Staff video by Ted Richardson

Quarterback T.J. Yates is out for at least six weeks with a broken bone in his left ankle, UNC announced today.

Yates suffered the injury in the third quarter of UNC's 20-17 loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday. The sophomore completed 40 of 66 passes for 623 yards in the first two and half games. He has six touchdowns, including one on Saturday, and one interception.

UNC coach Butch Davis’ Sunday evening update didn’t shed much light on the state of quarterback T.J. Yates sprained left ankle: "He’s receiving treatment and undergoing further evaluation,’’ he said.

Asked it was a high or low left ankle sprain, Davis said: "He’s receiving treatment and undergoing further evaluation."

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Butch Davis said he hopes to have an update on quarterback T.J. Yates’ sprained left ankle on Sunday.

But if he can't play next weekend at Miami, backup Mike Paulus will be ready.

"We're going to do what the quarterback can do, and if [Paulus] is the guy next week, we’ll evaluate what he can do effectively and still take advantage of the players we’ve got," Davis said. "Mike’s been here now for a year, obviously no real game experience to speak of. But he
understands the offense."

CHAPEL HILL — Here's a scene you would have never witnessed during the second day of North Carolina's training camp last season: a play being signalled in from the sideline, and quarterback T.J. Yates interpreting it, communicating it and running it.

"We've come so far from last year,'' Yates said Saturday. "We're trying to do new things, tweak the offense a little bit, trying to get the best play out there on the field. And sometimes that might mean calling the play from the sideline, checking off."

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates said he knew his shoulder was recovering well from offseason surgery earlier this summer when he overthrew wide receiver Hakeem Nicks — 65 yards down the field.