Three Key Factors That Will Decide Tar Heels vs UCF

Compilation of quotes that preview Carolina's matchup with UCF:

Bill Belichick's opening statement during his presser on Tuesday

• “First of all, I’d just like to open this up by passing along our thoughts and prayers for UCF offensive line coach, Shawn Clark. … Our thoughts to Coach (Scott) Frost and his staff and team there. To get started on UCF, this is kind of an interesting game. They played a couple games. They’ve had a bye week. They have a lot of transfers, which, if anybody can relate to that, we can. Their coaches are all from different kinds of spots.

• “They have a lot of talented players. They’re very well coached. (UCF head coach) Scott (Frost) and I go back. I can’t believe it’s been over 30 years since we were together with the Jets. He was drafted, he played quarterback at Nebraska, and we drafted them as a defensive back. A safety for me, and really smart guy, tough, big kid for a quarterback, big safety too.

• And really had a great aptitude for the game, both offensively and defensively and playing the kicking game as well. So he has a lot of experience as a player and certainly as a coach, both at UCF and Nebraska. So a ton of respect for Scott and the program that he runs and the people they have down there.”

Belichick on what he remembers about UCF head coach Scott Frost coaching against someone who played for him ...

• Right. Well, I mean, I've coached against a few people that I've had before. So, but, yeah, Scott, again, when we drafted Scott, he was in the third round. Again, he was a college quarterback and made the conversion to safety. So, you know, he had a lot to learn, obviously, but he picked it up very quickly.

• He also played in a kicking game. And so picked that up and, you know, he had a very good feel for defensively, you know, what the offense did, you know, what the quarterback was looking at and kind of what the quarterback read and things like that. 

• So, you know, for those players that have flipped from one side of the ball to the other, having that experience, especially as a quarterback, defensive back, kind of playing quarterback, you know, is a big advantage. So, I know Scott was a, you know, hardworking guy.

• He was smart. And, again, was very versatile as a football player to be able to play in all three phases of the game. You don't see that very often these days where, you know, guys can, you know, generally line up in all three positions.

OL Daniel King On Playing at the Power Conference Stage

• "I don't know if I can really speak for everybody else, but I know for me, I definitely came in with an edge. I wanted to prove something in my career coming from a smaller school. I knew that I wanted to show the coach that I could compete at this level and be a good player for this team.