First-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrinotook the podium during the first media availability of North Carolina’s fall camp on Thursday.
Petrino discussed the position battles at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line and hinted at his plans and his evaluation of the offense as the Tar Heels’ opener in Ireland approaches.
Here are several key things Petrino said during his media availability.
Running the football will be the key ingredient
“You need to run the football to win. Whether that’s in the red zone, whether that’s in the fourth quarter, whether that’s to kill the clock. You have to be able to run the football to win games.
“So the best way to run the ball when you have it is to be able to run the ball when you want to. There’s going to be games where we’re going to have to go run the ball in the end
zone to score. We’re going to have to run the ball to run out the clock. We’re going to have to run the ball to keep their quarterback off the field. So there’s different plans. You have to be able to run the football.
“This crew is pretty even, and I didn’t see any drop-offs.”
What each quarterback brings to the table
“Billy Edwards Jr. is the one with the most experience. When he got here in the winter, he had some things to take care of physically, and he’s as healthy as he’s been in a long time.
“Miles O’Neill is a big physical guy, big arm, can run, a great athlete that can make a lot of different things happen. He’s just got to show that he’s consistent with decision-making and accuracy.
“Au’Tori [Newkirk] is a guy that I like a lot. He understands the offense. He’s a quick learner. His ability to be consistently accurate just needs to get better. But he’s done a good job.
“[Travis Burgess] is a tremendous athlete. He’s got a quick release, strong arm, and he impressed me today with how hard he’s worked in his ability to step in the huddle, call the play, picture the play in his mind, and go through his progression.”
WR Mason Humphrey Is Starting to Stand Out
“(Mason Humphrey) gives us speed, he gives us length, size. He’s shown up being able to make contested catches. I think that’s one of the biggest things in college football.
“He caught a play in the end zone today for a touchdown, and I heard the two quarterbacks say to each other, ‘Man, I love throwing him that route. … They have all the confidence that he’ll make the catch. He’s got the talent and the size and hands to have a very, very good year.”
Offensive line rotation is still taking shape
“We’re working hard on who the two deep guys are. So you know 10 or 11 guys right now are getting the majority or will get the majority of the reps.
“We didn’t see a lot of [Aidan] Banfield in spring because he was coming back from an offseason surgery, I believe. But he’s been very, very good in everything we’ve done this summer, he’s very mature.
“We’ve got to get our offensive line cranked up and find out who the five guys are, just like the starter at quarterback is. Get them to work together and communicate together, and then go out there and be able to physically run the football and protect the quarterback. I like what I see, but we have a ways to go.”
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Four key takeaways from Bobby Petrino’s fall camp media availability
