Q&A: Tar Heels QB Cam Sexton

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Butch Davis last week said that junior quarterback Cameron Sexton (left), 4-1 this year as UNC's starter, would remain behind center for the time being — no matter the status of T.J. Yates, who has started non-contact drills after breaking his ankle on Sept. 20.

Did that give Sexton a jolt of confidence?

"Yeah, when your coaches get behind you like that, it’s great,'' he said. "It really is. I feel great about it, and they’ve always been supportive of me, so it definitely makes it easier to go out (there), knowing you’ve got their full support."

Sexton answered more questions from reporters on the subject Monday:

Q: This was the game many thought T.J. would be back; does that make things awkward between the two of you? Do you talk about it?

A: We don’t talk about it. We really have a good relationship. He’s excited for me, and I know that because I was excited for him, and we’ve always worked together. I’m pulling for his recovery because I broke my ankle too, and I know what it’s like. We’re good friends, and we’re supportive of each other, so it hasn’t been an issue in any way.

Q: Do you feel like this is your team?

A: Yeah. I’m the quarterback, and my teammates have always been behind me. But now that we’ve had some success, and things are going well, I feel like I’m part of the offense. I’m not going to say it’s my team; it’s our team, it’s our offense. But as a quarterback, no matter what you’re age or experience, you’re the leader of that offense, and I’ve got to take care of that.

Q: Did that feeling grow after the Miami game (when he led the Tar Heels to a fourth-quarter comeback), or Connecticut or Notre Dame?

A: Once I got comfortable and somewhat established myself and got back into it, I feel like you just take on that responsibility. Now you're not so worried about how you're going to play, you just know that I have other responsibilities as the leader of this offense to make sure we're all ready to play.

Q: What's it like for you to have this opportunity, to be quarterbacking a 6-2 team?

A: I came here to win, and it hadn’t happened, and close to four years later, some of these dreams are starting to be realized, and some of the hard work is starting to pay off. This is something that I always envisioned myself being a part of here. And now that we’ve come to that point, it’s nice.

— Robbi Pickeral