Defense shapes up against the Pirates

Tommy Heffernan doesn’t recall exactly how many missed assignments the North Carolina defense had at Louisville.

He just remembers it being too many.

After breaking down every coverage bust in the film room, the UNC sophomore linebacker said he and his teammates came into practice last week with a “pissed-off attitude,” looking to redeem themselves from the 39-34 loss to the Cardinals.

One week later, after a 27-6 win against East Carolina, Sunday’s film study didn’t reveal nearly as many coverage mistakes.

And that could be a sign that the UNC defense is beginning to come together.

“That has shown against Wake Forest and Louisville that when you have missed assignments, you can lose football games,” Heffernan said.

“So guys are starting to take that more seriously … and we’re starting to realize what the potential of this defense really can do if we run it the right way.”

After allowing 36 first-half points against Louisville Sept. 15, the UNC defense regrouped and carried over a strong second-half performance into the game against ECU.

The Tar Heels held the Pirates to just 233 yards Saturday, sacking ECU quarterback Shane Carden seven times for a total loss of 49 yards.

Going back to halftime at Louisville, the Tar Heels haven’t allowed a touchdown and have yielded just nine points in six consecutive quarters.

“We’re starting to get into the swing of things,” Heffernan said.

“And I think a lot of guys on our team are also realizing if we’re not taking — not the physical part — but the mental part away from our game plan each week, and if we’re not taking that seriously, it’s going to bite us in the butt.”

Senior linebacker Kevin Reddick said that UNC upped the intensity in practice after the Louisville loss.

For the most part, that intensity carried into Saturday’s game.

Cornerback Jabari Price, in particular, impressed coach Larry Fedora with his intensity.

Price picked up a momentum-shifting, 13-yard sack in the third quarter, and his performance earned him ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors.

“The thing that I noticed about Jabari is even before the game, he was excited about playing football,” Fedora said.

“He was excited about getting back out there on the field. And there were a lot of guys that were like that, don’t get me wrong, but Jabari just one of the guys that caught my eye.”

Quarterback Bryn Renner, who led a potent UNC offense and had a strong game in his own right Saturday, has also seen the growth in the defense.

And just like with his offense, he chalks it up to responding to adversity.

“I think they learned from the Wake Forest game,” Renner said.

“I think we all did, as far as where we need to be as a team. I think it didn’t show up until the second half of Louisville, and we really started clicking. And fortunately against ECU, it showed up again.”

Just as important, fewer missed assignments showed up in the film room.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.