UNC's Yates progressing 'nicely'

North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates is “progressing nicely” as he rehabilitates his fractured left ankle, coach Butch Davis said Sunday.

But asked if he expected the sophomore back in the six weeks originally projected, meaning about two weeks from now, Davis said he didn’t know.

“He has started jogging and he has started throwing, and obviously he is out of the [protective] boot,’’ Davis said. “They’re going to intensify the jogging and the running this next week, but there’s still no real speculation as to when that [his return] is going to be.

“To be the quarterback, there’s an awful lot of factors — the ability to run, the ability to move in the pocket, to scramble. So we’re just taking it week by week, and he’s progressing nicely. I don’t think anybody in the medical staff is disappointed at where he is at this point.”

Yates, who set several school passing records as a freshman last season, was hurt on a sack in the third quarter of UNC’s 20-17 loss to Virginia Tech on Sept. 20.

He stayed on the field for one more play, then limped off and didn’t return. He had completed 60.6 percent of his passes, with six touchdowns and one interception, before his injury.

Third-string quarterback Cameron Sexton came off the bench to rally UNC at Miami the following week. Since then, he is 2-1 as a starter, but he threw two interceptions during the Tar Heels’ overtime loss at Virginia on Saturday.