Trubisky said Saturday’s rainy conditions — which stemmed from Hurricane Matthew — affected the offense’s rhythm, especially in the passing game.
“It wasn’t coming out of my hands very fast,” he said. “Early in the game I was throwing it harder, then towards the end I was taking something off of it so the receivers could get a handle on it.
"It is what it is. The ball was heavier than it usually is.”
But Fedora refused to attribute such a decisive loss to weather.
“We played in the same conditions (Virginia Tech) played in,” he said. “I’m not going to even begin to put it on the weather.”
Silver linings on defense
Despite the score, redshirt junior defensive tackle Nazair Jones said it was one of the defense’s best performances overall.
“We just did our job and we did it well,” he said. “We didn’t really do anything special, but we just made plays when we had to.”
Jones said the sloppy conditions made defending the Hokies easier because it limited their playbook.
“It kind of helps us because we know what to expect,” he said. “People are going to try to run the ball on us anyway. But when it’s raining like that, they’re going to try to run the ball even more often — so we could just gear up for the run and not worry about the pass as much.”
The Tar Heels held Virginia Tech to 2.9 rushing yards per attempt and 264 yards of total offense — the defense’s best performance this season — which Fedora said was encouraging at the midway point in the season.
“I thought our D-line played much better than they had, especially inside we got a really good push,” he said. “The things that we emphasized in practice going into that week, you saw those things show up in that game.”
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On to the next
With an upcoming trip to No. 16 Miami on Saturday, the Tar Heels don't have time to dwell on their mistakes.
The Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the year on Saturday to No. 14 Florida State on a blocked extra point. But junior Brad Kaaya is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and Miami needs to beat UNC to keep its division title hopes alive.
The same applies for the Tar Heels, as Jones called this matchup a must-win.
“They’re having a great season,” he said. “(Against) any team in the ACC, we’ve gotta get a win because it’s pivotal to our goals.”
And after defeating Florida State in Tallahassee two weeks ago, Fedora said his team can handle the pressure of another crucial conference game on the road.
“Another ranked opponent, on the road, in a hostile environment,” he said. “Our guys have done that, so they know what to expect.”
sports@dailytarheel.com
