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Blue Blur: UNC's Tate a nightmare for defenders
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Published: September 17, 2008
CHAPEL HILL - Blinking isn't advisable when North Carolina's Brandon Tate has his hands on the football.
That split second is about all the time that Tate has needed to get open for big gains or touchdowns in UNC's first two games.
Tate, a receiver and return specialist, has scored four touchdowns on three types of plays. He has shattered the school record for all-purpose yards and is closing in on two NCAA records for career return yards.
Tate is also one of the reasons that UNC will carry a 2-0 record into Saturday's ACC opener against Virginia Tech at Kenan Stadium.
Cornerback Kendric Burney said he can appreciate what opposing defensive backs and special teams are going through when Tate catches a pass or fields a kick. He has seen Tate make one-handed catches in practice and dive to grab balls that defensive backs thought they had batted away.
"He's definitely amazed us," Burney said. "He did some special things in training camp, but for him to go out and do what he's doing now, I don't think anybody in the nation (could match him).
"I could ask Brandon, and he would probably tell you that he didn't think he was going to do something like this, but he's got the talent for it."
Tate has scored on a punt return, a reception and a run. In last week's 44-12 win at Rutgers, he caught a 69-yard touchdown pass a few plays after Rutgers had closed to 10-6, putting UNC back in control.
Hakeem Nicks caught two touchdown passes at Rutgers. He has 12 catches for the season and said he is benefitting greatly from defenses shifting coverage to Tate.
"There's not anything (he does) that surprises me," Nicks said. "Brandon is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. I've been thinking that since my freshman year…. Brandon is one of those guys that anytime in the game, if he touches the ball, he can make something happen with it."
Tate, a senior from Burlington, was mostly a return specialist his first two seasons. He leads the nation in all-purpose yards with an average of 308. He ranks second in punt returns with a 36.5-yard average and is fifth in kickoff returns with a 38-yard average.
He needs 136 yards on punt and kickoff returns to set the NCAA career record for combined return yards (3,455, by Deltha O'Neal of California in 1999). Tate is 496 yards shy of the NCAA career record for kickoff return yards (2,992, by Jeff Liggon of Tulane in 1996).
Tate began the season by generating 397 all-purpose yards in a win over McNeese State. In that game, he scored on an 82-yard punt return, a reception and a run. He rushed for 106 yards on three carries and became the first receiver in UNC history to lead the team in rushing.
Tate is still UNC's leading rusher this season. Nicks has four more catches than Tate, but Tate's average of 28.9 yards a catch is just more than double Nicks' average.
Coach Butch Davis of UNC said he had no preconceived ideas about the talents of any of his players when he began his first spring practice in 2007 but that Tate's speed was immediately apparent.
"He's just a ‘football player' in my opinion," Davis said. "I think he carried the label prior to me arriving that he was just a special-teams and kick-return guy. And clearly, through his own hard work and effort, he has demonstrated that he is more than just a returner.
"He wants to be a complete football player. He wants to be the guy who blocks well as a wide receiver, that catches the ball well running routes, that can be a ballcarrier if you need him to be, and he's certainly going to be an explosive kick-return player.
"I think you have to applaud Brandon for all the things that he's done. He's really worked to try and be a complete player."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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