University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Reading It Right
November 29, 2008 | Football, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Nov. 29, 2008
By Adam Lucas
DURHAM--So it turns out that of all the rust that was clearly evident for T.J. Yates in last week's struggles against NC State, the element of his game that was helped the most by a week of game action was one that wasn't even visible to the eye.
One week after laboring in his return from an ankle injury, Yates completed 15 of his first 16 passes and finished 15-of-19 for 190 yards with three touchdowns in Carolina's 28-20 victory over Duke. The raw numbers are impressive. But what was even more important was the way he amassed some of those yards.
Coordinator John Shoop restored some of the variation to the offense, bringing back some of the varied cadences that had been so productive earlier in the year. But it was once the ball was snapped and Yates was diagnosing plays in the pocket that he was most impressive.
The Blue Devils closed to 21-20 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Almost immediately after gaining possession, the Tar Heel offense found itself in a critical 3rd and five on its own 38-yard-line. Fail to convert, and Duke would regain possession with all the momentum.
"Last week, I was forcing it in that situation," Yates said. "You have to be able to sit there and be comfortable and make your reads and go to your secondary reads."
The play was designed for a quick drop, but the Blue Devils snuffed the first look, to Greg Little on the right side. Yates looked back across the field, but both receivers on that side were covered.
This is when the Yates of this week was markedly different from the Yates of last week. He could've thrown it away. He could've tried to squeeze it between a couple of defenders.
Instead, once pressure came from the back side, he rolled to his right, waited for Little to leak beyond his defender, and arched a well-thrown ball down the right sideline for a first down.
"There is no way to replicate the speed and tempo of the game," Butch Davis said. "When guys aren't selling out and trying to get in the quarterback's face you never get that sense of the pocket collapsing and keeping your eyes down the field and not looking at the rush. Last week was a baby step. Once he got in there and watched himself in film he was back to being the normal kid he has been."
Two minutes later, he did it again. After a Tar Heel timeout to correct a formation mistake, Carolina faced 3rd and four at the Duke 36. This time, the call was for a switch route with Little and Hakeem Nicks. But a quick read after a short drop showed him that play was covered. With barely a glance to his right, he lofted the ball into space in the flat, where Shaun Draughn was waiting for one of his four catches--and yet another Tar Heel first down.
"They had the original route well covered," Yates said. "I knew Shaun would be there. He's become a great back on third down catching the ball."
Just to make sure he'd flashed the complete range of quarterback skills, on the very next play Yates read a Duke blitz. In the huddle, he'd already told tight end Richard Quinn, "Make sure you get there." Quinn was the first read on the first-down pass play, and with Duke's Glenn Williams quickly in his face, Yates had to deliver the ball quickly.
"Right before the ball was snapped, I took a peek over there and thought I saw him coming," Yates said. "Quinn did a great job of getting there quickly."
The sophomore had just enough time to plant his back foot and deliver the ball, and Quinn did the rest of the work, hauling the ball 32 yards for what turned out to be the game-clinching score.
It was the first time in two months that Yates has looked like himself, and it was the perfect illustration of how missing game snaps can impact a football player.
"What I've realized is that your feel for the pocket gets rusty," he said. "You try to mimic it in practice to get it back and get that clock back in your head that tells you when it's time to get the ball out of there, but until you get in a game it's never the same. When you get that game action, you remember, `OK, it's time to get rid of the ball. I've got to look somewhere else with it.'"
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
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