, Trubisky 35, Kanler Coker 9. Williams had two series ended early with interceptions.

-Sixty-seven Tar Heels saw action versus Liberty. Nine players made their first start of the season and 14 true freshmen played.

-Fedora said the freshmen didn't necessarily exceed expectations but did not disappoint either.

-Both the offensive and defensive lines graded out with a "C". Neither unit did anything special but also made plenty of mistakes. "Growing pains" was Fedora's phrase of choice in reference to the lines.

-On the penalties, Fedora noted most of them were procedural types such as false starts on offense or offsides on defense. He believes those can be ironed out.

-Fedora took the blame for the 12-men on the field penalty which came after a timeout and Liberty facing 3rd and 2. The penalty resulted in a first down for the Flames and eventually a touchdown. The issue with penalty was Tim Scott being unsure of whether he was playing safety or cornerback on the play. Fedora says had the normal starters been playing, the penalty likely does not occur.

-Fedora felt like the punt returns were average in how the team covered them. On one return, Ryan Switzer called everyone off then picked the ball up and ran. His teammates didn't respond which is something that needs to be changed.

-Kicker Thomas Moore was sick the three days prior to the game so there is little so be evaluated on his performance.

-All four suspended players returned to practice on Sunday and have a "clean slate" as far as Fedora is concerned. Note: UNC Student Affairs is still probing the matter which conceivably means additional discipline could occur.