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UNC linebacker Andrew Simpson and wide receiver Jordan Shipp after loss to Duke
Nov 23, 2025
UNC linebacker Andrew Simpson and wide receiver Jordan Shipp after loss to Duke
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0:00
Um, as a defense, you guys drew nine
0:02
donies and, you know, obviously cross
0:04
yards and some of those touchdowns.
0:06
Where would you kind of, I guess, chalk
0:07
up some of those penalties, too, and how
0:09
much?
0:11
I mean, when you get nine penalties, you
0:13
know, it's you're shooting yourself in
0:14
the foot. Uh, it's hard to play good
0:16
defense when you're just penalizing
0:18
yourself after after a good play or even
0:20
a battle. And so, it's just it's not not
0:23
us. And we definitely got to get better
0:25
at that. Andrew,
0:28
Andrew, they had I think there were five
0:30
or six on fourth down third down.
0:32
Thinking whether it was a third and 16,
0:34
we had a 16 yard play. They had a lot of
0:36
chunk plays when they really decisive
0:38
downs. What were some of the issues that
0:40
you guys had before situations?
0:43
We just got to be better on on the big
0:44
downs. Uh we get them first, second
0:47
down, we play well. Third, fourth down,
0:48
we got to play better going forward. Uh
0:50
it's never good giving up that many
0:52
yards or big plays when we need it the
0:54
most. and just they won the moments. I
0:56
guess I could say they just won the
0:57
bigger moments than than we did.
0:59
On the touchdown that Duke had catched,
1:00
the tight end that came out with four
1:02
offensive linemen,
1:03
what kind of communication was happening
1:05
on that play? Was it hard to identify
1:07
who was eligible, who wasn't?
1:09
Uh yeah, it was after that big uh big
1:11
penalty. So, I guess we're we're just
1:13
getting back on the field. I mean, it
1:14
was a good time to call it for them. We
1:16
we felt like we should have had it
1:18
covered, but obviously we didn't. So, uh
1:20
not not a good not a good play for us.
1:22
What was your vantage point? And
1:23
obviously that fuel goal was a key play.
1:27
Yeah, fourth and one. We were just
1:28
fourth and three I think it was. We were
1:30
trying our best to to go get a block, be
1:32
aggressive. Uh their kicker, I think he
1:34
he wasn't he missed one earlier. We we
1:37
So I mean just not a good play by us,
1:40
you know. We got to be better. We got to
1:41
be more aware of of the situation, I
1:43
guess, and go get him down. It was a
1:45
good play by them.
1:46
Brian, I was going to ask about the
1:48
field goal. Was there any thought that
1:50
they might fake it given the situation
1:52
top left in the game? It seemed like Gus
1:54
had maybe all blocks on there and
1:56
brought away. So, was there any thought
1:58
that they might try to take it?
2:01
No.
2:04
Andrew, how do you sort of move forward
2:07
from this loss? I mean, you still have
2:09
one game left in the season. How do you
2:10
sort of keep this game from hanging over
2:12
you guys
2:14
next week? I mean, we got the next 24
2:16
hours to watch it, you know, fix what we
2:19
what we did bad in and and hopefully uh
2:21
just do more of the good and then get
2:23
ready for state. It's it's a big game.
2:24
We got to finish strong. Uh we got a
2:27
good group. I mean, I'm proud of our
2:28
guys for playing hard. But uh we just
2:31
got to play a little harder and then
2:32
hopefully next week we come out with the
2:34
victory and finish the season strong.
2:37
And Andrew, going back to the questions
2:40
about penalties, I mean, I know Duke was
2:42
like the victory battle. I know it's
2:45
huge rivalry game. I mean, do you
2:47
attribute that to maybe you all, you
2:49
know, maybe you committing some
2:52
uncharacteristic penalties, emotions,
2:54
higher? I mean, cuz I know you all
2:57
entered this game, very disciplined
2:59
team.
3:00
Um, I mean, yeah, it's a rivalry. We We
3:03
want to play hard, but we're not going
3:04
to let uh let anybody try and play
3:06
harder than us, I feel like. And um feel
3:09
like it was getting chippy. I mean, it
3:11
was going both ways. It just seemed like
3:13
we were just getting all the calls on
3:14
us. So,
3:15
and quickly quickly off of that, I mean
3:17
you all I know Daren Mensah, I know he
3:21
came into the game into the game today.
3:24
Best passer in the ACC. Y'all limited
3:27
him to under 200 yards. There were some
3:29
moments in the second half where I
3:31
thought y'all's defense was playing a
3:33
little tough. Talk about what you were
3:34
able to do to slow him down and kind of
3:36
neutralize Duke for a bit there today.
