BY BRIANA GORMAN

bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina defensive tackle Cam Thomas is a self-proclaimed Southern boy who likes to eat greasy food.

But when UNC’s defensive line committed to getting in shape during the offseason so it could be more physical during games, Thomas had to give up some of the food he loves.

The senior and his D-line teammates spent the summer running, drinking more water and eating salads.

Not on the list of approved food?

“Anything that’s fried,” Thomas said.

The results after the offseason not only have produced a slimmer and fitter defensive line —Thomas lost 15 pounds — but have increased the expectations for the unit. The Tar Heels return all four starters from 2008 and four reserves who have seen significant playing time.

“There’s a lot of expectations from those guys, and I’ve always been a somewhat firm believer that the personality of your football team is somewhat reflective of your defensive front four,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “They have a chance to really kind of carry the message for the whole defense.”

And the message senior defensive end E.J. Wilson wants to deliver is physical. Wilson said the Tar Heels haven’t played as physical as they’re capable the past few years, but this year he wants opposing coaches to leave a game saying the Tar Heels’ had the most physical defense they’ve faced.

“We want to be a nasty, smash-mouth, physical defense,” Wilson said. “We want to be the most physical defense in the country, in the ACC. We want to go out there and hit them before they hit us.”

Wilson, who is 6-2, 280, said he lost about four percent body fat over the summer and added that he feels stronger. Thomas, who stands at 6-3, said he feels lighter and quicker since his weight is down to 320 pounds.

“You can really tell everybody’s in a lot better shape,” Wilson said. “We’re running all day in practice. Like a couple days where it was really hot, we didn’t really feel the heat, and we didn’t really feel tired.”

The depth of UNC’s defensive line, which was seventh in the ACC a year ago while giving up 139.4 rushing yards a game, also has helped raise expectations. The Tar Heels used as many as nine defensive linemen per game and probably will use just as many this season.

Highly touted freshmen Jared McAdoo, a Chapel Hill High graduate, and Donte Paige-Moss also could make an impact.

“You know you can go out there and give it your all and if you get tired, somebody else can come in and there’s going to be no dropoff,” Wilson said. “It’s going to be the same level of play no matter who’s in the game.”

And with all the hype surrounding the veteran defensive line, the players said they’re not feeling any pressure. Wilson said the D-line already has set their own high standards, and Thomas said they know what’s at stake.

“You shouldn’t put pressure [on yourself] because if you put pressure on yourself, sooner or later that pressure busts,” Thomas said. “We know what’s at stake; we know what we’ve got to do.”