UNC football's tight end Zack Pianalto out for season

For the third straight season, the end zone has proved to be a minefield for North Carolina senior tight end Zack Pianalto.

A year after injuring his right foot in celebration of the game-tying touchdown at Connecticut, the Tar Heels’ leading pass-catcher will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured right fibula suffered just minutes after scoring against Virginia on Saturday, his first touchdown of the 2010 campaign.

In 2008, he missed two games to a left ankle injury shortly after scoring his first career touchdown against Georgia Tech.

“We’ve got to try to find a way to manufacture catches and yards from somebody else,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “It’s really a shame. …There is almost nobody in this program that puts more heart and soul into playing and preparing and practicing.”

Pianalto’s injury creates yet another absence on a UNC roster that has constantly been in flux due to the NCAA and University investigations into the football program.

Junior cornerback LeCount Fantroy was also hurt Saturday, missing the second half with a shoulder injury. Davis would not say when he expects Fantroy to be healthy.

After playing the first four games of the season, fullback Devon Ramsay has been held out since the Clemson game on Oct. 9, and UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour said he did not know if or when Ramsay would return.

Also unknown is whether UNC will have to forfeit wins against Rutgers and East Carolina — games Ramsay played in this season.

“We’ve been doing a good-faith effort in terms of this investigation,” Baddour said. “The NCAA has been involved, they’ve known about our plan with the investigation and so that is a conversation we’ll have with the NCAA.”The Tar Heels lost three future NFL draft picks last Monday when defensive tackle Marvin Austin, wide receiver Greg Little and defensive end Robert Quinn were removed from the team for violating NCAA rules on improper benefits from agents and unethical conduct.

The University will also hold reserve defensive backs Brian Gupton and Jonathan Smith out for the entire season.

Despite the losses, the Tar Heels did benefit from the return of defensive end Linwan Euwell. Davis said Euwell’s four tackles Saturday were an unexpected pleasure after he was held out the first five games.UNC was expecting further reinforcements in the form of cornerback Kendric Burney and tailback Ryan Houston, but now the team might not see either take the field in 2010.

Burney served his NCAA-mandated six-game suspension for improper agent benefits and was originally eligible to play this Saturday against Miami, but his status is now in jeopardy due to an unresolved issue related to the ongoing investigation.

Houston was cleared to play against UVa. but did not see playing time. Davis is considering redshirting him since Houston has already missed six games.

Though UNC’s personnel has been inconsistent during the past month, the team’s performance has not.

The Tar Heels have won four straight contests and sit just one game out of first place in the ACC Coastal Division.

“We’ve got to prepare well and the ability to kind of block out some of the distractions… and just kind of move on and take care of yourself,” Davis said. “I’m very proud of the effort that these kids have made and I’m very proud of the way that our coaches have handled this.”

Contact the Sports Editorat sports@unc.edu.