Up next in 10
#UNC RB Omarion Hampton, QB Jacolby Criswell and LB Power Echols at postgame press conference
Nov 17, 2024
#UNC RB Omarion Hampton, QB Jacolby Criswell and LB Power Echols at postgame press conference
View Video Transcript
0:00
the last couple of years after tonight
0:03
tonight's numers tonight performance how
0:05
would you describe your performance
0:08
tonight
0:09
uh really just I try to be uh a good
0:13
teammate uh try to be all-around back
0:15
try to be someone that uh Jobe can pass
0:17
it to someone that Jobe feel comfortable
0:20
but him throwing the ball just blocking
0:23
for him for like just and then also
0:25
running the ball just for like basically
0:27
just trying to show that I'm all around
0:29
back are you to appreciate what you do
0:32
not just for the team but for yourself
0:34
if you're watching film tomorrow and
0:36
that you took like Five Guys in the end
0:38
zone around 35th car something like that
0:40
are you able to appreciate some of those
0:42
things as a football guy and as an
0:44
individual who did that or are you just
0:46
don't allow yourself to kind of go there
0:48
uh I look at some stuff but uh I feel
0:51
like my o line super good this year I
0:53
feel like uh a lot goes into it I feel
0:55
like it's Team game so I feel like um
0:57
all that just goes into it and then move
1:00
going to the next Beek what does it mean
1:02
to you to move place all time
1:06
R uh it just so so real of a feeling
1:09
just knowing that uh just making history
1:11
here just always growing up a fan of
1:14
being here and everything like that so I
1:15
mean it's still really feel can you talk
1:18
me through just kind of what you were
1:19
seeing on your last touchdown there when
1:21
you left over the line and maintain your
1:24
balance uh I just realized uh they like
1:27
their whole D line like cut like cut the
1:30
and everything I knew I had to uh just
1:32
find a way to try to make something
1:34
happen and I just knew I had to make
1:35
something
1:39
work yeah you talk a lot about see
1:43
offensive line you credit them a lot for
1:45
you know some of this you ever have can
1:47
you describe a little bit the
1:49
relationship you have with some of those
1:51
guys like up front and just I guess kind
1:53
of the trust that you with uh yeah me me
1:56
and oine are real close we go out to eat
1:58
all the time and stuff like that we just
2:00
watch him together do uh stuff together
2:03
like that so I feel like with us having
2:05
that relationship with each other it
2:06
builds more on the field so I feel like
2:08
it's super good to have them as them
2:10
back how did you feel that they over the
2:12
course of this year of course they had
2:14
you know degree of injuries and things
2:16
like that last few games they've been
2:17
able to I guess as a collective kind of
2:20
all be out there how have you seen them
2:22
kind of you know gel and formulate that
2:25
chemistry as
2:26
the uh really just communication with
2:28
each other just uh them communicating
2:31
with me them communica with each other I
2:33
feel like them just going out there
2:35
giving it their all I know they're gonna
2:37
give it their all and they know I'm
2:38
going to give them my all so I feel like
2:39
just the communication has been a big
2:41
key for us La I said earlier you know on
2:45
the night where passing
2:48
day was what's struggling for us again
2:51
that you having a career night set high
2:54
in R yards to earlier moving up the list
2:58
what did it mean know to you and to your
3:01
team success for you to have the type of
3:04
game unit tonight and leading y
3:07
offens uh we just we just knew we had to
3:10
uh make something work because we just
3:11
staying on each other just going to the
3:13
sidelines knowing that we got to make
3:15
something happen knowing that uh
3:16
whatever it is we got to make it work so
3:18
I feel like uh chip Lindsay did a good
3:20
job play call and everything to help him
3:22
set up uh different runs and everything
3:25
for the defense so I feel like it's just
3:27
all playing out well morning play what
3:30
did wake do differently in the second
3:32
half defensively do it look like The
3:34
Yards especially like in the interior
3:37
they were harder to come by they had to
3:39
change something like what did they
3:41
change and what did that Force you maybe
3:44
to have to change about the way you were
3:45
running in the second half uh I feel
3:48
like they just uh defitely made
3:50
adjustments their halftime I feel like
3:52
they did a good job doing that just
3:53
bringing bringing down safeties bringing
3:55
down more guys having more guys in the
3:56
