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#UNC quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi press conference ahead of the Charlotte game
Sep 3, 2025
#UNC quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi press conference ahead of the Charlotte game
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0:00
Let's go ahead. No, West 20.7. I wanted
0:04
to ask about Max. How cool is it from
0:05
your vantage point to know what he's
0:06
been through and then see him jaw out on
0:08
the field and then also play the way he
0:10
did?
0:10
Yeah. Uh Max is a ultimate competitor.
0:14
Extremely tough. And the one thing about
0:16
him that you love is that he's grew up
0:18
around football. So I can him and I
0:20
relate a lot in terms of our childhood,
0:22
right? And um kind of how he understands
0:24
football. So, the work he's put in to
0:27
come back and to play that night, it was
0:29
a a special story and I couldn't be more
0:31
proud of him and he's earned the right
0:33
to to to do that and to perform well and
0:36
um you know, he's just a ultimate
0:37
competitor, you know, but tough as
0:39
nails. So, it was awesome to see.
0:43
Adam Smith was in South Carolina. Hey,
0:46
Matt. Wanted to ask you about uh
0:48
understand you hadn't practiced yet this
0:49
week.
0:49
Yes.
0:50
Do you guys plan on having go in
0:51
practice?
0:52
Uh yeah. I mean, he's here today, so
0:54
we're going to see how how it goes and
0:55
and um where it goes from there and and
0:58
we'll see what what it looks like on the
0:59
practice field, but he was here in here
1:01
today and it looked great. So, we'll see
1:02
how it goes.
1:03
Just to follow up real quick if that's
1:04
okay. Um seemed like, you know, coming
1:07
out Monday night, there might be some
1:09
questions uh just about skill set wise
1:13
with Gio. you know, he's he has such a
1:15
running ability that he's known for and
1:18
you guys had him on your center some
1:19
like um
1:21
do you feel like the scheme maybe needs
1:22
to change a little bit when you have him
1:24
in there uh in terms of what you guys
1:26
did Monday night to maybe utilize his
1:29
talents better?
1:30
Um I think we're going to look at
1:31
everything in terms of an offense. I
1:33
think that when you don't perform well,
1:34
I think you're going to look at some
1:35
things and and how things we did well,
1:37
things we didn't do well. So, um I think
1:40
we're going to take that all into
1:41
account. Um I don't think it's
1:43
necessarily just because of his skill
1:44
set or or things that we have to do to
1:46
match his skill set. He can do
1:47
everything in our in our eyes. So we're
1:50
going to do what's best for the team.
1:51
All right. And um do what's best what
1:53
what gives us the best chance to win at
1:55
the end of the day
1:58
row
2:01
with Carolina. I wanted to ask about I
2:03
guess kind of the uh the distribution
2:05
ball distribution if you will in the
2:07
passing game. uh the first I guess
2:09
several ones you know it looked like J
2:10
was kind of you know looking more so uh
2:12
way and you know later in the game
2:14
you guys were able to kind of move the
2:15
ground is that kind of a conversation
2:17
you were able to have with them mid game
2:19
both Gio and Max you know trying to
2:21
distribute get the job done things like
2:23
you know it's never it's never about one
2:24
guy it's never about one player um
2:27
especially at quarterback it's it's just
2:29
find the open guy really at the end of
2:30
the day and um I think there's ways you
2:32
scheme things up for certain guys but
2:34
it's at the end of the day they they've
2:36
thrown to everybody especially in camp
2:37
with having a quarterback competition.
2:39
So, it's been great. So, they're they
2:40
feel comfortable with everybody. Um, and
2:43
I don't wouldn't think he's
2:44
predetermining or trying to throw to c
2:45
certain guys. I just think he's trying
2:46
to find the open one and and go through
2:48
his right reads and read the defense as
2:50
well. That's really what it is.
2:52
Uh, Andrew started 24/7 when Gio and the
2:56
offense is going through that stretch
2:57
state where they were three and out just
2:58
couldn't move anything. after having
3:00
success in the first draft. What are the
3:02
conversations like when a new guy just
3:05
arrived a couple of months ago and maybe
3:07
break him down a little bit and maybe
3:09
after maybe
3:11
Yeah, I mean I think it's first game of
3:13
the year. So whether he's new or not,
3:15
it's always going to have those jitters
3:16
and you perform well on the first drive.
3:18
It's always it's the next play
3:20
mentality. So whatever happened in the
3:21
past, good or bad, you got to move on to
3:23
the next one and focus on the next play.
