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Mac & Bone Show - Jones Angell Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Jones Angel, voice of the Tar Heels, who joins us
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: in this hour every Thursday. Jones, how you doing this week, man?
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: What's happening?
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Well, doing great, guys. Good to talk with you as always.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: And yeah, very steady win last week for Carolina. Never
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: really threatened in that one, as you would expect against DTSU.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: And yeah, I think that game, though, is a nice
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: representation of kind of where Carolina is right now. Tar
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Heels are 2-0. And how have they gotten there? You know,
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: it hasn't been super flashy, but it's just been, you know,
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: playing sound football. You know, not turning the ball over
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: a lot. I think they have two through two games.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: They don't have a ton of penalties. There's eight of
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: them through two games. And, yeah, kind of making the
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: plays when they're there, playing really good defense. They've only allowed– yeah,
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: this is pretty amazing to me, guys. Since the first
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: two drives of the TCU game where the Horned Frogs
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown– Carolina's only
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: allowed three points on about three and a half yards
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: per play. In the next, I think it's 17 drives
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: against TCU and ETSU. So playing some really good defense
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: in there as well. And they'll need to do all
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: those things this weekend against Clemson for sure.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: Jones, of the elements where the heels have improved that
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: we've seen so far, what has impressed you the most
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: and what do you think has improved the most with
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: this team?
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: I think it's that fundamentally sound nature of what they're doing. Yeah,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Carolina was, and we talked about this a couple weeks ago, guys,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: about kind of the requirement at the beginning of the
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: season to just, and I don't say this in a
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: snarky way or something, but just to play competent football.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Because I think there were times last year where Carolina
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: did not just lose when the Heels were 4-8, not
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: a very good record. But they just didn't play very
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: sound football either. There was just some less-than-desired football out there.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: And there's a lot of different ways you can measure that.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Just in those last two games last year against Duke
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: and State, Carolina was penalized 23 times in those two
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: games for 230 yards of penalty yardage. They gave up
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: well over 500 yards rushing in the last three games
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: last year against Wake, Duke, and State. And so to
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: see those numbers. Now, there's a long way to go. Shoot,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Carolina still has 10 games left. But to to be
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: able to just play sound football, don't beat yourself, do
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: the basic things that you're trying to do and then
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: see where you are. To me, that's a step forward.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: And it also, guys, who's that sound like? That sounds
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: like a Bill Belichick coach team, right? A team that
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: doesn't make a ton of mistakes is really solid in
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: what they're doing. And I think you're starting to see
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: his impact more and more on the field, whether it's
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: just because he's been there more than a year. You
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: have guys who are in their second year in the
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: program under Coach Belichick. This team has been together longer
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: than last year's team, certainly leading into the year. And
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: I think all those different things are leading to what
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: you're seeing on the field for Carolina.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: We're talking with Jones Angel, voice of the Heels, noon
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: on Saturday in Death Valley. Heels and Clemson, 11 a.m.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Pregame.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Of course, WBT, our sister station down the hall, is
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: a Tar Heel Radio Network affiliate. Jones, this game against Clemson,
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: we've all kind of felt like it feels like it's
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: going to be close. It feels like a defensive battle.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: Do you sense the same sort of thing or no?
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: It's just a lot of storylines going into this one, right?
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's hard not to start with the quarterback
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: spot for Clemson with Tate Reynolds, the true freshman, getting
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: the start. How does he react? And I don't know
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: if anybody knows. That's part of being a true freshman
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: at the college level. Now, he has been in there
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: in Clemson's first two games, and he's gotten plenty of
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: snaps against LSU and Georgia Southern. And he's had some success.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: He's had some moments that he'd probably like to have back.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: And that's football, and that's especially a freshman playing football.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: And so, yeah, how does he react in the situation
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: I think is going to be really important for both teams.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: He's really talented, but he's also very young. So how
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: does that play out is going to be critical, I think,
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: to who wins this game. for Carolina, I think the
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Tar Heels are looking to, as I said, continue to
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: do some of the things that they have been doing.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: And you mentioned a defensive battle. I do think one
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: thing Carolina would like to do is be a little
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: bit more explosive. And I think as you're playing these
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: better teams and you get into conference play and you
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: look at Carolina's schedule and it's Clemson, then it's Notre Dame,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: and then I think they're at Pittsburgh. So, I mean,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: there's some legit teams coming up for Carolina, and it's
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: coming pretty consistently. If you have a chance to hit
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: a 40-yard play, and it's hard to make it happen,
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: but if that chance is there, you've got to hit it.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: And I feel like Carolina's missed some chances in the
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: first couple of weeks. to hit some of those balls
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: down the field. They still have been able to get
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: some big plays, but a lot of those are catch
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: and run. And so I think Carolina, as this year
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: goes on and this week is just the next opportunity,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: is they've got to be able to loosen that defense
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: up a little bit. They've got to be able to
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: hit some of those shots because I think it's just
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: hard to consistently move the ball down the field six,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: eight yards at a time, especially when you're getting into
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: playing some of the better teams like Carolina will be.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: Jones, what's your assessment of Clemson overall as a program
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: and the reason you think they've fallen the way they
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: have the last couple seasons?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a big question, and there's probably people who
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: cover Clemson closer than I do or know Clemson better
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: than I do that can more eloquently answer the question.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: You know, I will say in just getting ready for Clemson,
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: you certainly do see a lot of guys who have
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: been in the program for multiple years. And so it's pretty–
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, and I know what the kind of thumbnail
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: thought on Dabo's thoughts on the transfer portal are, whether
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: those are 100% accurate or not. I know what that
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: perception is out there, although they do have plenty of transfers,
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: for example, in the secondary that are good players. for
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: Clemson this year. Um, you know, the one thing I
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: I'll be interested Clemson's opinion on kind of that quarterback position, because,
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: you know, they were going into this year with, uh,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Vassini and, uh, the true freshmen Reynolds. And at least
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: to my knowledge, didn't go after anybody else in the
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: transfer portal at that spot. And that's an interesting decision.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: And so, um, you know, Dabo and I don't know
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: coach Sweeney very well. I don't know him at all,
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: really personally. Um, But he seems to be a very
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: loyal coach, somebody who believes in you, who wants to
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: grow his guys, who wants to get them better. And
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: so I wonder if that played a role in what
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: they decided to do at the quarterback spot. And that's
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: just such an important position. So Clemson still has a
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: ton of talent. They've got a great fan base. They've
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: got a ton of resources and they've got a really
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: good coach. And normally, if you have all those things involved,
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: That equals to success. And so I would assume that
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: that Clemson will get this thing figured out and moving
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: back to where they were. But one last thing I
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: know it's been a long answer. The bar was high.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: I mean, let's not forget, you know, we're talking about
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: a team that was one of the two, three, four
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: best teams in the country for about seven or eight
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: years straight. That that's hard to meet every single year.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: That doesn't mean you're not trying to do it. But
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: it is hard to meet. And so I do think
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: that that's worth remembering when having this discussion as well.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: And Dabo's the one that put that bar up there,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: you know, and had it there. He does deserve credit
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: for that. All right, Jones, you got a fun one
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: to call on Death Valley on Saturday, man. I know
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: you're going to have a blast. I'd love to see
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: it be a big day for the Tar Heels. Thanks
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: for coming on. Appreciate you.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Thanks, guys. Always enjoy it. Talk to you soon.