North Carolina State University Athletics
McLendon, Maddox Questionable for Buckeyes
9/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. -- With Ohio State coming to town for a 3:30 p.m. contest at Carter-Finley Stadium this Saturday afternoon, Chuck Amato can only cross his fingers, hoping that his entire arsenal of talent will be available for the 7th ranked team in the country. Primarily, the Wolfpack head coach is concerned about the health status of three key starters: running back T.A. McLendon (hamstring), safety Andre Maddox (hamstring) and right tackle Derek Morris (ankle). A final evaluation on all three players probably won't be made until Friday.
As of Monday, all three were listed as questionable.
"T.A. practiced well on [Sunday], so that's one good one," Amato cracked during his Monday press conference. "He had practiced so well before he had pulled the hamstring. I just hope he'll make it and come Friday we'll let you know. We just hope he doesn't hurt his hamstring on the way to class or something."
McLendon, the frequently injured junior, missed the second half of preseason camp after pulling a hamstring during a breakaway run in practice. McLendon and Maddox sat out the opener against Richmond with hamstring pulls. Both practiced on Sunday.
"I'll be able to play," Maddox vowed on Monday.
Morris' status may be more uncertain since his injury actually occurred in the first quarter of the opening day 42-0 victory over the Spiders. Amato said the staff will have a clearer picture of the massive lineman's availability on Friday.
As for the game itself, it would be virtually impossible for the Buckeyes and Wolfpack to replicate the classic triple overtime battle they produced 12 months ago in Columbus. In the end, Ohio State prevailed 44-38, but only after McLendon was stopped just inches shy of the goal line in the third extra period.
Now the Pack will get a rematch in front of its own fans at Carter-Finley Stadium. The disappointing outcome of last year's contest is still very fresh in the minds of many NC State players.
"I'll tell you the truth, it drove me during the preseason," said receiver Tramain Hall. "When I worked out, that's what I thought about; those overtimes and how much we pushed and the fact that we lost by one yard. It was in the back of my mind every time I was pulling the sled. We've got an opportunity again to go out here and beat these guys."
And a win over Ohio State would be quite a feather in the cap of NC State primarily because the Buckeyes represent college football royalty. Ohio State's distinguished history in the game is at a level of excellence that NC State is working to attain.
"[A win] would be huge for the university, the community, the players, the fans," Amato said. "They're starting to believe that we can win these kinds of games. Now we've got to win them. We went to overtime in a couple of them last year and we lost another one in the last 30 seconds. Believing is one thing. Actually doing is something else. But believing is a big step in the right direction. It's a big game."
Saturday's game will mark the first time the Wolfpack has hosted a non-conference opponent ranked in the top-10 since No. 8 Alabama hung a 24-19 defeat on the Pack in 1996.
Ohio State, ranked 7th in the coaches poll and 9th in the AP poll, is 2-0 after pulling out a 24-21 victory over Marshall on Saturday. But over the last two seasons, including their national title year of 2002, the Buckeyes have been unbeatable in games that go down to the wire.
"That's the way Woody Hayes built that program," Amato said. "Coach Hayes is sitting up there and is just beaming from ear to ear that coach Tressel is winning the way he's winning in the new millennium. Woody won with a great running game, great defense and a great kicking game. That's what gives you a chance. When you have great defense and a great kicking game, you have a chance to win every game you play in. It may go down to the wire, but those things are what you need to win championships."
And winning championships is what Ohio State is all about. The 2002 title was the seventh in school history. In three years under Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 34-7 and 27-2 over the last two years.