3:25
So, you're constantly trying to make
3:27
sure that those guys are on the same
3:29
page and um you know, focus on what's
3:31
the next what's going to happen on the
3:33
next series and um you're trying to just
3:35
trying to make make sure you're in a
3:37
good position right there. So,
3:39
talking about constantly evaluating,
3:41
you're obviously evaluating Gio as well
3:43
about maybe some things that work, maybe
3:45
things that don't. There a couple things
3:47
maybe you thought would work a lot
3:48
better that maybe now that you've seen
3:50
against another opponent, you're not so
3:52
sure and have to kind of go back and
3:54
maybe tweak how you do that or just toss
3:55
them out.
3:56
No, I think it's so early in in the year
3:58
that you're just still trying to figure
4:00
out who you are as an offense and who
4:01
what your identity is. So again, it just
4:04
goes back to things we do well and
4:05
things we don't do well and it starts
4:06
with take care of the football and
4:08
that's what's the most important thing
4:09
about this program is putting this team
4:11
in the best position to win and that's
4:12
what our job is a quarterback. So those
4:14
are things that we're going to be
4:15
constantly evaluating and and try to
4:17
improve on those and make sure that
4:18
those don't happen again and and um the
4:20
scheme wise of it. We're going to do
4:22
whatever it takes to win the game. So if
4:23
it's run the ball, throw the ball, be in
4:25
a certain certain group, we're going to
4:26
do whatever it is. And you know, if it
4:28
doesn't work, then we we got to evaluate
4:30
that and go back to the drawing boards.
4:32
On the right,
4:33
got two. One on on the snapping issue
4:36
that appeared when you guys were in the
4:37
shot. Did that limit what you could do
4:39
offensively? Did you have to go under
4:40
center in part because the snapping
4:42
issue at center?
4:43
No, no, no, no. Part of that at all. I
4:45
had to go under center, you know, just
4:48
we're we're down bodies at center and
4:49
there's just we've been constantly
4:51
working on it. So it has nothing to do
4:53
with his ability to snap. It's just we
4:55
got to keep working on it.
4:56
And then secondly, you know, we heard
4:58
found out last week that Gio was going
4:59
to be a starter. I wonder how that
5:01
evaluation went in camp. How close was
5:03
it between Max and Gio? Was it clearcut
5:05
to make that decision early? Just any
5:07
insight you can give into how that
5:09
evaluation was made, that decision.
5:12
I mean, I think that stays within us as
5:14
coaches. Um, but these guys were, you
5:17
know, getting equal reps and and going
5:19
at it every day. And I think that they
5:20
were enjoying the process of it of
5:22
competing and and and playing with
5:24
different guys, right? That's that's
5:26
kind of the enjoyment of it is is that
5:28
you're throwing it to just not the same
5:29
person every day, working behind this
5:31
different lines. So, you're constantly
5:33
just trying to evaluate how they're
5:34
operating with different people and how
5:36
they're leading different people from
5:37
from that standpoint as a quarterback.
5:39
So, but there was no there was no day
5:41
there was no no certain throw or certain
5:43
thing that that it was just a uh ongoing
5:45
process of who who who gives us the best
5:48
chance to win.
5:49
Matt, great. Hey, Matt. Patrick from
5:53
News. Um, obviously to tell you Monday
5:56
was a tough loss, right? I'm just
5:58
curious, how does Coach interact with
6:00
the staff after a loss like the yellers
6:03
and calm, the teacher, combination?
6:06
Uh, I mean, coach coach is a uh same guy
6:10
every day. And that's what what makes
6:12
him so great and and um what makes him
6:14
so unique is that whether it's good or
6:16
bad, he wins a Super Bowl, we we lose on
6:19
Monday night, you're going to get the
6:20
same guy the next day. And it's a great
6:22
teacher, a great leader, and somebody
6:25
that we can lean towards when we when we
6:26
need the answers. So,
6:30
Tom, South Carolina, the first series
6:32
obviously went as well as you could
6:33
expect. How much of that
6:35
is scripting versus later in the game
6:37
sort of feel and I know you're not
6:40
calling plays but that aspect of it and
6:42
and what did you see that maybe TC you
6:44
switched up on Gio to sort of affect it
6:46
a little differently. I think that um
6:48
you always want to start fast and that's
6:50
one of the things we always emphasize is
6:52
starting fast and we when we did that.
6:54
Um but again it's just it's really it's
6:56
really about us and it's about us take
6:58
care of the football and you know making
7:00
sure that we're running clean plays,
7:02
operating at a at a fast pace and and
7:04
you know not getting behind the change
7:06
and that's what we look for the most. Um
7:08
but nothing um in terms of scheme wise
7:10
that we were shocked. to just, you know,
7:12
they were obviously ready to play and
7:13
and they performed well and they they
7:15
did a great job of of of tackling and
7:18
and um you know, playing their coverage
7:20
and and blitzing and and doing that.
