North Carolina State University Athletics
It's Rivers....Again
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2003
ACC Co-Offensive Back of the Week, Philip Rivers...
Led the Wolfpack with 449 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in a double overtime loss at No. 11 Florida State. The 6-5, 236-pound quarterback completed 28-of-38 passes for 422 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The senior also rushed for 27 yards and a score. Rivers broke the ACC record with his sixth career 400-yard passing game and tied the NCAA record for career starts by a quarterback with his 49th. Now second in NCAA history with 12,801 career yards of total offense, Rivers moved into third place in NCAA history with 12,733 career passing yards and seventh in NCAA history with 90 career TD passes.
Over his last two games, Rivers is 57-of-72 (79 percent) for 832 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.
"I'm at the stage now where I'm seeing things better than ever," Rivers said. "Every game it seems like things are clicking and my decisions are coming quick. [Quarterback coach] Curt Cignetti has had a lot to do with the completion percentage this year as far as little things that we see. All of those things are drilled into me all week and have really allowed me to take control and get into a rhythm. I think that's what's happened these last two games."
For the season, Rivers is hitting 72.3 percent of his passes, a figure that will be the top mark in ACC history if it holds up. Former Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward currently holds the single-season record at 69 percent.
McLendon Probable: NC State running back T.A. McLendon, who left the Florida State game in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder, is listed as probable for the regular season finale against Maryland. Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato doesn't yet know how available the sophomore will be for practice this week.
"I'll know better on Tuesday," Amato said. "Even if they give him the 100 percent go I probably won't [work him]. But then again, I might. Maybe I've softened him too much. It's easy for me to say that now; by tomorrow I'll become a wimp again."
Because of a multitude of injuries, McLendon has played in only six of NC State's 11 games this season and has averaged just 14.6 carries per contest.
