North Carolina State University Athletics
Pads Pop in Pack Practices
12/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 12, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-If anyone thought NC State football coach Chuck Amato would treat his team with kid gloves during preparations for the upcoming Mazda Tangerine Bowl meeting with Kansas on December 22nd, they were sadly mistaken. For the last three days, the bowl practice wardrobe has included full pads, from helmets all the way down to thigh pads and knee pads. The Pack concluded Friday's workout with a full-speed goal line drill. And more fun is to come on Saturday when the team will gather for a scrimmage that could last up to three hours.
"Yesterday, they were trying to survive with the cold weather and it wasn't a very good practice," Amato said late Friday afternoon. "Today we had a really, really good practice. We were going to scrimmage on Sunday, but with the weather the way it's supposed to be we're going to scrimmage tomorrow. We're going to try to get out on the field about two hours sooner to beat the weather."
With the potential for some frozen precipitation being predicted for Saturday night into Sunday, Amato wasn't going to take any chances. NC State hasn't really engaged in what could be considered game-speed action since the final regular season contest against Maryland on November 22. That's not to suggest, however, that there's been no contact. Over the last three days, things have gotten quite physical during certain stages of the practice script.
"When we have full pads on, we do quite a bit [of full contact]," Amato said. "We had a good goal line session today. The competition makes you a little bit better."
After being away for a few days to attend the college football awards banquet in Orlando, quarterback Philip Rivers was back on the field Friday, winging throws to all of his favorite receivers. Rivers didn't win any awards in Orlando, but was on hand to witness the bizarre results of the voting. Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning won the Maxwell Award, given to the the college football player of the year, yet wasn't the top quarterback. That award, the O'Brien Trophy, went to Jason White of Oklahoma.
Other than offensive guard Ricky Fowler, Amato says NC State is completely healthy heading into Saturday's scrimmage. Fowler has been nursing a knee injury that dates back to midseason.
Like many others from the NC State department of athletics, Amato attended the funeral of former Wolfpack basketball coach Norm Sloan on Friday morning. Amato, who was an assistant football coach at NC State the year Sloan's team won the national title in 1974, said that one of his biggest thrills this year was the opportunity to give coach Sloan a personalized tour of the new Murphy Football Center last summer.