box and everything like that but we knew
3:58
that was just uh
4:00
just a mindset thing we knew we had to
4:01
get through it regardless so I feel like
4:03
we all just had to bring it up a level
4:05
if they're going to do that and then
4:07
what these guys were asking about
4:08
jumping over the line on the touchdown
4:10
run when you landed what did you see
4:13
from there because you had to like run
4:15
through 45 number 45 at least he carried
4:18
into the end zone what did you see when
4:20
you landed and what did you have to do
4:23
uh really just I just saw how close I
4:24
was to the goal line so I knew just in a
4:27
tight game like that it's just something
4:28
I got to do to get get in the go line if
4:30
I'm that close were you watching the
4:33
saquon Barkley highlights when you when
4:35
you heard over yeah yeah he definitely
4:38
crazy but uh yeah yeah I've always been
4:41
a fan of saquin just his running style
4:43
and everything like that uh always watch
4:45
watch film on him and everything like
4:47
that so I mean yeah he's definitely
4:49
super talented guy good Brown said that
4:52
you went over Lin in the third quarter
4:56
just to kind of uplift them what were
4:57
you telling them that you guys are kind
4:58
of struggling the Run game I'm for part
5:01
of thatt uh just to keep the head up
5:04
keep going every play uh just just
5:07
staying on them everything them uh
5:09
making sure they're relaxed making sure
5:11
their head's not messed up and
5:12
everything like that so I mean just
5:14
really staying on them everything
5:18
you yeah yeah I
5:21
definitely yeah yeah for
5:24
sure
5:26
get fir on football field gets out of
5:29
motion out of you you're out there
5:31
running the ball or just what what
5:33
anything out there what gets you the
5:34
most
5:35
fir
5:37
uh I feel like just really having the
5:39
opportunity God gave me opportunity to
5:41
play this game I feel like it's
5:43
definitely something I got to take
5:44
advantage of definitely uh something I
5:47
love doing something I always grew up
5:49
playing football so I feel like anytime
5:51
I'm on the field it's always a fun
5:52
feeling
5:53
so all right
5:56
thanks what about your thoughts on
5:58
omari's
6:00
244 35 carries maybe his last carry one
6:04
of them touch it's awesome honestly I
6:07
didn't realize during the game you can
6:09
kind of tell if he runs for a lot of
6:11
yards but it just didn't seem like and
6:13
so when we all heard it I'm like
6:15
goodness gracious like a guy like him he
6:17
deserves it like he works every single
6:19
day and whenever it's short yardage
6:22
everyone has faith in him until he just
6:24
does what he does whenever he has the
6:26
ball what about the T what about his
6:29
touchdown
6:30
oh that was awesome I didn't my back was
6:32
turned but after after I saw the replay
6:34
of him jumping over and then scoring I'm
6:36
like only o can do this he's the only
6:38
running back that can do that so he
6:40
deserves it Jobe when you guys got back
6:42
in here or when you were leaving the
6:44
field tonight and the game was over uh
6:47
what was it like knowing you had
6:48
clinched a bowl game and then you're
6:50
able to have a postseason Max said some
6:52
guys were yelling and T you know what
6:55
what was the scene kind of like in the
6:56
locker room as you guys were I'm
6:58
assuming celebrating becoming B just
7:01
what was going on yes sir everybody was
7:02
just excited you know I mean that's what
7:04
you pretty much work for you know keep
7:07
playing not just in the regular season
7:08
but bow season as well and we're excited
7:12
that we are bow legible but we still
7:13
have two games left and we got to focus
7:15
on those two anybody say anything in
7:17
particular about it or was anybody
7:19
screaming anything in particular about
7:21
it uh th T's mom was there and she was
7:24
she was happy for us and she told us
7:26
let's win out and then this bow game
7:28
comes let's win it for
7:30
and given where you guys were the day
7:32
you passed know the day your four
7:33
straight loss when you think about then
7:35
and now that you are a lot of people
7:38
would project that you guys if you were
7:40
going to get be this quickly so can you
7:43
kind of put that into thought into I'd
7:46
say honestly Point yes sir we've been
7:48
hit with so much adversity and I I can
7:50
say honestly God has given us so much
7:52
strength after what's what's happened
7:54
with all of us and what what's happened
7:56
with the team and I mean he's just been
7:58
with us every single step of the way
8:00
going on this the street that we have
8:02
and T's been with us too and we're just
8:04
going to keep playing for those two and