3:39
Uh just get him in passing situations.
3:41
We had to play good on first and second
3:43
down early in the game. We didn't. But,
3:45
uh, once we started getting going on the
3:46
early downs, it was easier for us to,
3:48
you know, peel our ears back and try and
3:50
rush the passer and get pressure on him
3:51
and then, uh, you know, hope he makes a
3:54
tough decision and he made some good
3:56
ones, but we we still felt like we we
3:58
made enough good plays to win, but sadly
4:00
we didn't. So,
4:03
can you just describe to us the emotions
4:05
for you guys after the game?
4:09
Not good. We lost. I mean, we wanted to
4:12
win this game. We wanted to be ball
4:14
eligible. We We worked really hard all
4:16
week. We practiced hard. We feel like we
4:17
had a good game plan going in, but you
4:19
know, just the chips didn't fall for us.
4:21
So,
4:24
yeah.
4:26
You guys held down there.
4:28
How deflating was it pick up?
4:34
Yeah, it didn't feel good.
4:37
Jeremiah.
4:38
Yeah, Andrew. Obviously, you got to take
4:40
these things, you know, one week at a
4:42
time, things like that. Coming in, you
4:43
know, this year, a lot of new guys, like
4:45
you said, you know, wants to come out of
4:47
here, football, things like that. I
4:49
guess what have been some of the
4:50
challenges this year when it comes to, I
4:52
guess, just weekend, week out, getting
4:53
the complimentary football together to
4:55
the point where, you know, I guess maybe
4:57
more consistently. I guess what have
4:59
been some of the challenges if that
5:01
makes sense, kind of getting that week
5:02
in week out?
5:03
Q, I'll say it again, please. Yeah, just
5:06
coming in, you know, new team, lot of
5:08
new guys, what some of the challenges, I
5:10
guess, week in week out, gaining some of
5:12
that, you know, consistency throughout.
5:14
Yeah, football's challenging. I mean,
5:15
whether we were with each other for
5:17
years or not. I mean, it's going to be
5:19
hard to get consistency if um you know,
5:22
we just don't take it one day at a time.
5:23
And I feel like we did a better job at
5:25
that as the season went on. But uh you
5:27
know, it's just it's just tough uh tough
5:29
to gel a lot of guys together like we
5:31
did. But I feel like we build a lot of
5:33
strong relationships. We all grew as the
5:35
season went on. We we got better and I
5:37
feel like uh individually guys can look
5:39
at themselves and and be proud of the
5:40
progress we made. It wasn't easy the the
5:42
things we were trying to do, but just
5:45
just happy that guys stuck through it.
5:46
You know, nobody really gave up on each
5:48
other and we were all still confident
5:49
that we can go on and win a game like
5:50
today. So,
5:52
and last one say over here. Um, I know
5:54
tackling a big thing for for guys this
5:57
year and it looked like over the past,
5:58
you know, couple weeks that that maybe
6:00
improving, but tonight I know they had a
6:02
couple runs where they broke four or
6:04
five tackles. Can you talk about
6:06
tackling those pieces tonight?
6:08
Yeah, we just got to tackle better. Um,
6:11
I mean, as a team collectively, as a as
6:13
an individual, myself, I mean, we just
6:15
got to tackle a lot better. Uh they had
6:16
some good running backs, some some solid
6:18
schemes, and um you know, it's never
6:20
good when you can't tackle well, and we
6:22
we got to do a better job at that.
6:24
Perfect. Appreciate it.
6:29
Uh just tonight, I know you talked about
6:31
how this game was personal for you. Just
6:33
how was the team dealing with this loss
6:35
considering they you lost to an NC?
6:38
Man, it sucks, man. It sucks, man.
6:40
Especially uh I just went in there, just
6:43
hug Kobe, and told him I love him, man.
6:44
It's all that's all you could do, man.
6:45
Like I said, I was playing not for me. I
6:47
wanted to win that for Kobe. For Kobe in
6:49
specific, you know, and um just came up
6:51
short, man. But Kobe bowled out. A lot
6:53
of all of our seniors bought out. They
6:55
all made plays 29. He made some great
6:57
plays on the ball, you know, man. Just
6:59
everybody left it all out there, man.
7:00
And um we're just a couple plays away.
7:02
Just a couple plays away.
7:04
Jordan, what was your reaction on that
7:06
that fake field goal? Did you ever think
7:07
that that could be a possibility when
7:09
you watch those guys go out there?
