Andrew Simpson Shares More About UNC's Defense, Penalties Facing Duke

Linebacker Andrew Simpson stepped up to the podium and spoke to the media after North Carolina lost its final home game of the season to Duke 32-25. The Tar Heels hurt themselves multiple times during the contest with penalties, and a fake field goal by the Blue Devils was the difference maker.

To Watch, Check Out the Video Below:

On Penalties Throughout the Game

“When you get nine penalties, you know, it's shooting yourself in the foot. It's hard to play good defense when you're just penalizing yourself after a good play, or even a bad one. And so it's just not us, and we definitely need to get better at that.”

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Anderson Castle (4) is tackles on a run during the second half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

On the Issues of Letting Up Yardage on Big Downs

“Just got to be better on the big downs. We get them first, second down, we play well. Third, fourth down, we got to play better going forward. It's never good giving up that many yards or big plays when we need it the most. And they just won the moments. I guess I could say they just won the bigger moments than we did.”

On Duke's Fake Field Goal

“Yeah, fourth and one. We were just fourth and three. I think it was. We were trying our best to go get a block. Be aggressive. Their kicker, I think he missed one earlier. So, I mean, just not a good play by us. You know, we got to be better. We got to be more aware of the situation, I guess, and go get them down. It was a good play by them.”

On Not Letting the Loss Linger, Playing NC State

“I mean, we got the next 24 hours to watch it. You know, fix what we what we did bad in and hopefully just do more of the good, and then get ready for (NC) State. It's a big game. We got to finish strong. We got a good group."

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against Duke Blue Devils at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

"I mean, I'm proud of our guys for playing hard, but we just got to play a little harder. And then hopefully next week, we come out with the victory and finish season strong.”

On the Emotions Following the Loss

“Not good. We lost. And wanted to win this game. We wanted to be bowl eligible. We worked really hard all week. We practiced hard. We feel like we had a good game plan going in, but you know, just the chips didn’t fall for us.”

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) scrambles away from Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Josiah Green (4) during the second half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

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