If North Carolina is going to catch Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division, the Tar Heels are going to have to do it without Brandon Tate.
The senior playmaker will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, UNC announced Monday.
"This is certainly tough for our football team," UNC coach Butch Davis said. "It's tough on him, he's such a great kid, and valuable, integral part of this football team.
"We don't have another Brandon Tate to pull off the shelf and plug in the game."
Tate injured his knee when he was tackled on a punt return (pictured above) in the first quarter of UNC's 29-24 win over Notre Dame on Saturday. Mike Anello's tackle, a head-on collision with Tate's right knee, tore the ACL and MCL in Tate's knee, according to statement released by UNC.
Tate led the ACC, and ranked third in the NCAA, in all-purpose yardage (163.7 yards per game) heading into Saturday's game. He finishes the season with 376 receiving yards, 305 kickoff return yards, 158 punt return yards, 143 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. For his career, Tate is the NCAA's all-time leader in combined kick return yards with 3,523.
This is the second major loss to injury for the 18th-ranked Tar Heels. Quarterback T.J. Yates fractured a bone in his left ankle in the third game of the season and has missed the past three games. Yates was originally diagnosed to miss six weeks, or five games.
The strong play of quarterback Cam Sexton, 38-of-67 for 567 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, has offset the loss of Yates. The Heels are 3-0 under Sexton.
The loss of Tate could be more damaging. The team's top playmaker carried the offense over the first three games with his kick returns and ability to not only catch the ball but run it.
Without Tate, Hakeem Nicks, Johnny White and Kendric Burney will likely handle kick-returning duties. Burney returned punts against Notre Dame while White and receiver Hakeem Nicks handled kickoffs.
On offense, senior Brooks Foster moves into Tate's receiving slot and receiver-turned-running back Greg Little could move back to receiver with the emergence of Shaun Draughn at running back.
"It will put us in a situation to look for expanded roles for different guys on the team there are going to be some guys we ask more out of," Davis said.
-- J.P. Giglio
Monday, October 13, 2008
UNC's Tate out for season with ACL injury
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7 comments:
This hurts UNC probably more than is known. Im tempted to say it was a dirty play that resulted in Tate being out for the year. I already hate Notre Dame and Chalie Weis (Fat %$@*!). Hope Tate can rehab in time to possibly get drafted next year. Very disheartening. Go HEELS!
I will say it Austin, it absolutely was a dirty play, one of many on Saturday. I prayed for Hakeem and Brooks every snap, my wife kept hitting me wanting to know, "Did you see that!!!"
Definitely hope nothing but good for Brandon. His story is so inspirational for a lot of kids out there that need to know if you stick with something you love, good things do come out of it. Look forward to seeing him for many, many years.
It's nice that Notre Dame is good enough for people to start hating them again. GO IRISH
You don't have to be good to be hated.
Wow... that's a HUGE blow to the Heels! That's gotta suck...
IMO opinion it would be best if Greg Little be moved back to WR becuase Draughn & Houston are running the ball much better than he is.
May have been dirty, but part of the game..when it happened i knew it. Little has to go back to receiver...not very good at running back. Nicks and Foster are still one of the best tandems in league. Have faith, UNC will be alright...now of Sexton goes out then I'll be concerned.
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