7:10
I mean, I wasn't thinking about it. You
7:12
know, I just it's a great call. you
7:14
know, they got a great staff over there,
7:15
man. They went on a lot of fourth downs,
7:17
played a very ballsy game, you know, and
7:18
they just left it all out there and um
7:20
you know, that's just that's just a
7:21
great call at the right time and uh you
7:23
know, just um they did it, you know,
7:25
can't really say much about it.
7:27
Josh,
7:28
what was the source of the feistiness?
7:32
Did you expect it to be as chippy chippy
7:34
as it was?
7:35
Yeah, of course. It's a it's a rivalry
7:36
game, you know, fight playing for the
7:37
bail. I expected it, you know, I
7:39
expected it to be a fight after the
7:40
game, be honest with you. I mean, there
7:41
was a back and forth, right? um like a
7:44
like a grabbing session, first play,
7:46
first kickoff. You know, I expected
7:47
something to happen after the game. You
7:48
know, you expect that with rivals, we
7:50
expect the same thing next week. We
7:51
expect those guys to be just as chippy,
7:52
you know, and we're going to bring that
7:53
same energy as well. So, we're going to
7:55
match it and bring it more.
7:56
And to be clear, like do you when you
7:58
say you thought there might be a fight
7:59
afterwards with that just in general or
8:01
when they brought the bell out?
8:03
No, that's just every rivalry game
8:04
you'll see like uh most of most of the
8:06
fights happen next week, but we had a
8:08
two rivalries back toback. You know,
8:09
you'll see a lot of fights next week and
8:11
that's just, you know, if you're around
8:12
college football, it's going to happen.
8:13
I mean, it's going to happen. That's not
8:15
just just a UNCC thing. It happens in
8:18
all rivalries. You know, there's going
8:19
to be a fight down in Ann Arbor. There's
8:21
going to be a fight somewhere wherever
8:22
else they're playing. You know, there's
8:24
going to be a fight somewhere.
8:26
Jeremiah.
8:26
Yeah. Jordan, um, I'm sure I see you
8:28
guys winning this one, not just for the
8:30
rivalry, but the season as a whole. You
8:32
know, 500, things like that. I guess
8:34
what for you what are some of the
8:36
initial frustrations you know not just
8:38
losing this game but just look at in
8:40
totality of you know not getting certain
8:42
statistics
8:43
uh I mean it's a lot of stuff we can
8:47
harp on a lot of stuff that we did good
8:48
a lot of stuff we did bad a lot of stuff
8:50
we could have done better and um like I
8:51
said man we're just um my biggest thing
8:53
I'm just want to beat state that's where
8:55
my mind is now you know got to put that
8:57
behind us they beat us they got the bail
8:59
cool got to move on to the next man we
9:02
can dwell on it after we uh play state,
9:04
you know, that's just that's where my
9:05
mind is now, man. That's where my mind
9:06
is.
9:07
Ryan,
9:09
when this season started, obviously all
9:10
the hype and having a coach like Bill,
9:13
would you imagine that that you guys
9:14
would be four and seven, you'd be at
9:16
this point or when you looked at this
9:18
team, did you feel like there was so
9:20
much more?
9:20
I mean, nobody thinks you're going to
9:22
come into the season four and seven, no
9:23
matter who's your coach. You have a
9:24
first year head coach that's never
9:26
played before, you don't think you're
9:26
going to go four and seven. You know,
9:27
every every time the the best thing
9:30
about the beginning of the season, it's
9:31
a fresh start for everybody. you know,
9:32
everybody's think you're going to go 12
9:33
and0, you're going to make the playoffs,
9:34
you're going to win national
9:35
championship. That's what everybody's
9:36
playing for, you know, and we were
9:37
thinking the same thing, you know, but I
9:38
mean, like I said, whole new staff,
9:40
whole new team, we just started jelling
9:43
a little later and, you know, things
9:44
happen. It is what it is, man. It is
9:45
what it is. I wouldn't trade this season
9:46
in for nothing else. I wouldn't trade
9:48
the relationships that I've uh built
9:49
with a lot of those guys, man. Like, you
9:51
really think about it like think about
9:53
like I would have never known that if we
9:55
didn't get in uh co all the Bellichs. I
9:57
would have known uh Drew. I would have
9:59
known K House, Pwatt, JR Rob, all those
10:01
West Coast guys that came in. I would
10:02
have known none of them, you know, and
10:03
um that's just God bringing people
10:05
together, man. That's just what it is to
10:06
me. So, I mean, 4 and 7, 0 and 12, 12
10:08
and0, I wouldn't trade it with none of
10:10
those guys at all.
10:12
AJ
10:13
Jordan, why do you think you guys are
10:14
four and seven? If you were to bullet
10:16
point, maybe three things. Why you guys
10:17
are four and seven?
