Mack Hollins, Team Confidence Soaring for Tar Heels

There’s a much more positive atmosphere surrounding the Tar Heel football program following back-to-back ACC victories. UNC head coach Larry Fedora says the belief is sky-high for his 4-4 Tar Heels.

Coach Fedora was asked Monday what he points to as the key to UNC’s turnaround the past few weeks. His answer? Greater team unity.

There are no pointing fingers these days on the UNC sideline. Maybe that’s why the UNC defense has begun to play with more confidence.

Coach Fedora says getting back on the winning track has reinforced positivity within the program.

“It helps the morale of your team. I don’t think they’re lacking for confidence, but I think it’s a boost that you didn’t play as well as you needed to play and yet still found a way to win a football game. I think it reemphasizes that if you just keep believing in each other and keep playing hard, eventually something good will happen,” Coach Fedora says.

Good things have been happening – on both sides of the ball. When the UNC offense was sputtering in the second half in Charlottesville, it was the Carolina defense that rose to the occasion, limiting Virginia to a mere three points in the final 30 minutes of play.

A regular laundry list of players has stepped up to help spur on the Tar Heel success. Coach Fedora credits it to a team-wide buy-in that anybody can step in and make a big play.

“I think kids keep believing. They’ve bought in to that if we keep playing hard and keep believing in what we’re doing, something is going to happen and somebody’s going to make a play. We’ve had guys step up and make plays,” Coach Fedora says.

Walk-on wide receiver Mack Hollins is a special story. His two touchdowns, 120 receiving yards and onside kick recovery in the Virginia win earned him the title of ACC Receiver of the Week.

“It’s a great story for a kid to come in unknown and prove to everybody that he’s not only worthy of a scholarship, but he’s a great teammate and a guy that wants to contribute in everything. When he’s out there playing, he’s going hard on every snap and going to give you everything he has,” Coach Fedora says.

Coach Fedora says the over-achieving Hollins is a shining example of how hard work and maximum effort can help you achieve at the highest level.

“I expected him from what we saw in spring to contribute on the offense, but he’s big play after big play after big play. I don’t think anybody saw that coming but himself. Mack doesn’t lack for confidence and never has from the moment he stepped foot on campus. He was ready to prove he was as good as anybody or better. That’s what he’s done,” Coach Fedora says.

Carolina’s red zone efficiency has been top-notch this season. The Tar Heel offense has scored 26 touchdowns in 34 trips.

Coach Fedora says cashing in on six points in the red zone was a point of emphasis in the offseason and cutting out the stupid mistakes has only aided his team in that regard in recent weeks.

“I think our guys have responded very well down in the red zone. We’ve quietly and slowly stopped shooting ourselves in the foot. I don’t want to talk about it a whole lot, but without you asking me about it, we’ve started doing that a little bit. That always helps you down in the red zone,” Coach Fedora says.

The Tar Heels will certainly need to maintain that level of efficiency and use their growing confidence to their advantage when they travel to take on the surging Miami Hurricanes this weekend.