UNC football gets defensive before facing Pittsburgh

Last season, the North Carolina football team's defense was one of the most improved units in the country — allowing 14.5 fewer points per game than it did in 2014. 

But three games into the 2016 season, the defense is once again a point of concern for the Tar Heels’ players and coaches.

Speaking at his weekly press conference inside the Kenan Football Center, Coach Larry Fedora addressed questions about UNC's defensive performance ahead of its ACC opener against Pittsburgh on Saturday. 

Fedora focused on North Carolina’s struggles against James Madison, which scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and racked up 495 yards in UNC’s 56-28 win over the Dukes this past Saturday. 

“I don’t think they played anywhere close to what they had played the last couple of weeks,” Fedora said. “It was disappointing as a unit.”

Safety Donnie Miles, who leads the team with 27 tackles this season, also noticed a drop-off in production. 

“I can speak for myself — I was a leading tackler last year, and I don’t think I’ve played up to my potential and my standard that I set for myself with tackling,” he said. “That’s something I’ve got to fix in practice.”

This frustration boiled over against James Madison, as the Tar Heel defense committed four unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. 

“There’s enough guys out there to understand what the expectation level is and what the standard is,” Fedora said. “That’s where the frustration was setting in, because they weren’t playing up to par.”

But Fedora knows that isn’t a suitable excuse for mental mistakes.

“Just because you’re frustrated, you can’t do stupid things,” he said. “You can’t do selfish things that will hurt the football team.”

After allowing 209 rushing yards against the Dukes, Fedora also expressed concerns about Pittsburgh’s rushing attack — led by prolific redshirt junior running back James Conner. 

“We know they’re gonna run the football, we know what they’re built on, we know what their philosophy is,” Fedora said. “They will be probably the best team we have played to this point, so we will have our work cut out for us.”

As to why he might view Pittsburgh more highly than No. 12 Georgia — which defeated the Tar Heels 33-24 in the season opener on Sept. 3 — Fedora pointed to the Panthers' balance across the field. 

“They’re really good in all areas," he said. "They’re running the ball very effectively against everybody they’ve played. Defensively, they’re really stingy.

“They’re a really good, solid football team.”

If Pittsburgh plays to its strengths Saturday, it should keep the ball away from UNC's offense — and out of the hands of quarterback Mitch Trubisky. 

"They're going to be more ground-and-pound on offense," Trubisky said. "They'll be chewing away at the clock."

But the Panthers' best chance to strike might come early.

In their first three games, the Tar Heels have allowed 42 points total in the first quarter, while holding opponents to 42 points in all other quarters combined. 

“That can’t happen, especially going into league play (and) you’ve got a team like Pitt,” Miles said of the defense’s slow starts. “I think that we’ve got to be the fuel and spark for this team.

“We don’t want to rely on the offense to put up points. We want to win games on defense.”

sports@dailytarheel.com