8:06
just keep win in ball games I know you
8:08
you have two more to play three more to
8:10
play but and you want to win those but
8:12
give me more things for you consider
8:13
this a small achievement at least um yes
8:17
sir I mean it's a you can say it's a
8:20
good good achievement I mean that's what
8:22
you that's what you work for and we've
8:24
been playing really well but we can't
8:26
look back on the past we got to continue
8:28
to do what we do the next couple of days
8:30
and continue to focus each day as its
8:32
owne what did you see on your touchdown
8:35
run uh what was the play
8:38
just uh just a play where they that was
8:42
a strictly man man play they played Zone
8:45
and so I went through my progression
8:46
noow one was open and as a quarterback
8:48
you got to sometimes make those plays
8:50
and my athletic ability just came out of
8:52
nowhere and it happened the uh the
8:54
team's official Twitter account said air
8:56
to on the
9:00
seen that oh no I have not seen anything
9:02
on social media whatsoever but I mean
9:04
that's awesome I
9:06
guess you remember what it was like in
9:08
the locker the JM everybody after you
9:12
remember the move probably in the locker
9:14
the JM now down everybody how does a
9:17
team go from that point uh it's just
9:20
pretty much believing in all believing
9:22
in each other and we knew that game was
9:25
not who we were and the only way for us
9:28
to get past that game was for us to get
9:29
better not to have a single game like
9:31
that again and we lost a couple but as
9:34
we look at the positives during the coup
9:36
those couple games that we did lose I
9:38
mean we we were a really good football
9:39
team and we kind of we beat ourselves in
9:41
those football games so we made a
9:43
promise to ourselves to not beat
9:44
ourselves and just continue to focus on
9:46
each
9:48
day yeah you described the the touchdown
9:51
that Mar had at the end but I actually
9:53
really ask you about the defensive play
9:55
that kind of set that up it was the
9:57
strip sack from you know har Travis Shaw
9:59
recovered it I just kind of you just
10:01
speak to how crucial that was and I
10:03
guess even put you guys in that position
10:05
to you know get that last Drive oh yes
10:07
sir um yeah we did we had a couple
10:09
drives to where I fumbled and just
10:12
unacceptable by me and a couple other
10:15
things happened to where we just weren't
10:17
on Rhythm and defense did a good job
10:19
giving us the ball back and we knew we
10:20
talked in the hoto we were like we we
10:22
have to get this like this this is our
10:24
chance and we did and from there it was
10:27
just us just not killing our El and us
10:29
just playing the ball that we were used
10:31
to playing yeah m
10:33
is is kind of talked about the need to
10:36
play complimentary football how have you
10:38
seen that start to play out these last
10:39
few games yeah it's it's major honestly
10:41
and we've just been so good at just
10:43
running the football and mixing in
10:46
passes in there as well we know what
10:47
type of team we are and we're not going
10:49
to go past that and we've just been
10:52
really we've done a really good job of
10:53
just trusting the coaches and just
10:55
leaning on them with what they do and
10:57
I've done a really good job with that as
10:58
well and I think that's that that's
11:01
what's making us good moving forward you
11:03
guys had five offive touchdowns this
11:05
season including three in the last five
11:07
games how it
11:09
[Music]
11:11
help oh that's that's huge and defense
11:14
played really well today and we leaned
11:17
on them a couple drives just because we
11:18
couldn't get anything going and they had
11:20
a pick six they got a couple turnovers
11:22
and when normally when you get turnovers
11:24
and the offense gets the ball you have
11:26
to score those are the crucial moments
11:27
to score and we did that a couple times
11:29
but we want to be 100% when that does
11:31
happen but defense showed out and they
11:34
played really well and those those type
11:36
of scenarios are major when it comes to
11:37
the offense did you get to see tow pick
11:39
six or were you sort of talking to
11:41
coaches and what was sort of the
11:42
sideline reaction to I was watching the
11:45
little clipboard not clipboard the iPad
11:47
we have and I was looking at our recent
11:48
plays on offense and I just seen
11:50
everyone erupt and I'm looking and
11:52
they're like it's a pig get up get up
11:54
get up and there next thing I know he's
11:56
in Endzone they're like ah sit down so
11:58
everybody was just excited and I didn't
11:59
know what happened M talk about the
