For Tar Heel football more hits less 'cheese'

Running schemes" reducing turnovers blocking the run — all will be important Saturday in North Carolina's football game against Virginia Tech.

But more important" says coach Butch Davis?

""We call it ‘not biting the cheese.' Not just getting sucked in on the first thing that appears" he explained in Monday's conference.

Realizing down and distance realizing personnel groups and allowing things to unfold" and being in the right place.""

Not biting the cheese" for example" as corner Kendric Burney demonstrated in the big hit of Thursday's game against Rutgers.

""A year ago" he probably would get sucked in and he chases the other crossing route and lets that guy catch it and turn it up the boundary and it turns into a 15-yard gain" Davis said.

But now guys are starting to realize where they're supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there.""

It all fits into Davis' bigger plan as his football team prepares for Saturday's game.

""We'll go back and we'll probably say ‘discipline' 150 times this week"" he added.

That's discipline according to coverage area. Discipline according to position holding. According to stopping Virginia Tech standout quarterback Tyrod Taylor and coach Frank Beamer's vaunted special teams unit.

That much-talked about discipline comes from experience. And though Davis' team is young, at least it's a year older than the last time these two teams met.

You don't trick (Virginia Tech's offensive line) very much" because there isn't a lot that they haven't seen. Some of those guys have started in an excess of 25 30 games Davis said.

There's a lot of stuff they've seen a lot of snaps and live situations" and one of these days we'll be there.""

The same goes for Virginia Tech's defense"" a unit North Carolina receiver Hakeem Nicks could describe only as ""aggressive.""

""They're very aggressive. The safeties to the corners to the linebackers"" their whole defense is just aggressive.""

So remaining immune to the pressure on quarterback T.J. Yates and UNC's other play makers will be a challenge for the offensive unit.

""We pretty much can't let it affect us" 'cause we have to stay in our own game" Nicks said, and do what we have to do to continue to play in the game.

""We wanna go out there with the game plan that we have and know our game plan and take it like that.""

And that game plan includes" of course" not biting the cheese.

""When you see something shallow" don't jump it 'cause there's definitely something coming behind you Burney said.

And it's hard not to jump the cheese when it's that good" but you definitely gotta stay back.""

Burney's learned his lesson"" and against Rutgers he was finally rewarded.

""I used to jump the cheese — the American cheese" Burney said.

Definitely I jumped the cheese against McNeese State" but (against Rutgers) I got a different cheese when I waited back a little.""



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