Injuries Leave Openings For Tar Heel Understudies

On Saturday, true freshman Mahlon Carey took the field for the first time.

Sophomore running back Jacque Lewis suffered a bruised calf Oct. 12 against N.C. State, and UNC coach John Bunting limited his action to special teams against Virginia.

With a hole in the Tar Heels' running game, Bunting approached Carey and talked to him about giving up his redshirt to take the field against the Cavaliers.

"When Coach talked me, I told him I was ready to play," Carey said. "I've been watching for six games and was ready."

Carey ran for 67 yards on 15 carries in North Carolina's 37-27 loss to Virginia.

"For a freshman, he played very well," Bunting said. "I was very excited."

Tar Heel Injury Updates

Quarterback Darian Durant's surgery on his right thumb was completed without any complications.

The procedure was performed Monday at UNC Hospitals by UNC's Director of Sports Medicine Dr. Tim Taft and Dr. Don Bynum, a hand surgeon specialist.

The doctors inserted two screws and one pin in the bone that was displaced in the injury.

"Darian's surgery went well and he's doing fine," Taft said Monday in a press release. "The fragment of bone that was pulled off the extensor tendon was reattached and we expect an excellent recovery."

Durant will be out for at least six weeks, missing the remainder of UNC's regular season.

Defensive end Will Chapman is scheduled to have surgery Friday to repair a scaphoid fracture in his right wrist. He also sustained the injury in Saturday's loss to Virginia.

Chapman will miss Saturday's game against Wake Forest, and will be further evaluated after his surgery.

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.