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#UNC press conference with defensive tackle CJ Mims and quarterback Gio Lopez
Oct 28, 2025
#UNC press conference with defensive tackle CJ Mims and quarterback Gio Lopez
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0:00
game. You look at the numbers, not
0:02
giving up a lot of big runs, a lot more
0:03
efficiency, and will just said that
0:06
discipline has been something that's
0:07
been a huge part of your growth. Can you
0:09
kind of take us through that and
0:10
quantify how much you guys have grown?
0:12
I'll say yes, discipline did play a big
0:14
part of just really, you know, executing
0:16
our part of the defense and doing our
0:17
job. Um, you know, we sit down to the
0:20
process and stacking days the past
0:23
couple weeks just trying to fix the
0:25
little things and, you know, do like
0:28
make just making sure that we do our
0:29
part of of the defense to really, you
0:32
know,
0:32
and stay on that when other teams I've
0:35
covered when defenses have struggled.
0:37
Some a lot of players talk about
0:38
learning to trust the guys up front. You
0:40
got to trust they're going to do your
0:42
job so you don't try to cheat do their
0:43
job, too. Where is the trust process
0:45
with you guys? And when did you really
0:46
start having that that high level of
0:48
trust in one another?
0:50
I feel like the trust process has always
0:51
been there. It just there's and it comes
0:54
from communication just working going
0:55
out there at practice and working with
0:56
the guys every day. So I I will say that
0:59
the trust process has always been there.
1:01
Just the growth on the past couple weeks
1:03
and fixing the things that need to be
1:05
fixed.
1:06
Michael
1:07
CJ with the uh the last two games being
1:09
decided by as close margin as they were
1:12
less than a yard both times. what's the
1:14
process of, you know, coming back
1:15
mentally from that? I mean, coach Belche
1:17
was saying that, you know, it's all in
1:18
your guys's control. So, how do you how
1:22
do you how do you come back from that?
1:23
Basically,
1:24
you know, really cuz,
1:26
you know, the game didn't go the way we
1:27
wanted to go, but we we competed at a
1:30
high level and we're stepping to the,
1:32
you know, we're stepping towards the
1:33
right, you know, direction, where where
1:35
we want to be and where and where we
1:36
want to go this season. So, we have to
1:38
put it behind us and prepare for the
1:41
next game. feel like the time's coming
1:42
or one of those bounces is going to go
1:44
your guys' way.
1:45
What was that?
1:46
I said you feel like the time is coming
1:47
or one of those bounces is going to go
1:48
your guys.
1:49
Yes, of course.
1:51
No.
1:51
CJ, how helpful is it as a defensive
1:54
line for you guys to get to the
1:55
quarterback at least in space, not
1:56
necessarily sack or get into space early
1:58
in the game rather than maybe not having
2:00
a sack in the first half and then
2:02
starting to get to him in the second
2:03
half. Does that does that give you guys
2:04
a lot of momentum if you know you can do
2:06
it in the first half and then it'll
2:08
continue through the second half?
2:10
I'm sorry. Can you ask that one more
2:12
time? I'm trying.
2:12
Getting getting to the quarterback
2:14
early. How important is it to get his
2:16
face early in the game rather than maybe
2:17
not a sack in the first half and then
2:19
start to get to him in the second half?
2:20
Um just just to make just to make him
2:23
like I guess make the quarterback know
2:24
that like the pressure is there, you
2:26
know. Um all the little things matter,
2:29
you know, uh us getting pressure on the
2:31
quarterback helps out the back end and
2:32
the back end coverage helps us having
2:34
the time to get to the quarterback. So
2:36
yeah,
2:38
Jeremiah.
2:39
Yeah, CJ. to go off of that about
2:40
putting more pressure on the
2:41
quarterback. It seems like you guys are
2:43
finishing plays more often. It seemed
2:45
like there were times in the year where
2:46
you guys might have been, you know, kind
2:47
of in the right position, maybe, you
2:48
know, someone run out of it or whatever.
