North Carolina State University Athletics
The Wright Stuff
7/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 19, 2001
By Tony Haynes
NC State's secret weapon isn't a secret anymore. Heading into the 2000 football season, opposing defensive coordinators didn't know very much about Willie Wright. This season, however, they'll be very aware of the Wolfpack's sticky fingered tight end.
Following a two-year hiatus from football, Wright returned in a big way last season, setting a new school record for tight ends by grabbing 31 passes. His coming out party came in week two at Indiana where he made a team-high nine catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
"They say you play the best games when you're nervous, and I hadn't played in a couple of years so I was very nervous before the game," Wright said. "I really didn't want to mess up when I was out there for the first time. The Lord really blessed me on that day and throughout the season."
Wright's presence in the middle of the field combined with Koren Robinson's big-play fireworks on the outside gave NC State one of the top one-two receiving punches in the Atlantic Coast Conference. As a result, The Pack averaged more than 30 points per game in route to a surprising 8-4 campaign.
"It was good to come back and help out the Wolfpack, which is what I wanted to do from the beginning," Wright said. "It was very satisfying. I don't think we went as far as we wanted to as a team because you're never satisfied until you're at the top."
Bigger than most wide receivers but smaller and faster than normal sized tight ends, Wright presents some unique problems for opposing defenses because he can line up anywhere on the field. On one play, he may be down in a conventional three-point stance next to the tackle. On the next play, he could end up on the outside like a wide receiver. Defenses rarely know where Wright will be. As a result, they often scramble to figure out coverage responsibilities on a player who, for all intents and purposes, can play two positions.
"This is a perfect offense for a guy like me," Wright explains. "I don't have the big size like a normal tight end and I'm not as small as some of the wide receivers, I'm somewhere in between. I get to do both so it keeps defenses guessing. I love it. I love lining up inside and enjoy flexing out. I get a lot of snaps and I'm always in the game."
With Robinson now in the NFL, Wright will certainly be called on to be even more of a factor this season. It's doubtful the Pack will feature any one receiver as dynamic as Robinson, so it will be up to the other receivers to pick up the slack collectively.
Wright is planning to do his part to fill the void.
"I feel like I'm ready to do that and I feel like I have to," said Wright, who will be a fifth year senior this fall. "I know my teammates are counting on me. We have other receivers that are great and we just want to combine together. We may not have the big play guy like Koren, but we have some playmakers. I want to be the go to guy, if there's a pressure situation, I want the ball. I'm a senior so I feel that's my responsibility."
It sounds like the NC State offense will be in `good hands' with Willie Wright this season.
