North Carolina State University Athletics
T.A. is Feeling OK
12/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 11, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-During a recent break, NC State running back T.A. McLendon sat back and watched a tape of NC State's wild 51-48 victory at Texas Tech on September 21. Why the Texas Tech game? For one, the freshman from Albemarle wanted to relive a performance that produced 150 yards rushing and five touchdowns, including the game-winner in the extra period.
But there's another reason the ACC Rookie of the Year wanted to review the contest: It was the last time he remembers feeling completely healthy.
"I was watching the game last week and I saw I had two hands, I felt good," McLendon said. "I was watching myself and thought, 'that's what a healthy T.A. looks like.' After that game was when I really started to get sore. I had never been that sore in my life. That turf hurt me."
The aches and pains escalated the next week when McLendon broke a small bone in his right wrist, forcing him to wear a protective cast for the remainder of the season. That didn't stop him from rushing for 1,082 yards and 16 touchdowns in one of the best seasons ever recorded by a rookie runner in the ACC.
A record-breaking tailback at Albemarle High School, McLendon came in with high acclaim but with questions surrounding his ability to make the transition from a lower high school classification to major division one college football. While confident in his abilities, he wasn't quite sure what to expect.
"I was going to go out and play hard regardless, but I never really thought I'd be doing it like I did," he said. "I didn't think I was going to end up with a thousand. I thought I was going to end up with 100 yards on the season."
Renowned for being able to sleep anytime, anywhere (even on the bus trip to the stadium before a game), McLendon often looked like he was napping on the field after absorbing some of the bone-rattling hits he took this fall. But like former NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown, he would slowly climb back on his feet and stagger to the huddle as if his legs were about to collapse under him. Seconds later, however, he would look like a totally different person with the ball in his hands.
Speaking of hands, McLendon says there's a 50-50 chance he'll continue to wrap his wrist with the protective cast in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame.
"It's my decision," he said. "If I feel like I need to wear one, I'll wear it. If I can bend my wrist like I used to, I won't need it. I'll just try moving it a lot and try to get full motion back in it. If it's feeling good for the game I won't wear it."
Unlike college football players and observers from a different generation, McLendon's perspective on Notre Dame football is a little different. When he was growing up, teams like Florida, Florida State, Miami and Nebraska were winning championships, while the Irish were trudging through a series of mediocre (by their standards) seasons.
"They're just another team to me," McLendon said when asked if he would be intimidated by the Notre Dame mystique.
One aspect of this year's Notre Dame team that will certainly grab McLendon's attention is an aggressive defense that allowed only 98 yards rushing per game. The Irish's general strategy during the regular season was to stop the run by putting eight men in the box.
"They're going to play hard and we're going to play hard," McLendon said. "They're going to come off the ball and we're going to come off the ball. There are going to be a lot of collisions. It's just going to be a great game. If they play eight in the box, they'll have to worry about our receivers. If you stop the run, we can pass. Stop the pass, we can run. We're not one dimensional and everybody is a threat."
And T.A. McLendon will certainly be a threat, especially if he's healthy for the first time since that game at Texas Tech.