12:01
confidence within this defensive unit
12:03
through the past three weeks how have
12:04
you seen that on a daily basis when they
12:07
come in for meetings and practice and
12:09
things like that the guys are just riled
12:10
up on that side of the ball and honestly
12:13
having Cayman back is huge for all of us
12:15
and he's motivating all those guys and a
12:17
lot of guys are just playing hard and
12:19
the D lines I'm one of the best in
12:21
college football right now and this just
12:23
going to keep getting better and they're
12:25
all just believing in each other
12:26
believing in play calls and they're
12:27
playing out outstanding anybody say
12:30
anything about about how quickly he got
12:31
to the
12:32
endone it's he got a bur that was a lot
12:35
faster than R's but uh it was it was
12:39
awesome play byound though do anybody
12:41
ever called you air anything
12:45
Micha I got to the Seline a couple
12:48
couple guys called me air jaw cuz my
12:50
nickname is jaw but uh besides that no
12:53
it's I guess you can say that's pretty
12:55
awesome but I mean got to tell your
12:57
sister that oh she's just going to look
12:59
at me she's just going to look at
13:02
me what do you think were the issues
13:05
tonight you alluded to like maybe just
13:08
not being able to find a great Rhythm
13:11
offensively maybe especially the passing
13:13
game I mean that defense was given up a
13:15
ton of yards through the air um did you
13:18
feel like you guys left a lot of plays
13:20
out there and and what did you think
13:22
maybe tripped you up with the passing
13:24
game tonight I'd say I mean it all
13:26
starts with me I mean people can blame
13:28
the play call and people people can
13:29
blame this and that the old line but it
13:31
all starts with me I wasn't I wasn't
13:33
efficient today if I'm being honest and
13:35
we're a really good football team and we
13:36
wanton that football game but at the end
13:38
of the day I have to do better and on
13:40
the offensive side of the ball I think
13:41
they did everything they could and I
13:43
just wasn't in the Rhythm I just I have
13:45
to get better that's
13:48
it all right we good thanks Ste out when
13:53
you were fresh yeah yeah
13:56
um I guess you step out
13:59
yeah I would have scoring man it Pi six
14:01
it was pick six to my heart but wasn't
14:02
Pi
14:05
six let's start what did you see when
14:09
did you see daylight realize be to take
14:12
that um we were in uh vision coverage
14:15
and you know my key was the uh running
14:17
back and he didn't flare out to uh go to
14:20
the boundary so I just kind of backed up
14:22
and played the quarterback's eyes and
14:23
you know D line got good pressure made
14:26
him throw it when he didn't want to and
14:27
I was just Happ to be there just jumped
14:29
up and caught it and as soon as I caught
14:30
it I was like going to Endzone
14:33
so um I don't think he did this is your
14:37
guys third pick six this season and it's
14:39
been one from each position group with
14:41
jagari and then Caleb and now you what
14:43
is it about Coach Collins's scheme that
14:47
allows for so many just game breaking
14:49
defensive players um he just allows us
14:51
to go out there and just be football
14:52
players at the end of the day man I feel
14:54
like he just let lets us go out there
14:55
and use our athletic ability just allow
14:57
us to play freely so does vision
15:00
coverage mean you're spying the
15:01
quarterback like what does that mean um
15:03
vision coverage means like I'm in a zone
15:04
drop so I'm basically like in a Zone
15:07
with my eyes on the quarterback so
15:08
wherever the quarterback takes me is
15:10
where I'll go and that's I mean you just
15:12
followed him all yeah I just followed
15:13
his eyes and kind of play we were
15:16
talking to De Collins earlier this week
15:18
and he was kind of talking about the
15:20
need to you know force and create
15:21
turnovers from your Vantage Point just
15:23
how much has he you know kind of handed
15:25
that home to you guys in practice um
15:28
every every single day practice uh he
15:30
has he has to do like 10 push-ups every
15:31
time we get a turnover so we try to get
15:33
him as uh swoll as possible by the end
15:35
of practice so um get him a good workout
15:37
in but he just preaches out each and
15:38
every day in practice he was also
15:40
mentioning that if you Force One in
15:41
practice you get a candy bar you Force
15:43
One in a game yeah uh for in the game
15:46
you get like a big uh cookie cake but in
15:49
practice you know you might get a candy
15:50
bar if you do it against the um the show
15:53
team and things like that but we we like
