Yates Learns On the Job in UNC Loss

TAMPA – North Carolina coach Butch Davis didn't flinch when T.J. Yates threw yet another interception. Instead, he shared a story with his freshman quarterback.

Davis recalled back to 1989 when Troy Aikman was a rookie playing against the Philadelphia Eagles. Davis, then a Dallas assistant, watched Aikman get sacked more than 10 times. By comparison, Yates finished Saturday's 37-10 loss to No. 23 South Florida with four interceptions – the most by a UNC quarterback in a game in eight years.

Those miscues, Davis told his rattled quarterback, are your learning experiences. Process what you did wrong, grow from it and erase the day from your memory.

The history lesson stuck with Yates, who echoed Davis' command after the game about moving on. And his memory might recover as quickly as his body, which was sacked four times. But when it comes to UNC's history, Yates's four picks match those thrown by Ronald Curry in 1999 against Clemson. Both Yates and Curry were two picks shy of matching the school record of six.

Yates tried to have a short memory on Saturday, but South Florida's defensive backs were a constant reminder. Their pressure, combined with that of defensive end George Selvie (3 sacks for 18 yards) and the slick conditions made locating a receiver tough. Yates also was playing with back-up center Lowell Dyer because Scott Lenahan had a death in his family. Yates stressed the Bulls' pressure made the difference.

"They did a heck of a job covering our receivers," Yates said. "There were a lot of tight windows I had to squeeze it in there."

Carolina's inability to get things going on the offense inevitably put more pressure on the defense, which was stunned by an early Bulls score. The Tar Heels finished with a meager 164 yards of offense, while USF posted 428. Bulls sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe passed for 230 of those yards. He threw for 216 yards in the first half, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Amari Jackson that put the Bulls up 14-0.

At first, UNC's offense tried to use its 2-minute drill mentality late in the second half to score points. The concept had worked for the Tar Heels in previous contests. But speeding it up turned out to be a bad idea.

"That's a great plan if it works," Davis said. "But if it doesn't, you go out there and throw three incomplete passes and use up 11 seconds, the bad news is your defense is back out on the field."

That's exactly what happened. Yates threw his second interception, and the Bulls' kicker Delbe Alvarado got another chance to redeem himself after going 2-of-6 on field goal attempts in the Bulls' eventual overtime win against Auburn on Sept. 8. Alvarado nailed the 23 yarder, extending the Bulls' lead.

UNC's defense tried to give its offense chances. Hilee Taylor sacked Grothe and forced a fumble that E.J. Wilson recovered. Carolina's offense went three plays and Yates threw an interception. That led toanother Bulls' field goal.

The Tar Heels' bright spots were few and far between. Connor Barth nailed a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter and true freshman Ryan Houston ran five yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Houston is the 11th true freshman UNC has used this season.

After the game, the Tar Heels silently walked single file into the locker room. Despite the loss, Davis said the team needs to become multidimensional, maybe even work on personnel changes. But he was as calm in the corridor of Raymond James Stadium as he was on the sidelines when Yates was picked off. His team is learning, building, growing.