10:20
We lost seven games. We beat ourselves
10:22
in seven games and we didn't play to our
10:24
standard in seven games. That's what it
10:25
comes down to.
10:28
threat you think in those seven losses
10:30
being ourselves like uh we had a lot of
10:32
mistakes a lot of penalties out there in
10:33
tonight's game I feel like that's
10:35
something that's uh that we can't do you
10:37
know fundamental football we can't uh
10:39
let the emotions get high a couple
10:40
unsportsmanl like conducts like I said
10:42
man it comes down to us beating
10:43
ourselves like um there's not too many
10:44
plays you could go turn on where just
10:46
somebody's just like physically out like
10:48
out physicaling us or somebody's out
10:49
coaching us or something like that you
10:51
know of course there's maybe small plays
10:52
here and there but throughout the whole
10:53
game there's not one team we played all
10:55
season I've done
10:56
Mike
10:57
Jordan, I know it wasn't the gaudiest
10:59
statline for him, but do you feel like
11:01
this was Gio's best game for you all
11:03
this season? He no turnovers, had a
11:06
touchdown, you had a two-point play to
11:07
you, had a rushing touchdown. You feel
11:10
like it was his best all-around game.
11:11
I mean, I feel like Gio's been trending
11:13
up since the beginning of the season.
11:14
So, I mean, it's no surprise he makes
11:15
these throws in practice and stuff. So,
11:17
I mean, I know I'm just happy to be able
11:18
to see him go out there and, you know,
11:19
just do it in the game and stuff like
11:21
that, man. So when I say when you say
11:23
it's his best game, I don't think it's
11:24
his best game cuz I know there's even
11:25
more that can come to that. So I mean I
11:26
feel like that's just something that's
11:28
another step for Gio to be able to build
11:29
off of and I know Gio is a really good
11:31
player and I know that um he has a lot
11:33
more in the tank and I feel like
11:35
tomorrow or not tomorrow, next week is
11:37
the last week to show that you know so I
11:38
mean like he's going to go out there and
11:40
do it.
11:40
Time for one or two tomorrow. Let's go
11:41
to Shelby and then here. Yeah, I mean
11:43
just after the weight loss, sorry, after
11:46
the weight loss, you were talking to us
11:47
just about um kind of holding the
11:50
offense accountable. We got to do
11:51
better. Obviously, much better
11:53
performance today. Just what can you
11:56
take from that? To what extent? Are you
11:57
satisfied? What more is there for you
11:59
guys on offense?
12:00
I mean, there's no satisfaction. We
12:02
lost. I mean, it's like it's not like I
12:04
mean, everybody's like, "You played a
12:05
great game. You did this good. You did
12:06
this good." I mean, obviously, it wasn't
12:07
enough cuz we went out there and lost.
12:08
So, I mean, there's no eye in team. We
12:10
lost as a team, you know. Um there's
12:12
been plenty of times where offense has
12:13
held us down. Our defensive hold held us
12:15
down. And this time we had to do that
12:16
for them. You know, they kind of got off
12:17
to a slower start. We had to go out
12:19
there and put points on the board.
12:20
That's called complimentary football.
12:21
You know, when when one side is down,
12:23
the other one's got to pick it up. When
12:24
the other side is down, the other ones
12:25
got to pick it up. That can happen to
12:26
special teams as well. You know, there's
12:27
three phases of the game. There the game
12:29
didn't fall just on the defense. It
12:31
didn't fall just on the offense. And it
12:32
didn't just fall on special teams. You
12:33
know, it's a team game. So, I mean,
12:36
yeah.
12:37
Um Jordan, you talked about kind of
12:39
penalties. I think you guys maybe played
12:42
a discipline tonight more so than you
12:44
have to see so far.
12:45
I wouldn't say undisiplined. I would
12:47
just say, you know, emotions got the
12:48
best of a couple guys. Couple even me.
12:50
You know, there was a play out there
12:51
where um the dude uh smacked Var in the
12:54
face and I was the first one over there
12:56
cuz I mean, like I said, like I've said,
12:57
Var is my brother. That's that's not
12:59
going to fly if I'm on the field. So, I
13:01
mean, even I ran over there, I could
13:02
have got a penalty and um I could have
13:04
hurt my team. So, I mean, that's just a
13:05
time where I got to go over there and
13:06
just grab my guy, get him out the way
13:08
instead of retaliating back and
13:09
defending him. You know, that's just why
13:10
I just got to grab him, be the bigger
13:12
person, take the high road, and uh just
13:13
get out the way.
13:15
Perfect. Good stuff, Jordan.
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