2:50
You guys kind of finishing the plays,
2:51
getting the sacks, getting the tackles
2:53
for loss. What do you think is
2:54
contributing to that? Um, you mentioned
2:56
execution. I guess what do you what do
2:59
you think contributes to that level of
3:00
execution to I guess finishing? just
3:02
staying with the process throughout the
3:04
week, trying to build on things that um
3:07
that some of us have, you know, trying
3:09
to build on things that we just need to
3:11
work on at times, you know, and just
3:13
finishing those plays as you just said.
3:15
Um just it's just been a consistent
3:16
thing that we worked on and gotten
3:18
better with throughout practice and we
3:20
was able to see it on the field.
3:22
Adam CJ, uh I hear you when you talk
3:25
about trusting the process, stepping in
3:27
the right direction, you know, getting
3:29
better and getting closer to to winning
3:31
games. I'm wondering if um what's what
3:34
sort of urgency you guys might feel uh
3:37
in terms of bowl eligibility. You're
3:38
going have to win I think four of your
3:40
last five games to be able to get to a
3:41
bowl.
3:42
Um you know like trusting the process
3:44
might only work to to a certain degree
3:47
if you want to go to a ball is what I'm
3:48
saying. Like I mean is there a feeling
3:50
urgency do you think with the guys in
3:52
the locker room about getting these wins
3:55
and getting to a ball? Well, we're just
3:56
wor we're just woring about the next
3:58
game on the schedule and preparing for
3:59
this and and preparing for Syracuse this
4:01
week.
4:03
Greg,
4:04
uh, hey CJ, you know, we we had coach
4:07
Thiago up on the podium last week and
4:09
you mentioned how excited he is about
4:11
this off defensive line and then of
4:13
course a couple days later you guys have
4:14
six sacks. I mean, just what do you see
4:16
about just the growth of the defensive
4:18
line and then also some of the younger
4:20
guys they're stepping up and making big
4:21
plays as well. Um, I would just say, you
4:23
know, it's cuz like we all we all love
4:26
to compete and we come to we come to
4:28
praise of it and compete with each other
4:29
and push each other every day just to
4:31
get better and, you know, put ourselves
4:33
in these situations where we can make
4:34
plays cuz, you know, I like, you know,
4:37
there's certain situations where you see
4:38
you see one man make the sack, but as a
4:41
group we made that set as we work
4:42
together on the field and Yeah.
4:44
Yeah. Yeah. And kind of going off of
4:45
that, you know, just when one guy gets
4:47
sacked, was it that kind of dude for the
4:49
rest of the defensive line, does that
4:50
make you guys hungrier to get after the
4:52
quarterback in a sense?
4:53
Yes. I I I would say that, you know, it
4:55
really sets the tone and it, as you
4:58
said, it adds that hunger to us and
5:00
making us really want to compete and,
5:01
you know, okay, he got one, you know,
5:03
let's try to get one. Let me try to get
5:05
another one. You know what I mean? So,
5:07
Shelby,
5:09
I was just curious. We had a chance to
5:11
talk to Coach Dro recently. Um, you just
5:14
talked a lot about kind of his why and
5:18
being here. He's had kind of an
5:19
interesting journey back. I'm curious
5:20
just um how much of that perspective
5:23
maybe he has shared with you guys as his
5:26
players kind of his process of like you
5:28
know he get back to coaching and he just
5:30
talked a lot to us about
5:33
you know I love coach Deco um when he
5:36
first got here you know he was very very
5:38
transparent with us you know we we
5:39
talked about he talked about his past
5:42
and everything and then we all we all
5:44
did the same just being open with each
5:46
other and just building that family that
5:48
you know that family and strong bond
5:49
that we need in that room.
5:51
Yeah. And how much has that maybe um
5:53
helped bond guys with him or you know
5:56
with each other as a team?
5:57
You know, I say I say it's helped a lot
5:59
just like I said to build that chemistry
6:01
and just to really know that that that
6:03
person besides you that you're playing
6:05
against.
6:06
I mean playing with, excuse me.
6:07
Yeah.
6:09
All right. Good stuff. Appreciate it,
6:10
CJ.
