CHAPEL HILL
Forget being hit by a coin thrown at him in his home stadium. Quarterback T.J. Yates got a real taste of fan frustration with North Carolina's struggling offense last season when a youngster mailed him angry letter.
The author -- whom Yates guessed was maybe a third-grader -- even wrote stars in place of profanities.
Months later, Yates knows all that consternation probably hasn't vanished, not with Bryn Renner, a talented redshirt freshman, competing for the starting job heading into today's spring game. The game, which will start at 3 p.m. and be nationally televised on ESPN, will be the first chance for fans to compare a three-year starter (Yates) against the untested backup (Renner).
"I have (the players' and coaches') trust, but I want to gain as much trust as possible," Yates said. "Obviously with the fans, I've got to gain their trust back as well. But first things first, my coaches and my teammates are the guys that really matter to me."
Yates started his first game as a freshman and threw for a 65-yard touchdown on his first college pass. But he hasn't had consistent success, whether because of injuries or inexperience at key positions around him.
He needed shoulder surgery after his freshman year, then broke an ankle early in his sophomore season, an injury that cost him two months. He stayed healthy last year, but played behind an injury-depleted offensive line and a greener-than-green receiving corps.
Those struggles were glaring compared to a defense that ranked among the nation's best. And fans took much of it out on Yates, culminating with the night he threw for just 64 yards and was hit in the helmet with a coin while walking off the field after North Carolina blew an 18-point third-quarter lead in a 30-27 loss to Florida State.
"One of the real measuring sticks for any quarterback is how mentally tough are they?" said Coach Butch Davis, who is preparing for his fourth season. "There are some guys that have phenomenal athletic ability, and they've absolutely got a fragile ego, and any criticism just crushes them. The thing that speaks volumes about T.J. is that he is getting mentally tougher.
"If you play that position ... somebody's going to criticize that you didn't play perfectly, and you've got to know: What are the expectations? What can I truly control? What am I accountable for?"
To Yates' credit, he hasn't offered excuses. Instead, he readily admits he must play better. He knows the pressure is on to play better, considering the Tar Heels will return 21 starters from a team that won eight games.
Everything starts with beating out Renner -- who also is playing baseball -- this spring.
"I'm always going to think of it as mine, but I know Bryn's going to push me in every way that he can because he's a great competitor," Yates said. "If he's going to be here just to take second place, he shouldn't be here. He's here to push me and try to get the starting spot."
Renner, described recently by receiver Greg Little as a strong-armed and "very raw talent," refuses to get drawn into a discussion about whether he can beat Yates for the starting job.
"We really react like it's not even an issue and I don't think it's an issue," Renner said. "As of now, he's the starter, and I'm just trying to learn from him and compete every day to see who the best man is to play."
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