North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Limps Into Final Three-Game Stretch
10/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-While NC State was beating Duke in Durham on Saturday, the training table behind the Wolfpack bench was abuzz with activity. At one point, head football trainer Jamey Coll probably wondered if it was time to go from one training table to two or maybe even three. While receiver Tramain Hall was getting his sprained ankle re-taped, Greg Golden was having an injured toe evaluated. Then there was receiver Richard Washington, who winced in pain with every breath after taking a hard shot to his ribs.
Although the official injury report won't be out until Monday, NC State head coach Chuck Amato held out little hope that Washington would be available for next Saturday's 3:30 home game against Virginia. Following the Duke game, Amato said that the sophomore had "a couple of cracked ribs."
All this comes as the Wolfpack gets set to thrust itself into its most difficult and important stretch of the season. After hosting the Cavaliers, the Pack will travel to ACC top dog Florida State before finishing up with another home game against Maryland. At stake in every contest will be a high finish in the final league standings, along with a number of bowl possibilities that will hinge on the outcome of all three games.
"I wish we were healthier than we are right now, especially on offense," Amato said on Sunday. "Now it's Richard Washington."
Washington will join an injury list that includes, among others, running back T.A. McLendon (knee), tackle Chris Colmer (Parsonage Turned Syndrome), receiver Sterling Hicks (knee) and cornerback Lamont Reid (shoulder). Take away Washington and Hicks, and you basically eliminate two talented receivers that were expected to be on the field for the majority of the Wolfpack's offensive snaps this season.
Of course, NC State still has Jerricho Cotchery and Hall, who both went over 100 yards receiving against the Blue Devils. Hicks is gone for the year after undergoing ACL surgery. If Washington joins him on the shelf for an extended period of time, the tremendous depth the Pack enjoyed at the wide receiver positions early in the season will no longer exist. And while Cotchery and Hall are usually productive with quarterback Philip Rivers feeding them the ball, their stamina would be severely tested if Washington can't come back anytime soon.
Some of those concerns could be alleviated somewhat if McLendon, a first-team All-ACC runner last year, can get healthy and contribute to a running game that has been virtually non-existent without him. In the 28-21 win over Duke, 31 of NC State's 54 total offensive plays were passes. If that ratio gets any more out of balance and the Wolfpack is forced to throw even more, Cotchery and Hall will be piling up a lot of mileage running pass patterns over the last three games.
But for a team that has been forced to fight through an abnormal number of obstacles this fall, NC State has managed to keep itself in the hunt for some nice postseason prizes by winning five of its last six games.
"We're excited about where we are right now," Amato said. "We're one of five teams with two losses [in the conference].
Heading into next week's action, NC State, Virginia, Maryland, Clemson and Georgia Tech are even in the loss column. On Saturday, four of those teams will be in action when the Pack tangles with UVa while Clemson plays at Wake Forest. Maryland will entertain North Carolina. Georgia Tech has the weekend off.
