No question: Yates starter at UNC

From J.P. GIGLIO at The News Observer.

North Carolina’s football team has more answers than questions. That’s a situation the program has not faced since Mack Brown’s final season in 1997.

Still, coach Butch Davis, is more worried about the questions, namely the obvious one about the team’s offense.

“We have to make the team balanced,” Davis said Friday. “You can’t go out there and say, ‘We’re going to win 7-3.’ ”

UNC was 108th nationally in total offense in 2009, 106 spots behind the team’s superb defense, which returns four All-ACC members and nine starters. Davis believes the Tar Heels, who finished 8-5 in 2009 with a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to Pittsburgh, can close the offensive gap this fall, even though the defense will have the same talent and will be a year older and stronger.

Right now, the talent at the skill positions on offense does not match the talent on defense, but Davis feels the Heels will be improved with better health and continuity on the offensive line and depth at running back.

Then there’s the quarterback position. Senior T.J. Yates is “absolutely” the starter, Davis said, when spring practice starts on March 15.

Davis’ loyalty to the talented yet inconsistent Yates has been admirable, and at times blind. Yates has been the team’s starter for 31 games in his first three seasons, but the quality of his decision-making seems to be tracking on an inverse path to his experience.

The bowl loss to Pittsburgh, which hinged on a second-quarter interception at the goal line, opened speculation that redshirt freshman Bryn Renner, who is playing baseball this spring for UNC, would be the team’s 2010 starter.
Not so fast, Davis said, settling the debate for now.

“T.J. knows that we believe [in him],” Davis said. “We’ve won games because he has played spectacular. He has to play like that all the time. He can’t make the mistakes that he has made in the past.”

But, the seasons of more interceptions than touchdowns — and Yates’ has had two of those — need to be history. The bad decisions and 10-foot overthrows won’t be tolerated with the athletic Renner, who was recruited by this coaching staff, waiting in the wings.
“If his decision-making doesn’t improve, he can’t be the guy,” Davis said.

The second question, and almost as important, is can UNC reduce the number of mental mistakes and undisciplined errors? A rash of bad penalties and turnovers saw a four-game winning streak evaporate into consecutive disappointing losses to N.C. State and Pitt.

Instead of a preseason top 20 ranking, which is where ESPN and Sports Illustrated have the Heels, UNC likely would have started in the top 10.

Of UNC’s 10 losses in the past two seasons, seven have been by three or fewer points.

Heading into his fourth season, that’s the question Davis find himself asking the most: “How are we going to be three points better?”