It sounds like there will be more Thursday night home football games in Chapel Hill if North Carolina coach Butch Davis has anything to say about it.
The Tar Heels played their first Thursday night home game last week. For years, campus leaders had resisted playing at home on Thursday nights.
Logistical problems such as traffic with UNC Hospital adjacent to the stadium and jamming the campus with people on a school night caused campus leaders to veto Thursday night home games in the past.
But since Davis was hired, he has lobbied for the chance to play at home on a Thursday night. He often says Thursday night games provide a great opportunity to showcase a football program and a campus in front of a large audience on ESPN.
Last week's game took place while students were on break, so students didn't miss classes and traffic problems were reduced. Davis said logistically the event went very well thanks to cooperation between campus, city and hospital officials.
"The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from just about everybody associated with it, except for the outcome of the game," Davis said Wednesday during the ACC coaches' teleconference.
North Carolina lost 30-27 to Florida State. But Davis said the school took a "very positive step forward" toward being able to add Thursday night home games in the future.
Comments
THANK you FOR the EYE chart
Thu, 10/29/2009 - 09:14 — SoPinesHeelTHANK you FOR the EYE chart UNC1DMO. I THINK you PUT the emPHASIS on THE wrong SYlable...
As Johnny MAC says it best
Thu, 10/29/2009 - 01:23 — unc1dmo"YOU Can't BE SERIOUS........ DAVIS better dammmm well figure out how to RECRUIT and then Coach up an OFFENSE......This years QB and Offense are an inept TRAIN WRECK.....
Outside of GA TECH....the rest of the ACC is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT....who XXXXXXX Cares?
ABOUT DUKE
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 20:45 — foreverdukeDUKE IS NOT THE SAME OLD DUKE! THEY HAVE PROVED IT ALREADY. THEY HAVE A GOOD COACH NOW AND THIS TEAM IS MOTIVATED. I LOOK TO SEE A BETTER ENDING FOR THIS SEASON. GO DUKE!
yes
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 21:17 — gvillegatrb/c DUIke has beaten the two worse teams in the ACC ... ncsu and Maryland. they are much improved. lets see em beat a better team.
Huh?
Thu, 10/29/2009 - 14:23 — SurferBut, but Paw? State has th best program in the State of NC? and they beat the best team in Maryland (in the ACC), so Duke must be good... every squirrel finds a nut now and then.
Serioulsly, though. I thought Duke must have improved somewhat when they played VT so close.
Why are people still talking
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 15:54 — GoHeels1984Why are people still talking about the UNC FSU game? The Heels had the game won, should have won, but let things slip up and lost in the end. It was a hard fought loss but should have been a "W." Oh well. UNC has many positives to look forward the rest of this season and the coming years. The Defense is very good and will continue to get better. THE OLine is being solidified with many outstanding players including a couple of 4 star recruits and one 5 star recruit coming in. Good receivers are being recruited as well. Things will continue to progress. The only game UNC looked really bad all the way around was the Georgia Tech game. The FSU and UVa games were winnable and should have been won by the Heels. Dook is still Dook and will prove to be that way in the end. State is just a mystery. I thought they had all the ingredients this year? Getting whipped badly every game is a disgrace for that program. It is good to be a Heel! You will see!
Forced Vacation
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 14:42 — bobo_JDOh boy! More Thursday night home games means that employees will be forced to take more vacation time.
I overheard a couple of UNC employees...
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 18:39 — UNC1998at the FSU game saying it was no big deal because they usually leave at 3 anyway. I'm not saying this is typical, but I am saying it's not the end of the employment world for this to be asked. To say this game was bad for UNC (outside of the game's result) is to be blind to the facts.
The Legend of Butch Davis
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 14:11 — AgentPierceThe Legend of Butch Davis far exceeds the reality. His GREAT RECRUITING EXPERTISE at Miami was quite exaggerated. His "rapid departure" from Miami was much more controversial than Mack Brown's from UNC. "His super bowl rings" were courtesy of Jimmy Johnson.
