Brandon Tate was scheduled to undergo tests in Chapel Hill late yesterday to determine the severity of the knee injury that he suffered in North Carolina's game against Notre Dame on Saturday.
Tate was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam at UNC Hospitals at 5 p.m. on his right knee. Coach Butch Davis said he did not know the results when speaking to the UNC beat writers in his 5:45 p.m. teleconference yesterday.
A source in Chapel Hill said last night that UNC officials fear that Tate might have suffered ligament damage and could be out for an extended period of time.
Davis said that UNC will not release the results of the test until today. Davis and school athletics officials wanted to give Tate's doctors time to examine the test and talk to Tate and to his parents in Burlington if any damage is discovered.
UNC officials said Saturday that Tate had suffered a sprain.
"We really, truly don't know (the injury's extent) until he comes back," Davis said. "Then we'll know a lot better. Rather than speculate on what might be or whatever, it would be a lot easier to kind of tell everybody (today) the extent of it. We really don't know right now."
Tate, a senior receiver and kick-return specialist, was injured with 5:40 left in the first quarter of UNC's 29-24 win at Kenan Stadium. He suffered the injury when tackled on a 9-yard punt return to the UNC 22.
Tate is one of the top offensive threats for UNC, now 5-1 before playing at Virginia on Saturday, where it last won in the 1981 season. He is UNC's second-leading receiver with 16 catches and a 23.5 yard average. He has caught three touchdown passes.
He ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards and punt returns and was 19th nationally in kickoff returns before being hurt. UNC is already playing without quarterback T.J. Yates, who is recovering from a broken ankle he suffered Sept. 20.
Cam Sexton, the player who has taken over at quarterback, said that the offense will have to play more efficiently should Tate be out for an extended period of time to make up for his absence.
"My first concern is for Tate as a friend and a teammate," Sexton said after the Notre Dame game. "This team is all about guys stepping up. I think that's kind of the way we feel.
"I think guys feel like in practice during the week that they need to be prepared to play. If Tate goes down, somebody steps up. Losing Tate for the (Notre Dame) game is a huge loss. We're all concerned about him and worried about him. We also understand that we've got to step up."
Davis declined to say if moving Greg Little back to receiver from tailback would be a consideration if Tate is sidelined. The coaching staff met last night to start discussion about any personnel moves before playing Virginia.
"The potential for Brandon's absence, there's a lot of things besides him being a receiver," Davis said. "We've got to talk about punt returns and kick returns. We'll have a pretty extensive personnel meeting and contemplate what moves, if any, that we need to make."
Little has struggled at tailback all season. He has carried the ball five times in the last two games. Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston have taken over as the main tailbacks in the last two games.
Draughn has rushed for 200 yards on 36 carries in the last two games and scored a touchdown.
Davis said he was unsure last night about what moves might be made at tailback before the Virginia game.
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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