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SOUTH BEND – Kendric Burney can walk across the hall, knock on Deunta Williams’ door and ask a question. Or he can help out Johnny White if he’s got one.
Five North Carolina secondary players live in a house in Chapel Hill, the house and the position group nicknamed “Rude Boyz,” a moniker started in the 1990s.
Living together has allowed the UNC secondary to become closer. In turn, it also made them less than hospitable for opponents.
“It’s a tradition that’s been carried along,” said Burney, a sophomore cornerback. “It ain’t always in the same house, but it’s part of the secondary.”
Dealing with Burney and Williams and Trimane Goddard and the rest of North Carolina’s “Rude Boyz” will be Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen’s problem this week as the Irish try to defeat the No. 22 Tar Heels in North Carolina.
North Carolina leads the nation with 12 interceptions, including a team-high four from Goddard. Eight different North Carolina players have interceptions, including four members of the defensive backfield.
It hasn’t always been this way at UNC. Consider last year, when the Heels had 11 interceptions. Less than halfway through, they’ve passed that mark.
The confidence began to show in the second game of the season against Rutgers. North Carolina throttled the Scarlet Knights 44-12 and intercepted four passes.
“(We) played pretty good as a whole unit,” Goddard said. “That’s when I felt we could do really great things.”
Goddard admits Clausen will be the toughest quarterback North Carolina has faced thus far. The past two games, Clausen has been especially sharp, not throwing an interception.
“What he’s going to need to do this week is he’s going to have to be patient,” Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. “And that’s a little different. I’m not sure what percentage North Carolina will blitz in this game. But for the year it’s been a lot lower than most the teams we play against because they believe that their front four can get to the quarterback and pressure the quarterback.
“And that allows them to just play coverage with everyone else.”
The key for Notre Dame is which Clausen shows up.
If it is the one from the first three games, where he threw a combined six interceptions, the Irish could be in trouble. If the one from the past two games appears, the one who has six touchdowns and no interceptions for 622 yards, he could be the first quarterback this year to solve Carolina’s coverage.
“Their front four is pretty good, and they get a lot of pressure up front and makes it hard on a quarterback,” Clausen said. “They have seven guys dropping into coverage so there are tight windows, small windows.”
Either way, one thing is certain. Carolina’s cornerbacks and safeties will be waiting. And they are confident they can do it again.
“You have to know you can go out there and get a pick,” Burney said. “Having the confidence to do something.
“We’ve been communicating a lot this year, and it’s worked out for us.”
mrothstein@jg.net
