CHAPEL HILL — As if Thursday night wasn't bad enough for T.J. Yates — he finished with only 64 passing yards, tossing an interception en route to blowing an 18-point lead in a loss to Florida State — the North Carolina quarterback says he had a fan throw something at him as he left the field.

Either a pin or a coin pinged off his helmet, Yates said today, but he's trying not to let the criticism get to him.

"Walking off the field, people are yelling at you and everything, so it's kind of hard not to hear it," Yates said. "... It's hard not to hear about all that stuff. I try to do my best to just try to block it out, because it doesn't really matter."

The junior has completed 108 of 183 passes this season, with eight interceptions and seven touchdowns. The Tar Heels (4-3, 0-3 ACC) must win three of their last five games to qualify for a bowl; they play at Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) on Thursday night.

BRIEFLY: Tight end Zack Pianalto, who sustained a head injury against the Seminoles, practiced Sunday, coach Butch Davis said.

Freshman Bryn Renner's considered North Carolina's quarterback of the future. Whether that future will be sooner than later, UNC coach Butch Davis doesn't know, he said Wednesday.

Davis said junior T.J. Yates is still the starter, but didn't rule out the possibility of using Renner, who is considered one of the best quarterback prospects nationally in his class.

Staff photo by Robert Willett 

Photo gallery: UNC 31, ECU 17

First Look: See 241 raw images from the game

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina was waiting for its young receivers to emerge. Turns out all the Tar Heels needed was a visit from East Carolina.

No. 24 UNC beat ECU 31-17 on a breakout game from freshman receiver Erik Highsmith, who caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

CHAPEL HILL — Maybe it was the nine-month layoff or maybe North Carolina was mesmerized by the familiarity of The Citadel's uniforms, either way it took one quarter for the Tar Heels to find their bearings in Saturday's season-opener at Kenan Stadium.

The 21st-ranked Tar Heels made up for a sluggish start with an assertive finish in a 40-6 win over the lower Division I Bulldogs.

T.J. Yates braced for the inevitable after he injured his thumb playing Ultimate Frisbee.

The UNC quarterback knew his teammates would not let that one slide without cracking some jokes at his expense.

"That's their job," Yates said.

UNC quarterback T.J. Yates made it through spring practice unscathed but not an impromptu game of Ultimate Frisbee.

Yates sprained his right thumb playing Ultimate Frisbee during an end-of-spring team activity session on Wednesday in Chapel Hill, a UNC spokesman said Friday.

CHAPEL HILL — Twelve different players, including four new receivers, caught a pass in North Carolina's spring scrimmage on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

The way quarterback T.J. Yates sees it, that's what it will take for the Tar Heels to replace Hakeem Nicks, UNC's career leader in receptions and touchdowns who bypassed his senior season for the NFL.

Citing T.J. Yates' experience as a starter and a sense that he's making progress, UNC football coach Butch Davis says that the sophomore quarterback, and not Cameron Sexton, will start again when the Tar Heels face Duke at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.

Yates, who returned to the lineup after missing six weeks because of a broken ankle, struggled with his mechanics in a 41-10 home loss last weekend to N.C. State. But after two days of practice, a chance to study the game film and consult with his staff, Davis decided Yates is ready. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound passer completed 10 of 22 passes for 116 yards and no touchdowns against State, threw an interception and was sacked three times, still looking a little gimpy.

Sexton, a 6-1 junior, replaced Yates after three quarters and was 4-of-6 for 31 yards and two interceptions.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina football coach Butch Davis said Monday that no decision has been made between T.J. Yates and Cam Sexton about the starting quarterback job Saturday at Duke.

“We’re going to play the guy who will give us the best chance to win,” Davis said at his weekly media conference. “We’re going to watch both of them in practice and get them both prepared.”

CHAPEL HILL — Quarterbacks Cameron Sexton and T.J. Yates — who are competing to start Saturday vs. N.C. State — split practice snaps 50-50 Tuesday, coach Butch Davis said, and "both of them did good."

"They threw the ball well, they had good huddle presence and we didn't miss a beat regardless of which kid was in the huddle,'' he said.