I'm fine with those who want to continue making excuses for him by blaming XYZ player and/or other extraneous factors. Whatever .......
And .... yes. I would prefer Paul Johnson's success to Butch Davis' excuses for lack of.
Bottom line
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:38 — SurferAt the end of the day (night) , even though it was a loss, the FSU thursday night game was a good showing for the University and the FB program. Any recruit leaning our way saw enough to make them want to come even more so. Had it been a complete blow out (either way) and low turn out, it would not have held the same emotions.
Leadership
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:12 — heelsno1I do not think it is accurate or necessarily fair to say that Coach Davis "demanded" a Thursday night game. He lobbied for it, and I agree with his premise that this venue provides excellent visibility for a program that is trying to re-assert itself. Of course winning more consistently would provide more visibility, but until the Heels do win consistently, the program still needs exposure.
On the matter of winning, Butch Davis cannot suit up and play the game. Virtually single-handedly, T.J. Yates doomed the Tar Heels chances to win against FSU. With UNC controlling a comfortable lead and driving again into scoring range midway through the 3rd quarter, your QB should be savvy enough not to risk a deep throw into double coverage that results in an unnecessary and unforced turnover. While there were other costly mistakes, this particular one by Yates was devastating! Nor did Butch Davis slip down and allow a FSU receiver to go 98-yards for a TD breaking an all-time record in Chapel Hill. By the way, this FSU scoring bomb occurred immediately after Yates’s bad decision and interception.
I hate to do it
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:14 — gvillegatrbut the FSU game can be blamed on Chalres Brown. That stings saying it b/c of how well he has played all year but he fell down on the 98 yarder and blew coverage on the go ahead TD for FSU.
Yates did make a horrid throw, but they should have been running the football all 2nd half. not to say they didn't run it alot anyways in the 2nd half ... it just should have been 100% of the time is all.
I know this is a beaten horse..
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 18:43 — UNC1998but what about Shoop? The offense was running the ball at will both inside and out. Why stop? Perhaps is simple, but if it's working-keep doing it until it stops working. Shoop called some silly plays in the 4th quarter. I think to the punt which everyone calls dumb in restrspect. UNC ran on first down, and had 2nd and 5. What now? 2 incomplete passes and a punt. My oh my!
I'll support this team all the way. They players play, and are not perfect. The coaches coach and will make mistakes. When mistakes accumulate into a drawback, pause is taken.
I agree
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 21:13 — gvillegatrShoop is to blame, too. I've b*thced about the two passes prior to the punt as well.
It was a lot of things last thursday night. we'll call it the gumbo 2nd half!
The Bomb that should never have exploded..
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:40 — heelsno1Without Yates costly interception...the 98-yard TD by FSU may have never happened. I agree that the Heels got away from rushing the football with misdirection and trick plays that worked so well in the first half. Also, the defense seemed to abandon any stunting or blitzing tactics. When the opposing QB is in the process of completing 80% of his passess, you have to create some pressure defensively.
Oh well, it would have and probably should have been a nice home victory for UNC. To the contrary, it looked like a familiar script.
Just start winning, Butch ......
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 12:35 — AgentPierceYo Butch ..... why don't you just concentrate on winning a few games against real teams. THAT will bring "your program" some attention.
Paul Johnson seems to be winning A LOT without all the cr*p you keep DEMANDING.
Paul Johnson
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 13:11 — gvillegatrruns an entirely different offense. No one would know who he was if he ran a pro style or a spread. Do you want UNC to run the veer or option?? No matter what GT and PJ does, I do not. I'd like to see some of the UNC guys go on to have successful careers in the NFL ...
say what you will. this team (UNC's) would be fine (not a power house, mind you) if the o-line was a "normal" healthy.
PJ
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 19:33 — noneyabusinessI am pretty sure that people know who Paul Johnson is simply because he wins.