CHAPEL HILL — UNC cornerback Kendric Burney nabbed his first interception of the season in the win at Rutgers last Thursday. But it was his bone-jarring hit on a Scarlet Knights receiver in the first quarter that still excites him the most.
“You dream of that when you start playing pop warner or rec league,’’ said the 5 feet 9 former baseball player from Jacksonville. “You see the pros do it all the time, and when you get an opportunity to get that hit, it’s something special.”
The first-quarter pop seemed to make his teammates increase their aggressiveness. “We started playing, started blitzing, and we started being focused,’’ he said.
And it also showed Burney’s defensive improvement from one game to the next.
“The same play I got the big hit on was the same play I got beat on against McNeese State where I jumped early and the kid got around me,’’ he said. “But this game, I sat back more and saw the guy coming. I definitely jumped the cheese against McNeese State, but I got a different kind of cheese when I waiting back a little more [against Rutgers].”
So as thrilled as he was about his second quarter pick, he said the hit was more memorable. And he wouldn't mind getting another — of both — against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
“With me, I’ll take that hit, because once I got that interception, I was tired after that,’’ he said, laughing. “… But the biggest thing, it got the fans and players focused and into the game.”
Robbi Pickeral has covered ACC sports for The News & Observer since 2003. She can be reached at 
Comments
keep up the good work
Mon, 09/15/2008 - 19:01 — UNCAlumnusUNC's defense must be up to a different task this Saturday. VT's qb has wheels, and he uses them. If the secondary does it's job Taylor will take off. The other 7 guys must make sure he gets nowhere. I think they can do it. That's right...UNCAlumnus predicts a UNC victory.