North Carolina State University Athletics
Evans All Clear for Maryland Week
10/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Later, team doctors said Evans had suffered a slight concussion, the result of a jarring hit he had taken in the fourth quarter.
Two days after that diagnosis, however, the redshirt sophomore has been cleared to practice for the Pack’s (3-3, 2-1)
“The doctors have released him to practice,” said NC State coach Chuck Amato. “I think he’s very probable [for the game]. I don’t think there’s any question.”
And that’s good news for Amato and his football team, which has certainly benefited from Evans’ poise and accuracy since he replaced Marcus Stone as the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback three games ago.
Against conference opponents, the
His pick on Saturday, a ball that fluttered in the air right before he was hit, came at a time when the Wolfpack was trying close in on a third straight dramatic comeback win over an ACC opponent. It was Josh Gattis who ultimately came up with the game-winning interception. Earlier in the drive, Wake just missed another interception when cornerback Riley Swanson jumped in front of a short pass to the sideline only to have the ball bounce in and out of his hands.
“On the first play of that drive when their DB dropped that interception, I said that’s the omen,’” Amato said.
But another Pack comeback was not to be this time.
Still, Amato and his team appear to be upbeat heading into Saturday’s contest in
Evans’ efficiency through the air is complimenting the running of backs Toney
“He’s very poised and he makes great decisions,” said
Defensively, the Pack has also made remarkable strides since giving up 442 yards of total offense in a lopsided 37-17 loss at
What’s changed since the game on
“A sense of urgency,” said safety Miguel Scott. “We had a lot of missed tackles and missed assignments in those [earlier] games. After that [
If NC State’s last three games are any indication, then the rest of the ACC season will be filled with strange twists, big plays and nail-biting finishes. After all, the memorable battles with
How much more can Pack fans take?
“That’s ACC football,”
And if the Wolfpack can continue to improve as a football team, it will have an opportunity to bag some more big conference wins down the stretch. But much of that damage will have to be done on the road since four of NC State’s last five ACC games will be in venues that will be anything but hospitable.
It all starts with
“I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for us,” Amato said. “I’m sorry we lost the game, but we played three back-to-backs against three very good teams. Two of them were ranked and a third that could have very easily been ranked. If we play six more like that, we’re going to feel real good about ourselves.”
