North Carolina State University Athletics
The Rivers Report
9/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 23, 2002
Quotes of the Week:
"This guy is responsible accountable to more than just football. He's got a lot of people depending on him and he answers the call - every single time." Dave Lapham of FOX Sports
"The lead candidate for next year's Heisman Trophy is N.C. State QB Philip Rivers." Lenn Robbins of the New York Post
Victorious Rivers: Just five games into his junior campaign, Philip Rivers has now won 20 games as a starting quarterback. That win total tops Tennessee's Casey Clausen as the top mark in the nation by a junior.
Rivers had tallied more passing yards than any other player in ACC history upon completion of their sophomore campaign heading into 2002 (5,640). His current yardage total (6,894) ranks second among current juniors nationally.
Philip Rivers Among Junior Quarterbacks
Career Wins as a Starter
1. Philip Rivers, NC State 20-9
2. Casey Clausen, Tennessee 19-4
Career Passing TDs by Juniors
1. Luke McCown, Louisiana Tech 58
2. Philip Rivers, NC State 50
Jared Lorenzon. Kentucky 50
4. Jason Gesser, Washington St. 46
Career Passing Yardage by Juniors
1. Luke McCown, La Tech 7,110
2. Philip Rivers, NC State 6,894
3. Jared Lorenzon, Kentucky 6,778
The Efficiency Expert: Wolfpack junior Philip Rivers has led the nation in passing efficiency for most of the season and currently ranks third with a 182.8 mark, the top mark in the ACC. He has thrown just three interceptions this season and had thrown 81 straight balls without a pickoff.
Rivers ranks 21st in the nation in total offense this week with 258.4 yards per game, the second-best mark in the ACC. Rivers was his most efficient in the win at Navy on September 7, completing 10-of-15 passes, with half of those completions going for touchdowns. He tallied 309 yards and threw no interceptions.
The five touchdown strikes tied as the most in school history (Rivers also had five vs. Indiana in 2000 and Terry Harvey had five vs. Wake Forest in 1995). He also set an NC State single-game record for yards per completion (30.9) and yards per attempt (20.6). The previous marks were 23.91 and 11.33, respectively. The NCAA single-season passing efficiency record is 183.3 by Tulane's Shaun King.
Deep Rivers: Philip Rivers has now completed 112 career passes over 20 yards, 20% of his total completions. He showed an aptitude for the long ball during his freshman campaign, completing 55 passes that went for 20+ yards (he threw many of those to first-round draft pick Koren Robinson). Last year, he threw more mid-range passes, with only 33 going for long distance as tailback Ray Robinson was the Pack's leading receiver. This season, however, Rivers is throwing deep more often, with 24 20+yard throws already this season.
Here's a look at Rivers' long-pass tallies for his career:
Yardage 2000 2001 2002 Totals 20-29 27 20 13 60 30-39 17 6 4 27 40-49 6 4 3 13 50+ 5 3 4 12 Totals 55 33 24 112
Rivers in the Rain: With rain predicted for this weekend's game versus Massachusetts, it's interesting to look at Philip Rivers' record in the rain. As a starter in six games in the rain, Rivers has led the Pack to a 6-0 mark and has completed 116 of 201 passes for 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions while playing in the rain.
Rocket-Start Rivers: Quarterback Philip Rivers has been phenomenal in the first half of games this season, completing 47 of 69 first-half pass attempts (68.1 percent) for 745 yards and five touchdowns. He has thrown one first-half interception.
Responsible Rivers: Philip Rivers set another single-game school record in the win over Navy, as he was responsible for six touchdowns. Rivers threw for a five TDs, tying his own school record, and ran for another. The previous record was five, set by Rivers vs. Indiana in 2000 (5 passing), Terry Harvey vs. Wake Forest in 1995 (5 passing) and Stan Fritts vs. Wake Forest in 1972 (5 rushing).Rivers has now passed Ted Brown to move into second place on theWolfpack career list for touchdown responsibility. Rivers' tally stands at 59, second only to Jamie Barnette's 74.
Rushing Rivers: Not only has Philip Rivers been efficient passing the ball this season (he has led the nation for much of the season in passing efficiency), but he has found a new way to get the ball into the endzone: running it in himself.
Rivers, who has never been described as "fleet of foot," has scored five rushing touchdowns already this season, one more than the total from his freshmen and sophomore seasons combined.
Rivers has now rushed for 38 yards this season. His 26 yards on the ground versus New Mexico was a career best and the games versus the Lobos and East Tennessee State marked only the second time in his career that he has gained positive yardage in back-to-back games.
Regarded Rivers: The Walter Camp Football Foundation released a list of 25 preseason candidates for its 2002 Player of the Year award during the first week of the season, and the Pack's Philip Rivers was among the list of hopefuls. Rivers is also on the preseason Watch List for the Davey O'Brien Award.
They said it....
Right now, Rivers' pass efficiency numbers are off the charts. This is one of those guys who truly does seem to get better every game he plays. -ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski
How good is Philip Rivers? The answer is no one knows yet. He keeps getting better. This Wolfpack team runs through Philip Rivers. How far it goes depends on how far he takes it. On Saturday night [versus Wake Forest], he was cool, on target, in charge and clearly capable of taking the team farther than it has been in a long time. -Ned Barnette of the Raleigh News & Observer
Philip Rivers is a big part of the NC State team and he helps them compete. He's smart and he gets the ball to the right people. He's always been a factor. -ABC's Terry Bowden
Philp Rivers is on fire. -CNNSI's Stewart Mandel
Philip Rivers is the real deal. -Former University of Georgia Head Coach and ESPN analyst Jim Donnan
Keep an eye on him. Rivers is the real deal ... Philip Rivers and NC State is a team to watch. -ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit
