For the second straight game, both losses, Butch Davis said his team did not play smart.
For Davis' part, he took the blame for the Tar Heels' mental errors in Saturday's 19-17 loss to Pittsburgh but apologies don't win games and at some point, and sooner than later with a $2 million price tag involved, those mistakes need to be corrected, not just acknowledged.
UNC repeated some of the same mistakes from the inexcusable 28-27 loss at N.C. State on Nov. 28. Mindless penalties which cost UNC points? Check. Turnovers at the goal line which cost UNC points? Check.
Davis disagreed that they were the same mistakes from the State loss, pointing out that they didn't kick the ball out of bounds against State, or jump offsides on a field-goal attempt, but he was splitting hairs.
"They're not the same mistakes," Davis said. "If it was the same mistakes, you'd really be disappointed. We've to got to learn to play smarter and more efficient."
When you're a team with no margin of error on offense, you can't afford 19 penalties in two games. The Heels' defense, as good as it was for stretches this season, can only do so much, which was never more evident than on Pitt's final drive.
Davis tried to spin the bowl loss as Pitt being the better team, which I doubt he even believed, but it sounded better than acknowledging for the third time this season (Florida State and N.C. State) UNC lost a game it should have won.
Even with all the injuries and personnel problems on offense, UNC was unbelievably close to 11-2. Instead, their coach had to apologize for being "not as smart as we needed to" and 8-5.
• Greg Little (SirGregory8) gave Cincinnati receiver and prolific tweeter Chad Ochocinco a shout-out on Twitter on Saturday: "Ocho tune in to espn ...Somebody will kiss the baby today."
Little celebrated his first touchdown, a spectacular 15-yard catch in the first quarter, by punting the ball into the stands (no word if that's slang for "kissing the baby" or not).
"I didn't plan it," Little insisted after the game after confirming what he wrote on Twitter. "It just happened."
Little was penalized 15 yards for the "impromptu" celebration and also got lit up by Davis on the sidelines.
• Given the loyalty Davis and offensive coordinator John Shoop have shown to quarterback T.J. Yates — choosing him over Cam Sexton in 2007 and again at the end of 2008 — it's hardly a certainty that his 31st career start was his last but you have to figure that freshman Bryn Renner will be given every opportunity to win the starting job in 2010.
Yates plateaued, at best, and regressed, at worst, in his third season as UNC's starting quarterback. With his experience, there's no reason he should have even attempted the pass that was intercepted in the second quarter at the goal line.
And it's not just the random bad decisions (not that Shoop is absolved for calling a pass after running back Ryan Houston ran 10 times on the 12-play drive). Yates throws a fastball on nearly every pass attempt. For a guy with such good touch on his deep throws, he has no "off" switch on shorter or intermediate routes.
He threw a great ball, with a ton of mustard, to Little for a third-quarter touchdown. A post route between the corner and safety is when you are supposed to load the gun and sling it.
On second-and-goal on the same series as the interception in the second quarter, Yates threw a heater to the left corner of the back of the end zone that would have been too high for Yao Ming. He has got to lead Little on that throw with some air, not zip it as hard as he can.
Those are decisions that a third-year starter should be making in their sleep and ultimately that could be what costs him his starting job as a senior.
The book on Renner is that he's more athletic, and by all accounts, has been strong in practice (he won the team's award for best practice player). In normal circumstances, you would give a would-be senior with 31 starts the edge in decision-making but Yates' play Saturday suggests otherwise.
staff photo by Robert Willett
Comments
They could have finish Last
Wed, 12/30/2009 - 02:11 — jeromfitzand stay home for the bowl games but they did their best to their abilities to make it to an out your backdoor bowl game. I guess they don't want to leave North Carolina for Bowl games. Had they finished 11-2 they would made a BCS Bowl like the Orange Bowl. The schedule they have got all the hosting bowl cities. It head or tails for bowl decisions....They just need be more discipline next year and remain focus. To Greg Little in stead of "kissing the baby" you decide to "kick the baby bottoms". shame on your moves to impress. To the line...!!!
I hate Little
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 13:30 — willncsuHe is such a thug.
Nah
Tue, 12/29/2009 - 01:53 — Heels20He runs his mouth a lot on the field and plays with a lot of emotion, but he's a good person. Off the field, he's a humble guy that represents his university in a positive way. He's not the smartest guy in the world, but he's definitely not a thug.
what?
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 18:08 — gvillegatrwhat has he done other than kick the ball out of the endzone in his last game as a Tar Heel??
do thugs normally take a demotion and turn it into a positive? from starting RB to lets try WR to actually being successful at it.
nope.
Not a very good punter
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 18:30 — unc098Not a very good punter though. He kinda shanked it off the right side of his foot. A kid? yes! thug? No !
HA!
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 21:35 — gvillegatrit was a terrible punt!
Little=Thug
Tue, 12/29/2009 - 16:58 — willncsuJust search "Greg Little Thug UNC" on youtube and you will find plenty of evidence.
Oh I'm sorry
Wed, 12/30/2009 - 01:28 — Heels20I forgot how classy the Wolfpackers are. I'm sure Jarvis Byrd wished him the best of luck before the play. I'm also positive that Greg was completely aware that Jarvis had just suffered a torn ACL. You're disappoiting me man. You occassionally show flashes of common sense on these blogs, but then you throw out comments that can either be completely disproved by statistics, or comments that make your lack of awareness nothing short of laughable.
So sorry...
Wed, 12/30/2009 - 15:19 — willncsu...to dissapoint someone I dont know on the internet with my opinion based on observations. How will I sleep at night!
you know
Tue, 12/29/2009 - 22:13 — gvillegatrjust b/c some yahoo from cow college posts it on youtube, it doesn't make it true.
contract extension
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 20:06 — hdog007Please give BD a contract extension! He is awesome!
If the way they dealt with
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 19:07 — unc098If the way they dealt with Sexton at the end of last season is any indication Tj is out of there and I agree that the dude is regressing. He should have been a stalwart this year and instead became a liability with bad decisions in critical down situations. You can't blame it all on him but Butch and Co. need to come up with something better. Renner certainly will bring the heat this spring and if AJ recovers from his injuries should provide an mobile athletic alternative as backup. TJ probably third string. This team battled through some real adversity this season and at times played great. If they ever put together a good offensive and defensive effort in the same game ......
Davis said it best when he
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 18:14 — tjfooseDavis said it best when he noted: "I don't think we played as smart as we needed to ... and that's my fault"
Yep, exactly. As I've commented repeatedly over the last few years, Davis' game day coaching is good for 2-3 loses a year.
I don't know
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 20:29 — Heels20I wouldn't necessarily count the Pitt loss as a result of poor gameday coaching. We lost the game because of dumb penalties and mediocre-at-best quarterbacking. The State game was a different story (we went conservative way too early, failed to utilize the deep ball in the second half). I feel like our team was well-prepared for Pitt, as we only gave up 19 points to a great offense.
UVA, NCSU and FSU were all blown because of gameday coaching, but not Pitt. Our biggest issue right now is that we have a tremendous amount of talent that is not indicated by the record because our 3-year starter at quarterback hasn't improved since Day 1. I discussed it with my dad (a huge State fan) a few times this season, and he summed it up pretty well when he said that the Heels could very well be in the Orange Bowl if you put Russell Wilson in a Carolina blue jersey.
This all isn't to say that there was an excuse to lose this game. We were given multiple gifts, including Lewis' fumble into the endzone, the missed field goal and the Pitt DB leaping just short of snagging a pick-6. However, when you look back at Barth's kickoff out of bounds, the offsides penalty on the field goal and most specifically Yates' interception on the 1-yardline, it's frustrating to recognize all the mistakes that contributed to this loss. Hopefully for our sake, some of our defensive guys stick around for their senior year. It would also be nice to see either the mental maturation of Yates and/or the maximization of potential from Renner.
thats fine and I can accpet that ...
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 18:23 — gvillegatrbut what does that say about ncsu football and TOB? b/c you are implying (as most ncsu fans do) that TOB is a smart gameday coach, yet he has yet to have a winning season?
makes you wonder, huh!?
... but let's check via
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 20:15 — tjfoose... but let's check via comparing apples to apples. Using the ACC conference records as measuring criteria...
ACC Conference Records:
2007: UNC 3-5, NCSU 3-5. NC State 31, UNC 27. First conference tie breaker is head to head... NC State finishes ahead of UNC
2008: UNC 4-4, NCSU 4-4. NC State 41, UNC 10. NC State finishes ahead of UNC.
2009: UNC 4-4, NCSU 2-6. NC State 28, UNC 27. UNC finishes ahead of NC State by 2 games.
That's not much separation for UNC from what has been one of the worst performing teams in the conference the last 4 years, especially when considering the huge 'on paper' talent disparity.
Most objective observers would equate that to coaching.
2008
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 20:42 — Heels20I think UNC actually finished ahead of the Pack that year because State got the 10th bowl bid...not that it really makes a difference.
Your statistics support a good point, but you also have to pay attention to margin of defeat. In 2007, 6 of the 8 Tar Heel losses were lost by 7 points or less. The same year, State had 6 losses of AT LEAST 17 points. In 2008, we lost 4 games by a combined 9 points. That same year, the Pack lost 4 games by AT LEAST 9 points, including a 34 point loss to a half-decent South Carolina team. This season, we lost 3 games by a combined 6 points. State lost 4 games by AT LEAST 20 points.
These statistics show that while the win-loss total hasn't been all that different, the Heels are at least much more competitive in their losses. Whether this is an indication that we are much closer to contending for a conference title than the Pack, you'll have to draw your own conclusion. That being said, a loss is a loss. A 30-point loss is no more significant than a 1-point loss when it comes to tiebreakers and how records at the end of the season match up. The bottom line is we need to step up and win more of these close games. Whether these close losses are attributed to poor gameday coaching or all-around poor gameplanning, Butch has had 3 years to figure it out and I expect better results if these talented guys stick around for their senior years.
