North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Stays Busy
8/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 17, 2004
By Tony Haynes Raleigh, N.C. - No one ever said preseason football practice was a leisurely walk in the park. After enduring their first scrimmage in the August humidity late Monday afternoon, a workout that lasted more than two hours, NC State's football players were right back at it on Tuesday morning. And that's just the half of it. Another practice later in the day followed the morning session as head coach Chuck Amato continued to condition his Wolfpack for the upcoming season. Amazingly, there was very little sign of wear and tear following the morning workout on Tuesday as most of the players had a little spring in their steps as they left the field and walked back up to the Murphy Center for lunch. "Considering how long the scrimmage went yesterday, that was a good practice," said Amato. "We put them in helmets and shoulder pads and we emphasized the passing game today. We got a lot out of it. They went a long time yesterday and then watched the film of that. We got them up an hour early this morning to finish it all up and make the corrections to the mistakes they were making." Preseason practice is indeed a mental and physical grind, especially during two-a-days. The on-the-field workouts are usually accompanied by meetings and film sessions as coaches try to squeeze in as much as they can before classes begin. The grueling process can certainly take its toll. Amato said that backup center Kalani Heppe would be out from four to six weeks after breaking four bones in his foot during Monday's scrimmage. "Kalani broke four bones in his foot in the first series and didn't miss a snap," Amato said. "If all our kids were that tough...." With Heppe out, starting left guard Leroy Harris is now working as the backup center behind Jed Paulsen. Amato said that starting defensive end Manny Lawson was "walking around pretty good" after bruising an ankle during the scrimmage. One of the pleasant surprises of fall camp has been sophomore defensive tackle Tank Tyler, who has worked with the first-team defensive line extensively this week. Tyler, from E.E. Smith High School in Fayetteville, was almost switched to the offensive side of the ball this fall before the coaches changed their minds. He now appears to be battling for playing time with redshirt junior Dwayne Herndon.