6:12
Thank you.
6:13
First half against Virginia looked about
6:15
as comfortable as you've been, man. what
6:16
was working so well for the offense
6:18
there and how do you kind of bottle that
6:20
moving forward? Uh
6:21
I think offensively we just, you know,
6:23
been stacking days every day in
6:24
practice. It starts, you know, on
6:26
Tuesday. Well, today we play Friday, so
6:28
Monday for us, but it's it starts in
6:30
practice every week and we had a good
6:31
game plan and I think Coach Ken did a
6:33
great job with our game plan and we just
6:34
got to keep stacking days as a team.
6:36
Let's go to note.
6:37
Uh, I'm sure there's multiple, but has
6:40
there been a moment the last couple
6:41
weeks that you've shared with coach Bich
6:43
just sort of one-on-one with him
6:44
encouraging you a little bit and giving
6:46
you some some feedback on things and
6:47
just telling you to keep going that you
6:48
could share?
6:49
I think coach Bich's been great with all
6:50
of us, encouraging all of us as a team,
6:52
you know, as players, as individuals. I
6:53
think for me personally, just me and
6:55
him, meet up every Monday and watch film
6:57
together and we just kind of talk about
6:59
the game and the game plan and what the
7:00
defense is doing and how to go about,
7:03
you know, that team. So I think for me
7:04
just for me every feel like every time
7:06
you get to talk to coach Bellich check
7:07
it's a great moment. So for me just
7:08
talking to him has been been an awesome
7:10
thing to do.
7:10
Is it just the two of you in that
7:11
meeting or is it coach Lombardi too or
7:13
just the two of you?
7:13
Uh usually those meetings just me and
7:15
him but I mean sometimes coach Lombardi
7:16
hops in there sometimes coach Kitchens
7:17
is just we always just watch film
7:19
together.
7:19
Has there been any like sort of advice?
7:21
I guess one thing that's really stuck
7:22
out to you that you've gotten in that
7:23
meeting just being able to talk to him
7:24
and learn from him.
7:25
I think it's been a multitude of things.
7:26
I can't pinpoint one thing but I think
7:28
he's been this everything he kind of
7:29
says to you is always uplifting. Of
7:31
course, he's going to coach you hard,
7:31
but he's never like beating you down or
7:33
anything. He's always uplifting,
7:35
right?
7:35
Hey, Jan Murphy. Um, can you walk me
7:38
through the the two-point conversion
7:39
play a little bit? I talked to Bren
7:41
Runner yesterday. He talked about the
7:42
play usually is supposed to go against a
7:44
man defense. Was there any thought to
7:46
call in time out there, especially when
7:48
you saw they were zone with the with the
7:50
motion?
7:51
Uh, of course, you know that I mean, I
7:52
play as a man beater, but I think we
7:54
just kind of came out with the play, a
7:55
play that we practice every day. you
7:56
know, you always go after two point
7:58
two-point plays during practice. And I
8:00
think it was a play that we were
8:01
successful on the whole week. So, I
8:02
think it was just a situation where, you
8:04
know, you you get in the play and you
8:05
get a play that you've scored on all
8:07
week on and you just kind of just were
8:08
happy about the situation. I I I mean, I
8:10
think coach Kitchen did a great job. I
8:12
think going for two point was a great
8:13
decision. I love the play call that we
8:15
had.
8:15
Did you The ball was put on the on the
8:18
right hash mark as a left-handed
8:19
quarterback. Would you prefer on that
8:21
play to have the ball on the other hash
8:22
marks and if you have to roll your roll
8:25
center? doesn't really matter to me the
8:26
whole week. We did it on the left hash.
8:28
So, it was that's how we train trained
8:29
it all week. So, for me, it was exactly
8:31
how it was in practice.
8:33
Patel,
8:36
um I'm sure you came in here with a lot
8:38
of excitement to play with Caroline Bell
8:41
and obviously you guys faced a lot of
8:43
adversity and you specifically had some
8:45
injuries and obviously criticism off the
8:47
field from the media. How have you kind
8:49
of dealt with just going through
8:52
everything that you individually as a
8:53
team have gone through and just kind of
8:55
get where we are right now?