15:55
when he does the push-ups we think we
15:56
think the push-ups are cool for sure so
15:57
you're going to get a cookie cake but
15:59
you took it in the end zone so what else
16:00
do you get um I don't know we'll see but
16:04
got L I'm just I'm just glad we got the
16:05
win at the end of the day for real you
16:06
remember what javar got um Javari got a
16:09
giant cookie cake I don't know if he got
16:11
anything else but it was a pretty pretty
16:13
size decent Siz cookie cake what was
16:15
your view of the the last St sack with
16:17
Josh and Travis coming seemed like that
16:20
was play just amazing like I feel like
16:24
they've been doing great all year but
16:25
especially the second half of the Season
16:27
just creating like unre real pressure on
16:29
the quarterback and defeating their
16:30
one-on ones and um like I've been saying
16:33
since the first game I called him the
16:35
mon Stars cuz you know you can't do
16:37
nothing with them but uh they they had a
16:39
heck of a game today all the whole D
16:41
line when you're in that division
16:44
talking that about how do you how do you
16:47
see things differently now with the way
16:49
the front's playing as opposed to maybe
16:51
five six weeks ago when the front wasn't
16:53
as consistent how does that look for you
16:56
um the quarterback is real bottled in I
16:58
feel like a lot of times we hurt
16:59
ourselves is when we uh let them off the
17:01
hook and run past them and give the
17:03
quarterback some Escape Lanes but for
17:04
this second half of the Season we just
17:06
kept them bottled in so he doesn't have
17:07
any Escape lanes and if you're playing
17:08
like a six foot quarterback you really
17:09
can't see over a tall defensive line so
17:12
he just kind of got to go and throw it
17:13
out there being that the pressure is
17:15
bringing like they bringing so much
17:16
pressure to him in his face so he has to
17:18
be able to you know either throw the
17:19
ball away or get sacked
17:21
so was saying after the game that there
17:24
was a you know High per of excitement
17:26
from getting that six wi to get that b
17:28
elig
17:29
um what do you remember about obviously
17:31
you know walking off the field getting
17:33
into the locker room just everybody's
17:35
reaction to you know clinch that
17:37
exra um a a great thing but I feel like
17:41
for us the mindset is just to win out
17:44
the rest of the games and come back and
17:46
you know fix the things we need to fix
17:47
and uh get ready for Boston College in
17:49
this coming week and just all just go
17:51
one to know the next week so um great we
17:53
got a bow game we got us uh uh some new
17:55
life at the end of the season but um we
17:57
still want to finish this thing you want
17:59
to how to be able to get the ball game
18:03
after going through the four game losing
18:04
streak and some of the the problems that
18:06
y'all had earlier I mean is that a
18:08
meaningful thing you think for this
18:10
group I hear you about something when
18:11
you say you want to win out but um is it
18:14
a nice reard for this particular group
18:16
would you say um I feel like it's a
18:18
testament to you know my brother in
18:20
heaven Tye Craft um just when we're
18:23
dealing with a whole lot of things we
18:24
can't control just you know his model
18:25
was keep swinging and I feel like right
18:27
now our team just comeing together is
18:28
going to keep
18:30
swinging when you guys came off the
18:32
field five weeks ago lost the georia
18:36
jacket pass could you imagine being here
18:40
five weeks later having one three
18:42
straight playing the way you guys were
18:43
playing and being in pretty good shape
18:45
and maybe close this thing out um for
18:47
sure I mean Ty spirit is with us each
18:49
and every day each and every time we
18:50
step in the building um uh I feel like
18:52
he's with us each and every game and
18:54
we're doing this for him for
18:55
sure is a guy who uh pretty tough tough
18:59
individual what impresses you the most
19:02
about Maran and what he does game in and
19:05
game out um I mean i' I've watched this
19:08
man consistently worked each and every
19:09
day in the Summers ever since he got
19:10
here as a freshman and I can tell you
19:12
one thing um you can't deny him can't
19:15
deny him anything everything he goes out
19:16
there and gets he earned way before he
19:19
even got to even got to UNC um I'm just
19:23
like I'm I'm I'm really a fan watching
19:25
the back just seeing all of his work pay
19:27
off and he's deserving everything he's
19:28
getting right now for
19:30
sure we
19:32
good appreciate you power thank you
19:35
power