UNC football preps for game against San Diego State Aztecs

The North Carolina football team will face San Diego State University on Saturday. Defensive players were made available to The Daily Tar Heel after practice Wednesday. Here are three things to note.

Suspended players back in action, will contribute

Following a one-game suspension for their roles in alleged hazing, four defensive players are now cleared to play against the Aztecs.

Cornerbacks Des Lawrence, Brian Walker and M.J. Stewart and ram linebacker Donnie Miles, will all take the field on Saturday. Lawrence and Walker return as starters for a defense that allowed 29 points against Liberty.

“(The whole situation) didn’t distract us, we knew about Tuesday or Wednesday what was going to happen, so we had time to get our minds set and get all the negative stuff out,” safety Tim Scott said. “When the coaches told us who was going to play at what positions, we just told them, ‘OK,’ and we just did our jobs.”

Coach Larry Fedora, who suspended the players after they were accused of assaulting redshirt freshman Jackson Boyer, repeated that as far as he is concerned, the situation is over.

“You’re talking about football wise,” Fedora said. “Yeah they’re done, they’re done.”

San Diego State poses a real challenge

UNC’s defense looked shaken in the first half of the game against Liberty University, missing several assignments and blowing coverages.

Despite the addition of two suspended starters in the secondary, San Diego State’s offense will provide a true test of the Tar Heels’ defense.

“Well they’re a West Coast offense, (offensive coordinator) Bob Toledo has been running this style of offense for a long, long time and he’s really good at it,” Fedora said. “I ran up against him when he was at Tulane, and he did a tremendous job with it, so it will make it tough.”

Turnovers will remain a focus for UNC

During the 2013 season, UNC managed to force only 20 turnovers on defense, good for just 71st nationally.

The story on defense was drastically different in the team’s season opener against Liberty though, as the team recorded six total turnovers — four fumble recoveries and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. The question is whether the Tar Heels can continue to produce turnovers at the rate they did against the Flames.

“We looked good — second half especially,” linebacker Jeff Schoettmer said in a media session Monday. “We forced six turnovers, which is I think ... tied for second in the country right now.

“We’re trying to be top-25 in turnovers forced.”

After the offense turned the ball over four times, UNC’s defense will have to continue creating turnovers if the team has any chance of beating its first true challenge of the year.

sports@dailytarheel.com