In 2015, the Tar Heels had 17 interceptions, including a team-high four picks from defensive back M.J. Stewart. He’s back and has started each of the six games the Tar Heels have played this season. But despite some good chances, he and his teammates just haven’t been able to make one of those plays.
“It’s funny how sometimes turnovers come in droves, and sometimes it’s a desert,” defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said. “But we are hoping that we can get our hands on some balls soon because we are going into game seven, and we have not had an interception. And that’s hard to swallow, but that’s where we’re at.”
It’s not from lack of talent or from lack of technique. Defensive backs coach Charlton Warren emphasized that the defensive backs have been grading out well in the film room but just haven’t made the play.
“There’s been opportunities where the ball has hit our hand, and we’ve dropped it, tipped it or not come down with the play,” he said. “And that’s the point that I am trying to make is, you do your job, you execute everything, but you still have to make the big play.”
Chizik agreed.
“We’ve just got to put ourselves in the position and then when the opportunity comes, we have to make the most of it,” he said. “But we haven’t really done that up to that point.”
When you have as much talent as UNC does, and no interceptions, there are going to be some aspects of bad luck coming back to bite the defense. Warren gave a concrete example of some of the unluckiness the defense has faced this season.
“The other day, the one Naz Jones tipped in the end zone — if he doesn’t tip it, Des Lawrence picks it off and goes 95 (yards) ... ,” Warren said “It’s just, stuff like that happens. We got the knockdown with the ball there, but Des literally jumped the slant. He was all over it, it was going to go the other way.”