7:22
They were ready to play and um we got to
7:24
do a better job of getting our guys
7:25
ready to play um and performing
7:27
throughout the game for 60 minutes and
7:29
just not the opening drive. Um I think
7:31
that's something that you struggle with
7:32
is just complacency and we got to learn
7:35
from it and move on. Again, things we
7:37
did well, things we did poorly. We got
7:39
to work on that and we look forward to
7:40
the next challenge at Charlotte.
7:42
Middle right here.
7:44
Shelby Spencer from Houstoner. You kind
7:46
of spoke on just how was interacting
7:49
with the team long. I'm curious
7:51
obviously having a chance to practice,
7:53
but just how do you approach maybe
7:56
picking up Gio after performance on
7:58
Monday? Yeah, I mean, uh, we have a
8:01
great relationship and, uh, it's never
8:04
about one person, but we also have to,
8:07
um, look at ourselves in a mirror and
8:08
and say, how do we perform better? How
8:09
do we, uh, get our team in in a better
8:12
position? And, you know, and that's just
8:14
little things technique-wise,
8:15
fundamental wise, scheme wise. Um, so
8:19
the best thing about him and and the
8:20
rest of the quarterbacks is they're all
8:22
coachable and they want to be coached
8:23
well and they want to perform well. So,
8:25
they're going to do whatever it takes to
8:26
to do that. And um I think it's just
8:29
it's it's being positive and but also um
8:32
being critical of certain things and I
8:34
think that they're they're able to take
8:36
that coaching which is great.
8:37
We got three more work. Hey coach Grant
8:40
Sachs on the side uh on that big six.
8:44
What was you exactly looking at and how
8:46
do you correct that from watching the
8:48
film but also being be at the same time?
8:52
Yeah, I mean there's a lot of things
8:53
that go into football. there's, you
8:55
know, 11 guys and um just not all one
8:58
person. Um I think he would love to have
9:00
it throw back. Uh it's just certain
9:02
things in football, you know. Um things
9:05
spiral and you make it worse and and you
9:08
wish you had it back, but um that was
9:10
his first read and it just so happened
9:11
that it didn't turn out well. Um so got
9:15
to move on. Short memory, but a long
9:17
memory. You know, you got to learn from
9:18
it and you got to forget it at the same
9:20
time. So that should be the applying
9:22
quarterback
9:23
on the right here.
9:25
When when you look at evaluating Gio
9:28
overall, I mean, can you even evaluate
9:30
the quarterbacks in a game like that
9:31
when like you said, all of a sudden
9:33
you're now big, the game script probably
9:35
goes out the window? Like how how much
9:37
do you evaluate what they did? How much
9:39
do you have to evaluate game situations
9:41
they put in there? Um, you know, I think
9:44
it's, you know, 51 snaps is is is not a
9:46
lot of football to begin with as an
9:48
offense. So, it's even hard to evaluate
9:50
just you as an offense in terms of how
9:52
you did well and and um the things you
9:55
did. So, um you take it, you know,
10:00
in a full, you know, uh I would say you
10:05
look at it like the things that you need
10:07
to work on, um get better at as an
10:09
offense, just not as individual. Um, but
10:12
I think that with him as a his
10:14
performance, um, it's just really taking
10:16
care of the football and being ahead of
10:18
the chains on offense and making sure
10:20
we're going forwards, not backwards and
10:22
making the right decisions. Um, so
10:25
everything's evaluation. Every day is
10:27
evaluation. So, every day we're going to
10:29
look at it the same way and and try to
10:31
learn from it and do better.
10:33
Last one, Matt. Rod Baxley, Fable
10:36
Observer. What were the main points of
10:38
the emphasis from coach Dodge when y'all
10:40
were talking about Monday night as far
10:42
as throughout the coaching staff and and
10:43
going into the Charlotte game?
10:45
Play for 60 minutes, compete, put the
10:47
team first. Um, and you know, match your
10:50
intestine and, you know, do whatever it
10:54
takes to win and and uh take care of the
10:57
football. um same same things that we
11:00
talk about all the time and the things
11:02
that we need to do to uh to win the game
11:04
and that's play good football and um
11:07
fortunately we didn't do well enough and
11:08
they did a great job of it. So look to
11:12
look to the next challenge at Charlotte
11:13
this this upcoming week.
11:15
Thank you guys.
11:16
Appreciate it. My truck.
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