This sort of post was inevitable, mainly because there is a feeling of the program being stagnated. The loss to FSU was frustrating, not so much in the way they lost but rather because we have seen UNC lose a game in this way several times before. Here in the third season I think most of felt like the program would be stable and all signs would be pointing towards some kind upward trajectory in terms of conference standings. Instead it feels like a regression from last season when UNC was sitting in the Coastal Division driving seat searching the radio dial for some good rock-n-roll to listen to. On the 850 the Buzz blog, frequent commenter jhmd2000 offered this critique of Butch Davis:
…with Fall Break in Chapel Hill, it is time for some mid term grades. Butch Davis’s Junior Year at Carolina is a good time to take stock. I like Davis. I remember Tornbush and Bumbling. I also remember Mack Brown. There is a reason to hire a “head man” instead of promoting technically sound #2s. A head guy gives you a brand. A head guy gives you an identity. A head guy can survive a coaching search that includes a mustache disqualifier (again, see Tornbush and Bungling). I prefer Davis to either of our last two coaches, and honestly, any other coach UNC should reasonably expect to get without lowering its standards to scum-sucking, cheating, Mike-Slime-SEC levels (no offense, Mr. Saban). If the ESPN graphic was right on the replay, Davis is now 16-16 at Carolina heading into the Sand Pit next week. I’m not sure 16-16 (looking at a losing record) will be a passing grade. If he was 16-16 with an empty cupboard and playing Bunting’s schedule (Notre Dame, OU, Texas twice, Urban Meyer’s Utah teams twice, Bobby Petrino’s scum-sucking, cheating, Louisville teams twice), I think you could call that rebuilding. You can’t go .500 or worse playing the Citadels, James Madisons, and Georgia Southerns of the world. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Bunting’s receivers are having 100 yard Sundays, and Butch’s receivers are struggling to get separation against the 108th best pass defense. Hmmmmm.
I am also lukewarm on hearing Butch talking about how this is a learning experience for his “young” football team. They must be faster learner’s in Coach Cutt’s offensive backfield, b/c they are moving on defenses like a Phi Delt on a freshman, and UNC is struggling to find an identity in year three. Okay, it is unrealistic to expect Davis to build a sustained national power with the Carolina brand at the speed Saban has returned Alabama to that status in the same amount of time…but is a conference win too much to ask in year three? Additionally, if you’re not going to tolerate excuses from your players, then you’re not entitled to them as a coach. If you’re not getting paid any less b/c your team is young, you can’t cite youth as a reason not to produce.
The most troubling thing about Butch is what Joe has alluded to: no killer instinct. If you ask a certain football coach what the W & F stand for on the side of his team’s uniforms, his answer is “We Finish.” Butch got scared against Notre Dame, UVa and Maryland last year and turned a ten win team/schedule into a Tire Bowl loser. He got scared again last night down in the shadow of the goal posts, tightened his formation up, and eschewed the previously fruitful sweep to instead thrice run Shaun between the tackles into the teeth of a defense that couldn’t catch you on the perimeter. With victory a scant six feet away, he kicked a field goal to go up 4, instead of put in Ryan Houston to go up 8/9 under four minutes. If you trust your defense enough to hold the lead at mid field on a punt, why don’t you trust them to back up your offense if they can’t convert and end of the game in paydirt? Those afraid of victory don’t deserve. At this point in his tenure, it is clear to me that Butch plays and schedules not to lose. Fail, fail.
Spot on.
The FSU game could end up being a watershed moment for various reasons. We had all hoped it would be a positive in this season that thus far had been an enigma. A win on ESPN’s showcase weekly game would have made UNC 5-2 with three winnable games versus Duke, BC and NCSU left on the schedule meaning an 8-4 finish was still within reach. Instead we saw yet another game in the abbreviated Butch Davis Era where UNC tried to hang on for the win instead of going out there and grabbing it. In the past two years UNC managed to hold off the likes of Miami and Notre Dame but against Virginia Tech, UVa and Maryland last season plus this game, UNC simply did not put up enough points to win the game. In all of those cases UNC either got away from doing what they did best on offense or the defense played a less aggressive scheme that allowed the other team back into the game.
At this point it clear that this coaching staff leans very heavily on conventional wisdom and conservative playcalling with faced with a tough decision. Against FSU, Butch Davis faced 4th and short inside the 20 and opted for the FG to take a four point lead. Among the group of people I was sitting with, I was a minority in my belief that UNC needed a TD versus a FG. Why? Because FSU had scored on the previous four possessions, three of them TDs. There was no doubt in my mind that FSU would score a TD once they got the ball back and UNC would be facing a deficit. Of course the conventional wisdom says take the four point lead because it is hard for FSU to score a TD than a get a FG plus even with the TD are in a position to tie with a FG. However that ignores the reality of UNC’s position on the field and the fact turning the ball over on downs inside the 20 would afford your defense better field position in which to work. As for the 4th and 5 with less than five minutes to go, Davis ignored the fact that unless you force an immediate three and out or at best only allow FSU six plays at most, the clock would become a major issue. It would have been better to take a shot at getting a first down then and there as opposed to handing the ball back to FSU for them to whittle the clock away.
Yes, some of this second guessing and 20/20 hindsight. However some of it is also a pattern of behavior with this coaching staff. Butch Davis and his staff came in with the brand name. The recruiting has been good and no one really questions the talent level on defense for certain. The offense is dealing with line issues which appears to be headed towards correction in the coming recruiting cycle. In short, the personnel appears to be there save the QB but the product on the field comes up short
