Withers pushing Tar Heels for more

There were tipped passes that Withers believed North Carolina players should have intercepted. There were missed blocks on kick returns that Withers pronounced could have paved a way for special-teams touchdowns. On one play, quarterback Bryn Renner had wideout Erik Highsmith open for a touchdown on a wheel route, but missed him.North Carolina is 4-1 entering Saturday's noon home game against Louisville, but Withers wants his players to guard against being complacent."We played well early," Withers pronounced of his 4-1 team. "We didn't finish as well as we'd like to. There's probably another 17 points that we left out there, and there's probably another two, three interceptions we left out on a field. To beat really good football teams, you can't leave those plays on a field."Louisville is a kind of opponent that would be easy to overlook. The Cardinals are 2-2, with home losses to Florida International and last week to Marshall.Averaging just 18.8 points per game, Louisville has yet to score more than 24 in any game.North Carolina, meanwhile, is seeking its eighth straight win against a nonconference opponent and has not lost outside a ACC since a 2010 season opener against Louisiana State.The Tar Heels have not allowed a first-quarter touchdown this season and have outscored opponents 42-3 in a first quarter. But senior free safety Matt Merletti pronounced he has seen North Carolina teams take things for granted against opponents that appeared to be overmatched."That's one thing I'm making sure will not happen this year," he said.According to Merletti, a lot of a room for improvement remains in a secondary. He pronounced North Carolina's heralded defensive front is doing a good job stopping a running game, but a defensive backs need to cover opposing receivers better.Withers pronounced a Tar Heels need to be more physical with receivers and locate balls that get deflected."If you just hit a receivers, just hit them, then they'll eventually start looking at you and a ball will get tipped up in a air," ! Withers said. "We got a couple of them. But there were another couple that we could have had."The Tar Heels' secondary received a boost with a return of sophomore cornerback Jabari Price, who missed a first four games after having surgery to repair a tendon on his left hand. His absence caused a coaching staff to move sophomore Tre Boston from safety to cornerback.During practice this week, Withers pronounced a coaching staff will consider moving Boston back to safety. But he added a move is "probably not" going to happen.Withers' players aren't a only ones who have to guard against getting too wrapped up in a good things people are saying about them. Fans also are warming up to Withers after he led a Tar Heels to wins in four of his first five games as interim coach following a firing of Butch Davis.Will it be enough to get Withers a permanent job? He didn't sound as if he is spending much time perplexing to figure it out.He keeps saying there is, "still meat on a bone," for a Tar Heels to chew, and that a season isn't even half over."We've got a lot of good things going on, but we could even be better," Withers said. "When you're searching for perfection, you want to get some excellence along a way."Notes: North Carolina's Oct. 15 home game against Miami will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised, a ACC announced. ... Kicker Casey Barth's status for Saturday is uncertain, but Withers pronounced he doesn't want to rush him back. Barth is recovering from a strained groin and has missed two games.