Smarter Heels would have finished 11-2

For the second straight game, both losses, Butch Davis said his team did not play smart.

For Davis' part, he took the blame for the Tar Heels' mental errors in Saturday's 19-17 loss to Pittsburgh but apologies don't win games and at some point, and sooner than later with a $2 million price tag involved, those mistakes need to be corrected, not just acknowledged.

UNC repeated some of the same mistakes from the inexcusable 28-27 loss at N.C. State on Nov. 28. Mindless penalties which cost UNC points? Check. Turnovers at the goal line which cost UNC points? Check.

Davis disagreed that they were the same mistakes from the State loss, pointing out that they didn't kick the ball out of bounds against State, or jump offsides on a field-goal attempt, but he was splitting hairs.

"They're not the same mistakes," Davis said. "If it was the same mistakes, you'd really be disappointed. We've to got to learn to play smarter and more efficient."

When you're a team with no margin of error on offense, you can't afford 19 penalties in two games. The Heels' defense, as good as it was for stretches this season, can only do so much, which was never more evident than on Pitt's final drive.

Davis tried to spin the bowl loss as Pitt being the better team, which I doubt he even believed, but it sounded better than acknowledging for the third time this season (Florida State and N.C. State) UNC lost a game it should have won.

Even with all the injuries and personnel problems on offense, UNC was unbelievably close to 11-2. Instead, their coach had to apologize for being "not as smart as we needed to" and 8-5.

• Greg Little (SirGregory8) gave Cincinnati receiver and prolific tweeter Chad Ochocinco a shout-out on Twitter on Saturday: "Ocho tune in to espn ...Somebody will kiss the baby today."

Little celebrated his first touchdown, a spectacular 15-yard catch in the first quarter, by punting the ball into the stands (no word if that's slang for "kissing the baby" or not).

"I didn't plan it," Little insisted after the game after confirming what he wrote on Twitter. "It just happened."

Little was penalized 15 yards for the "impromptu" celebration and also got lit up by Davis on the sidelines.

• Given the loyalty Davis and offensive coordinator John Shoop have shown to quarterback T.J. Yates — choosing him over Cam Sexton in 2007 and again at the end of 2008 — it's hardly a certainty that his 31st career start was his last but you have to figure that freshman Bryn Renner will be given every opportunity to win the starting job in 2010.

Yates plateaued, at best, and regressed, at worst, in his third season as UNC's starting quarterback. With his experience, there's no reason he should have even attempted the pass that was intercepted in the second quarter at the goal line.

And it's not just the random bad decisions (not that Shoop is absolved for calling a pass after running back Ryan Houston ran 10 times on the 12-play drive). Yates throws a fastball on nearly every pass attempt. For a guy with such good touch on his deep throws, he has no "off" switch on shorter or intermediate routes.

He threw a great ball, with a ton of mustard, to Little for a third-quarter touchdown. A post route between the corner and safety is when you are supposed to load the gun and sling it.

On second-and-goal on the same series as the interception in the second quarter, Yates threw a heater to the left corner of the back of the end zone that would have been too high for Yao Ming. He has got to lead Little on that throw with some air, not zip it as hard as he can.

Those are decisions that a third-year starter should be making in their sleep and ultimately that could be what costs him his starting job as a senior.

The book on Renner is that he's more athletic, and by all accounts, has been strong in practice (he won the team's award for best practice player). In normal circumstances, you would give a would-be senior with 31 starts the edge in decision-making but Yates' play Saturday suggests otherwise. -- J.P. Giglio