What UNC coach Larry Fedora had to say about ECU’s upset loss to NC A&T
When asked Monday what he thought of East Carolina’s 28-23 loss to N.C. A&T this past Sunday, North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said mistakes cost the Pirates a chance to win.
The Tar Heels (0-1) take on the Pirates (0-1) this coming Saturday in Greenville. Both teams are coming off season-opening losses. UNC lost Saturday to California 24-17 in Berkeley, Calif. and ECU was upset 28-23 at home by North Carolina A&T, a Football Championship Subdivsion team.
Fedora said he watched the Pirates game against the Aggies Monday morning.
“It looked like (ECU) had every opportunity to win the game and turned it over two times,” Fedora said. “I think down there on the goal line, one of them was a Pick-6 that you could say was the difference in the game.”
ECU led for the majority of the game. The score was 20-14 heading into the fourth quarter. But N.C. A&T, using 5-10, 230-pound senior backup quarterback Kylil Carter, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
ECU had the ball in N.C. A&T’s territory with less than 30 seconds left to play, but seemed to mismanage the clock. Pirates’ quarterback, sophomore Reid Herring, threw an interception in the end zone with no time left on the clock, and N.C. A&T (2-0) won the game.
“(ECU) played well enough to win the game on defense and so I’m sure they feel good about that,” Fedora said. “They don’t feel good about the turnovers, and their kicking game was solid.”
UNC is coming off a tough loss of its own against Cal, a game in which the offense failed to show. The Tar Heels had four turnovers and only 137 passing yards. Its running game struggled too.
“If you don’t win up front, you’re going to have a hard time on offense,” Fedora said Monday. “Your quarterback has got to make good decisions. And the running backs gotta run hard.”
Elliott finished the game 15-of-35 for 137 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
The Tar Heels’ game against the Pirates appears to be a game for UNC’s offense to get back on track.
The Pirates have beaten the Tar Heels in their last two meetings. ECU beat UNC 55-31 in 2013. And in 2014, ECU beat UNC 70-41.
But the Pirates, coming off two consecutive 3-9 seasons in 2016 and 2017 under third-year head coach Scottie Montgomery, appear to be struggling this season too.
UNC at ECU
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville
TV: ESPNU