Blizzard slowly getting back to normal in UNC lineup

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - Bobby Blizzard had high hopes for his senior season at North Carolina. <br> <br> But after a season-opening loss to Florida State, Blizzard was diagnosed with a severe viral infection. For about two weeks, he couldn&#39;t get out of bed, much less line up at tight end. <br> <br> Now Blizzard is back in the lineup, trying to shake off lingering headaches and weakness to help the Tar Heels get their first win Saturday against Virginia. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s just rough trying to get back to the same way I was at the beginning of the season,&#39;&#39; Blizzard said Tuesday. ``I feel like I&#39;m in training camp again.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Blizzard returned to the lineup for North Carolina (0-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Saturday against North Carolina State. He had one catch for 5 yards and played about 30 snaps in the 47-34 loss. <br> <br> It was his first game since getting three catches for 29 yards against the Seminoles on Aug. 30. <br> <br> Blizzard began getting sick leading up to the Syracuse game the following week. He said he lost about 15 pounds after a grueling Tuesday practice, and went to see a doctor two days later. The original diagnosis was dehydration, but Blizzard got worse and had to be hospitalized the night before the game. <br> <br> That began a two-week period that Blizzard said he wouldn&#39;t wish on anybody. <br> <br> He got weaker, had muscle soreness, severe headaches and even blurred vision. His mother, LaVerne, came from the family&#39;s home near Hampton, Va., to take care of her bedridden son, sleeping on an air mattress in his apartment. <br> <br> Since he didn&#39;t know if he was contagious, he made teammates who came to visit talk to him from outside his bedroom door. <br> <br> Considering Blizzard had 28 catches for 440 yards and five touchdowns last season, the teammates notably quarterback Darian Durant were eager for him to return. <br> <br> ``He might stop by the apartment and say, &#39;Get out of the bed. You ain&#39;t sick,&#39;&#39;&#39; Blizzard said with a laugh. <br> <br> Blizzard is now trying to get back to the routine. He returned to a full-pads practice last Wednesday, and lifted weights Tuesday for only the second time in about four weeks. <br> <br> He said he weighed about 265 pounds before losing 25 pounds during the illness. He has gained back about 10 pounds, but said he was still a bit weak after the N.C. State game. <br> <br> ``I probably didn&#39;t play that well, but I played,&#39;&#39; Blizzard said. <br> <br> Just having him back was good enough, coach John Bunting said. <br> <br> ``He&#39;s a big part of our offense,&#39;&#39; Bunting said. ``We&#39;re able to put him in a number of different formations because of his experience and force defenses to react and respond to the different looks we give them. <br> <br> ``When we don&#39;t have Bobby, we can&#39;t do as many things.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> NOTES: Bunting said he used 64 players during the loss to the Wolfpack, 24 coming on defense. ``I&#39;m playing sometimes too many players,&#39;&#39; he said. ``But I&#39;m trying to give kids opportunities to see if they can help us win on defense.&#39;&#39; ... North Carolina is allowing 42.8 points per game. ... Starting cornerback Cedrick Holt broke his left ankle in the first half of the N.C. State game and is likely lost for the season. ... The Tar Heels won the last meeting with the Cavaliers at Kenan Stadium, taking a 30-24 win in 2001.