8:56
I think from a team standpoint just you
8:57
know just picking up everybody and you
8:59
know having a good head good head on my
9:01
shoulders and just being uplifting in
9:02
the wherever we're at in the locker room
9:04
on the field whatever. But for me
9:05
personally I think just my you know just
9:08
just being myself and not being worried
9:09
about the outside noise. You can't coach
9:11
always says don't worry about the
9:12
outside noise. for me just that's kind
9:13
of how I've always been and my me and my
9:15
dad always talk about everything and
9:16
he's been a great person for me to lean
9:17
on and you know at the end of the day
9:19
it's football at the end of the day and
9:20
I'm just excited to play football every
9:21
day so it's never I never worry about
9:22
what other people have to say.
9:24
Great. Hey Gio, um when you look back at
9:27
that Virginia uh game uh what are some
9:28
of the moments that stood out to you
9:30
whether it was the good and the bad?
9:33
I think that stood out to us I think we
9:34
competed competed our butts off. You
9:36
know I think we competed really hard. I
9:37
think uh the team kept showing up when
9:39
we went down we kept showing up when the
9:41
game wasn't going our way. we showed up
9:42
and the game was going our way, it was
9:43
showing up. So, I think as a team, we
9:44
just kept competing. I think we did a
9:45
great job in that department.
9:47
And then also, um, I know you mentioned
9:49
after the Cal game how, you know, you
9:51
feel healthier and of course it's kind
9:53
of, you're kind of showing on the field,
9:54
you're throwing at Tiger Widows and
9:56
everything like that, but do you also
9:57
feel like you're playing with more
9:58
confidence now compared to at the
10:01
beginning of the season?
10:01
Uh, I'm playing with more confidence. I
10:03
think it just came with practice and
10:05
understanding the players more that
10:06
you're playing with. You know, for me, I
10:07
got here kind of late, so just building
10:09
chemistry and I think I'm just building
10:10
chemistry every I'm going to go out here
10:11
today. I practice and build more
10:12
chemistry with my guys and it's
10:14
something that we just keep taking every
10:15
day, you know, keep keep getting better.
10:17
Michael,
10:19
Gio, we talked to Ship after the game
10:21
and he said that, you know, if he could
10:23
go out there and play Syracuse tomorrow
10:25
is what he told us. Like h how is the
10:27
mood on the team after the last two
10:29
games? It be understandable if you guys
10:31
could get a little beaten down with, you
10:33
know, thin margins, but how are you guys
10:35
doing?
10:36
You know, far as as a team, I think
10:37
we're in a good place. You know, you got
10:39
to think our first couple of losses were
10:40
not even competitive games. So, for us
10:42
to have two competitive games and
10:43
against a good Cow team and a a good
10:45
Virginia team. I think it was just, you
10:47
know, you don't want to say uplifting in
10:48
the sense that you lost the games. But,
10:49
I think it was in a sense that you can
10:50
show we can compete and we can play with
10:51
a everyone in our conference. I think
10:53
we're just going to keep stacking days
10:54
and keep getting better there.
10:55
We asked coach Bich or I asked Coach
10:57
Bich earlier today about, you know, the
11:00
mental state of with the, you know, the
11:02
pumps on the goal line and just
11:03
recovering from that mentally and he
11:04
said, you know, it's all in our control
11:06
basically. Is there a sense of comfort
11:08
that you can take from that where you
11:10
know you do have that ability to change
11:12
your faith basically?
