North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Holds Half Scrimmage
4/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 3, 2002
Wolfpack Holds Half Scrimmage
The NC State football team held a situational scrimmage for half of Wednesday afternoon's practice, while also working on fundamentals and special teams during the workout. The scrimmage ended with two periods of goalline work. The workout was held on the on-campus practice fields.
"Our goalline drills were encouraging if you're on the defense and discouraging if you're on the offense," said head coach Chuck Amato after practice, as the defense was successful in keeping the offense out of the endzone for all but a couple of plays. "We've got to get more physical up front on both sides of the ball."
The Wolfpack front line on offense currently boasts just one returning starter, Scott Kooistra. Chris Colmer is sitting out after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured bone in his foot, while Shane Riggs and Sean Locklear are both making the transition from another position. "One of our biggest goals for spring is for that unit to mesh, and we're just not there yet," Amato continued. "But we've got one guy out, two guys learning new positions and a young center. They're making progress, but we've got a long way to go."
Quarterbacks Philip Rivers and redshirt freshman Jay Davis each saw frequent action during the workout. The tandem threw to a bevy of wide receivers, including Bryan Peterson, Sterling Hicks, Dovonte Edwards, Chris Murray and Andy Bertrand. "Both of our quarterbacks are making excellent strides," Amato continued. "Jay is having a solid spring."
The coaching staff made a position change this week, moving sophomore wide receiver Troy Graham to defensive back. Graham responded well early, intercepting a pass over the middle during the scrimmage.
Amato also added that his second main goal for spring workouts was to develop senior leadership. "Our seniors have got to take charge of this team," he added. "We're still waiting to see who is really going to stand up and take on leadership roles for us."
