Davis eager for more Thursday home games

It sounds like there will be more Thursday night home football games in Chapel Hill if North Carolina coach Butch Davis has anything to say about it.

The Tar Heels played their first Thursday night home game last week. For years, campus leaders had resisted playing at home on Thursday nights.

Logistical problems such as traffic with UNC Hospital adjacent to the stadium and jamming the campus with people on a school night caused campus leaders to veto Thursday night home games in the past.

But since Davis was hired, he has lobbied for the chance to play at home on a Thursday night. He often says Thursday night games provide a great opportunity to showcase a football program and a campus in front of a large audience on ESPN.

Last week's game took place while students were on break, so students didn't miss classes and traffic problems were reduced. Davis said logistically the event went very well thanks to cooperation between campus, city and hospital officials.

"The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from just about everybody associated with it, except for the outcome of the game," Davis said Wednesday during the ACC coaches' teleconference.

North Carolina lost 30-27 to Florida State. But Davis said the school took a "very positive step forward" toward being able to add Thursday night home games in the future.

Ken Tysiac