"I think UNC actually
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 21:37 — tjfoose"I think UNC actually finished ahead of the Pack that year because State got the 10th bowl bid...not that it really makes a difference. "
State finished 6-6 overall, that is why State did not get one of the ACC's designated bowl spots. It was not because of where they finished in the ACC.
Also, UNC was the more attractive team with a more attractive overall record, but those are different than final standing in the ACC.
Margin of defeat/victory is not calculated in conference standings, neither is overall competitiveness in losses. The criteria I used in comparing the teams was an 'apples to apples' comparision. Confernce record, and conference record only.
However, I do agree that in most aspects, UNC currently has a better program, a better team, and better athletes. But that goes to support my point, not detract from it.
Butch has improved Carolina's recruiting and national image, but not much else. A quality QB and OLine depth should help to rectify that, and from one perspective, compensate for Davis' game day coaching.
But still, in his last 2 years, there have been ridiculous losses and near defeats to teams that should not have been able to compete. I give a pass his first year, as he finished 4-8 w/ a team w/ little to no expectations.
If he stays, Davis will eventually get you to 10 win seasons. But unless he brings in talent like he had at Miami (and that ain't happening), he will always find a way to lose one or two games against inferior competition.
He needs to have dominating talent to win consistently; Davis has never been known as someone who wins by 'outcoaching' his opponents on game day. The history speaks for itself.
In a way, I'm with you. As a 'national' school paying top dollar, you all deserve more. Everything is in place. The results are what is missing.
I agree for the most part
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 21:54 — Heels20It's clear that we have lost some (or many) games that we should have won. At the same time, we found ways to win some (VT and Miami this year) that we shouldn't have won. This was done by managing the games in ways that we minimized the involvement of our weakenesses (TJ) and won with our strong points (defense).
As you said, a deeper O-line and a better QB will fix the bigger problems and help us reach 10 or 11-win seasons. Once we reach that point, we can look at fixing the smaller things.
Yep, we agree. Although I
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 23:08 — tjfooseYep, we agree. Although I tend to think, based on talent, the Va Tech and Miami game performances should be the norm, not the exception. The team started playing better when injuries FORCED Davis to make moves he should have made by choice in preseason.
I actually want UNC to get better and have Davis live up to expectations, to a point anyway. A good and nationally relevant Carolina football team is good for the conference, and good for NC State.
Right now, FBS football in NC is about as relevant on the national stage as it is in New Mexico.
I don't recall making any
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 20:01 — tjfooseI don't recall making any such comment about TOB. Um, let me reread my previous comment.... Hmmm.... yep, I was right. NC State, TOB... nothing about NC State was mentioned or even vaguely referenced.
Actually, when all areas of coaching are considered, I think it's a fair conclusion to say Davis is a better coach than TOB, at least at this point in both of their careers. However, post his Miami days, Davis has done nothing to impress (other than recruiting class rankings that Heels fans like to tout). So far, he's maxed out at mediocre, so he might want to step up his game sometime soon.
But since you brought it up, as a performance to talent ratio, I do think TOB gets more out of his players. All those recruiting class rankings referenced above would seem to back that up. On this year's game day roster, NC State might've had maybe 5 players, ...maybe, who could've started for Carolina.
Russell Wilson (UNC probably could've had him, but never offered him a scholarship) and Toney Baker definitely, probably Mattes and Vermiglio, and maybe Spencer... but after that, I'm not sure anyone on State's roster could've cracked the starting lineup for UNC.
TOB and NC State obviously have their own problems. Thankfully though, for what little consolation joy it was worth, Davis once again magnified his game day issues while NC State was on the other side of the field.
On paper, and on the field, UNC was obviously the much better team this year on almost every Saturday. Almost. But as long as Davis is on the other sideline, NC State will always have a chance to win.
an implication
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 09:34 — gvillegatrdoesn't mean you actually put it on paper so to speak.
if UNC and BD can win 8 games a year and leave a couple on the table b/c BD isn't a game day coach, what does that say about TOB and his 4-6 wins every year when you and others have claimed he is a game day coach?
heres a lay-up question.
you say TOB gets more out of his players than does BD. then why hasn't TOB won more than 6 games yet in one season??? does he recruit the high schools or the vocational schools??? the talent discrepency isn't that far off.
Simple answer
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 11:41 — JPDOhioDefense.
You can win games with a great defense and lousy offense. UNC proved that several times this year. State's defense never recovered from Nate Irving's loss and the decimation of the secondary by injury and transfer.
When the majority of your defense is untested freshmen and sophmores, you are going to get burned, early and often. One can only hope that the lessons of this past year will lead to growth, maturity and solid play in upcoming seasons.
Heels and Smart in the same sentence
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 17:21 — omegamanCome on! You got to be kidding! That's like saying NCSU has a basketball team!
i've tried ...
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 15:29 — gvillegatrto defend TJ Yates but I cannot anymore. He probably ranks up there with the AD at ncsu as far as "people you'd like to see leave your school." I know how that sounds (awful and terrible at the same time) but it is true. The guy has regressed every year.
T.J.Y.
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 13:16 — melvinfurdTrue dat.