North Carolina took a big step in the right direction in Blacksburg. The Tar Heels were clearly a better football team against Virginia Tech than they were a week before against South Florida.
But they're still a work in progress...
If Butch Davis' football team plans to continue moving down Improvement Road, they'll need to start protecting their quarterback. Virginia Tech sacked TJ Yates six times and forced another five hurries, leaving Yates to spend much of his afternoon running around like a fugitive.
And yet... Carolina still gained more yards than Tech. Those gains didn't translate into a victory -- Butch Davis was quick to point out in postgame that there are no moral victories -- but this performance is certainly an indicator of improvement.
And improvement is the name of the game with a team this young. The Heels started eight sophomores and seven freshmen against Virginia Tech. Sure, nobody wants to hear "We're still young," as an excuse. But this team is still young. Very young.
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