Southern Miss did not have a talent like Giovani Bernard -- even if he is “vertically challenged.”
New North Carolina coach Larry Fedora talked to (or, rather, entertained) media members Monday on his new team, his new rules and his inherited players. Bernard, the Tar Heels standout running back, apparently receives his fair share of punchlines from his new coach, mainly aimed at his 5-foot-10 frame.
“I give him a hard time about that all the time,” Fedora said. “He takes it with a grain of salt.”
Bernard torched defenses last year, finishing third in the league in rushing with 1,253 yards as a redshirt freshman. His 13 rushing touchdowns ranked second in the conference behind Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington.
Fedora’s top rusher last season at Southern Miss was Jamal Woodyard, who rushed for just 783 yards in a pass-heavy offense -- something the coach will have to figure out now with Bernard, whose talent demands touches on the ball. That much was made obvious in the first spring practice.
“The first two days of spring you’re in shorts. So I don’t put a whole lot of stock in what we do in shorts,” Fedora said. "But there was one guy while we were in shorts, it didn’t take but about half a day to figure out he was special."