11:13
You know it's it's a sense of comfort
11:14
but also a sense of like irritation
11:16
where you're like man like it's on us
11:18
like and that's how we feel and we feel
11:19
like a lot these last few games have
11:20
been on us and those games that you know
11:22
the team the teams we played were great
11:23
teams but you know I feel like we had
11:24
situations where we could have played
11:25
better and put ourselves in a better
11:26
situation and I think that's for us it's
11:28
not a comfort thing but just like a you
11:30
know urgency thing to want to get it
11:31
right and get better. Jim I yeah Gio uh
11:34
to go off what the uh previous question
11:37
um one thing Bill was saying after the
11:38
game was you know turnovers are you know
11:40
how the number one thing number one
11:42
point of emphasis particularly in the
11:43
last two games um what do you think I
11:46
guess in these last two games have kind
11:47
of been the common thread maybe with
11:49
some of those turnovers and I guess even
11:51
the situations that they
11:53
I think the turnover situation of course
11:54
you know that starts with me and I think
11:56
we just something we worked on and I
11:58
think I got to make a better decision in
11:59
the red zone trying to throw that ball
12:00
to Shinard you know the ball the after
12:02
at the end of the game, I was just
12:04
taking a shot, you know. But, uh, for
12:05
situationally, I just had to be better
12:06
in the red zone. It's something I need
12:07
to do better. I think ball security
12:09
wise, it's something we're attacking in
12:10
practice every day and we're doing
12:11
better and everyone's getting better and
12:13
I think Kobe did a great job. The next
12:15
time you got to the red zone taking care
12:16
of the ball and it's something, you
12:17
know, we're still growing as players and
12:18
I think we learn a better thing there.
12:19
I guess that you guys kind of work on
12:22
that and and get that shorter up in
12:23
games. I guess what next level does that
12:26
take the offense too because as you
12:27
mentioned, some of them, you know, post
12:29
the ball, whatever. Um, but getting
12:31
those cleaned up, I guess, what next
12:33
step do you think that brings you guys?
12:34
I think if we clean up some of the
12:36
turnovers and especially in the red
12:37
zone, that changes a lot of our outcomes
12:38
in the game, you know, just be honest.
12:40
And, you know, if we can clean those
12:41
things up, then we're sitting at a
12:43
different record. And I think that's
12:44
something that is something we want to,
12:46
you know, we're urgently wanting to get
12:47
better and I think everyone has a good
12:48
mindset towards it.
12:49
Time for maybe one or two more. So,
12:50
Shelby,
12:51
just following you about maybe a better
12:54
decision with that was tips. I know that
12:57
might have already coaches reusion last
13:00
night kind of yet maybe thrown that one
13:02
a little bit lower. I don't know if
13:04
that's something that maybe coaches have
13:06
discussed with you, but since you guys
13:07
kind of went over that play, maybe what
13:09
you think matters. What stood out? What
13:11
was that?
13:12
You know, one of those situations I was
13:13
a little too aggressive and I try to go
13:15
back, you know, try to throw a back
13:16
shoulder ball to Shannard, which, you
13:17
know, I think he's a great player and I
13:18
would, you know, trust him. I've hit
13:20
that throw in practice before and I
13:21
think it was just one of those
13:22
situations where kind of felt like I saw
13:23
this. I've made this throw before. I
13:24
went for it and didn't come to the
13:26
outcome I wanted. could have threw that
13:27
ball a little more on the outside, you
13:28
know, but it's something I I miss I
13:30
would of course want to have back, but
13:32
you know, can't go back now. But I think
13:35
I think as a team we're just doing
13:36
better.
13:37
Just another quick one that um obviously
13:40
you know have some players just step up
13:42
kind of out of nowhere on offense that
13:44
was J earlier against um it was
13:47
Richmond. He had a great game. Then you
13:49
had you know Madrid Tucker and just his
13:51
performance as a freshman. Um, do you
13:53
expect from more kind of players to
13:56
emerge like that? Maybe new playmakers
13:59
throughout the season.
14:00
I think for us, like, you know, from the
14:01
outside looking in, it looks like
14:03
they're coming out of nowhere. For us,
14:04
it starts in practice and Madrid was
14:05
doing great in practice. Dam was doing
14:07
great in practice and I think it was
14:09
just one of those outcomes where you
14:10
you've earned your reps during during
14:11
the week and I think Madrid had a great
14:12
week of practice and just showed up for
14:14
us and it showed up on Saturday for us.
