The game stories, both from Raleigh's News and Observer and the Associated Press, fail to note how the Tar Heels lost to NC State in their final regular season contest.  That failure reflects the nature of football's conventional wisdom.  And failing to connect the dots between this loss and an earlier loss at home to Florida State leads to unimaginative coaches damning a mid-level program to remaining a mid-level program forever.  Carolina has the resources to be a top-ranked football program, but with a series of uninspired head coaching hires, they've languished since Mack Brown led them to an eventual top five finish in 1997.  Brown didn't see that team to the end, bolting to accept the head coaching job at Texas.

Brown was a coach willing to take chances.  Current head man in Chapel Hill, Butch Davis, plays the accepted odds and this year lost a pair of winnable games that would have led to a bigger stage for his program.  And the sad part is he lost both games the exact same way.

Against NC State. the 10 penalties for 122 yards didn't trip up the Heels.  It was timid play calling with a small lead that did it.  Up by 3, 24-21, midway through the third quarter, Davis sent Casey Barth out to kick a field goal.  His team faced a fourth and goal from the NC State 3 yard line.  The previosu two plays had moved the ball twenty-one yards, helping Carolina to recover from a damaging 15 yard penalty on the first play of the series.  So from 2nd and goal from the 24, to 4th and goal on the 3, the calculus to kick the field goal is...what?  That you can't not get some points?

Never mind that the difference between a three point lead and a six point lead in football is minimal.  A field goal doesn't beat you, but a touchdown does.  Never mind that the previous Wolfpack drive was a one play quick strike touchdown.  The safe thing to do, the thing that avoids the criticism is to take the three points so easily given and set up your defense in the hopes that your highly ranked squad can shut down a team that has already beaten the average points allowed against you.

Flash back to the Tar Heels battle against the Seminoles.  A nationally televised Thursday night soiree in late October.  North Carolina looking to make a statement against the former power team of the conference and get back on track after two consecutive conference losses (interrupted only by a win in a walk over Georgia Southern).  Up 24-6, North Carolina sees the Seminoles put up 17 straight points to make it a contest at 24-23.  The Heels marched 83 yards down the field to get to the Florida State 9.  On a 4th and 2, when the previous three plays earned 8 yards, Davis again sends Barth out to kick a field goal.

What sparks the frustration is that Carolina's selling point is a ferocious defense.  Having the opportunity to pin your opponent deep, even if you fail in extremely short yardage fourth down situations invites your swarming defense to aggressively pursue the the opposition with their own goal line diminishing their wiggle room.  Instead, Davis plays safe, and the opposition takes better field position and has a better chance to score the winning touchdown.

Maybe as a Pats fan, I'm spoiled, seeing Bellichick go for it as often as he does. Even when the gambit fails, the play becomes that focal point every memorable game has.  The edge of the seat moment where you know everyone else watching has their attention focus in laser like precision.  It's the play you'll talk about tomorrow and later in the week.  Such daring is often rewarded, where lesser coaches will play safe and be forgotten.

Davis, by all accounts, has helped imporve North Carolina's program.  But the key is not to help a program, but to turn a program into a perennial ACC Title - if not National Championship - contender.  That's not happening in greater Tar Heelia.  And that should never be acceptable.