There will be no Blue & White Spring Football Game this year due to the field renovations at Kenan Stadium, but the Tar Heels took their show on the road to the Queen City last weekend, showing off their offseason improvements.

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“I thought we got a lot of great reps and a lot of situations we were able to work on. There will be a lot of things we’ll be able to learn from in this scrimmage. I thought our kids played hard. We got a lot accomplished,” UNC head coach Larry Fedora says.

Jeff Schoettmer meets Elijah Hood (The Charlotte Observer)

Jeff Schoettmer meets Elijah Hood (The Charlotte Observer)

In addition to the field reps, another added bonus from the Charlotte trip for Coach Fedora’s troops is bringing UNC down to an important recruiting hot bed. In addition to a large Tar Heel fan base of all ages, young high school players also took in the action from the sun-drenched bleachers at Rocky River High School.

With UNC, N.C. State, East Carolina and Duke all mining for Charlotte’s best, days like Saturday are vital for the Tar Heels to maintain an edge in N.C. recruiting.

But turning to the here and now, the biggest question mark for this year’s Carolina club will no doubt be the play of the much-maligned defense.

Senior linebacker Jeff Shoettmer says he likes what he’s seeing out of the unit so far.

“It’s the culmination of the whole spring. We’ve put it together. We’ve been practicing four or five weeks. It takes a while to learn a new scheme, but the more reps we get, everyone gets more comfortable with it. We still have a lot of work to do. There were some mistakes here and there, but overall, we played well,” Schoettmer says.

The hiring of Gene Chizik as defensive coordinator stole most of the headlines this offseason and rightfully so – adding a former national champion to the program infuses hype and optimism into a team that needed plenty of it following the disappointing finish to a 6-7 2014 season.

UNC fans look on as the Tar Heels practice (The Charlotte Observer)

UNC fans look on as the Tar Heels practice (The Charlotte Observer)

Coach Fedora, though, says there are still areas to work on before the Tar Heels will be ready for their season opening showdown with South Carolina Sept. 3.

“I think we’re making progress. I think if you ask Gene [Chizik] and those guys defensively, they’re pleased with how the guys have responded. I still think we have a ways to go,” Coach Fedora says.

Yes, there is certainly plenty of work to be done for Coach Fedora and staff, but there seems to be a reinvigorated sense of life and energy around the program. Around the huddle, the team has made its 2015 intentions clear – ACC champions.