14:16
and you know, whoever you know, if you
14:18
keep doing good in practice, you're
14:19
going to play and that's kind of our
14:19
coach's, you know, motto and that's what
14:21
happens.
14:23
Let's go to Adam.
14:24
Gio was going to ask where did Madrid
14:26
Tucker come from, but he just told us.
14:28
Um, along those lines, do do can you see
14:32
those guys coming? Like I I know Dean,
14:36
you know, showed up in the Charlotte
14:37
game earlier in the season, but I mean
14:39
heck, we're six, seven games into this
14:41
thing and the dread Tucker comes out of
14:42
nowhere for eight catches. like can you
14:44
see them those specific guys that are
14:47
going from maybe being buried on the
14:49
depth chart to performing in games. Can
14:51
you all see that happening in sort of
14:53
real time in practice?
14:54
I think in a sense like you have we
14:56
always have uh basic groups after at the
14:58
end of practice where the younger guys
14:59
are practicing. You're seeing Madrid and
15:00
you're seeing Demand do really well and
15:02
you're like
15:03
okay like they're they look good there
15:04
and then we have Sunday night football
15:06
on Sundays where we practice again and
15:07
you see those guys show up again. It's
15:08
just one of those things where you just
15:09
kind of hear the same name over and over
15:11
again. and you're like, "All right,
15:12
well, this guy's probably making his way
15:13
up on the on the um the depth chart." I
15:15
think it was a situation where we all
15:16
kind of everyone kind of saw it coming
15:18
with Madrid, especially Demon, and he's
15:20
always just kind of same thing with
15:21
Shernard. He did the same thing earlier
15:22
in the year. So, as a team, we're just
15:25
everyone's just getting better, and I
15:26
think it's something that we see in
15:27
practice.
15:28
Does anyone like Just to follow up,
15:30
sorry.
15:30
Does anybody like Freddy or the younger
15:33
Lombardi like give you a heads up like,
15:35
"Hey, we're going to work 85 into the
15:37
game plan now. We're going to work 86
15:39
into the game plan."
15:40
Does anybody like say, "Hey, by the way,
15:42
go thrown to a guy you haven't thrown
15:44
to."
15:45
So, uh, uh, Coach Lombardi, coach Kens
15:47
both kind of like mentioned it to you
15:49
like, "Hey, these these guys are
15:50
probably going to work a little more
15:51
this week with you and stuff like that."
15:52
And
15:53
coach, even uh, when we had to play UCF
15:56
with Shannard, coach Bellic kind of told
15:58
me about like, "Hey, Shard's probably
15:59
going to get some more reps." So, like,
16:00
it's something that, you know, it's not
16:01
just thrown on you. The coaches make
16:02
sure you have a, you know, a good eye
16:04
and good, you know, situation of
16:05
understanding what's about to happen.
16:06
And last one for Jerem. Hey, Joe. What
16:09
did you see on Saturday that Madrid
16:11
Tucker was doing to make him such an
16:13
easy target for me to go to?
16:14
I think the things I saw Saturday was
16:15
the same thing I seen during practice
16:16
during the weekend. The things I did in
16:17
the summer when I threw with him. You
16:18
know, me and Madrid are since some one
16:20
of the younger guys I'm pretty close
16:22
with and uh I've thrown with him a
16:23
thousand times and I threw him to him in
16:25
practice after practice and it was the
16:26
same thing. So, I just like been kind
16:27
of, you know, practice reps made game
16:29
day reality and it was the same thing he
16:30
was doing in practice. So, he just kind
16:31
of showed up on Saturday as well.
16:32
What's your relationship with him on the
16:34
field?
16:35
Uh, that's my dog. Mad Jerry's like
16:36
that's my little brother. feels like I'm
16:38
really close to Madrid and his family.
16:40
You know, he stays stays where I at my
16:42
house sometimes and just watches my dog
16:43
when I was gone sometimes. But, uh,
16:45
Mad's my dog. That's my that's her
16:47
little brother for me.
16:48
Thank you, sir.
16:49
Appreciate y'all.
16:51
Now friends of