North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Kay Yow Spring Game Wildly Successful
4/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. It was a friendly game, with friendly competition between teammates.
But Saturday afternoon’s inaugural Kay Yow Spring Football Game was about more than just the end of spring practice for the NC State football squad. It was about Wolfpack fans showing their interest in this year’s team and their love for the late women’s basketball coach and NC State icon for whom the event is now named.
From the pink shirts and hats worn by the coaches, the pink pompons shaken by the cheerleaders, the pink tape around players’ ankles and wrists and the pink ribbon painted on the 50-yard line the red-clad stadium was dotted with a few softer highlights, honoring Yow’s courageous fight against breast cancer.
A total of 21,075 fans the largest in memory, if not in the history of NC State football attended the contest, filling both the upper and lower decks of the West grandstand and a large portion of the south endzone seating.
Wolfpack head football coach Tom O’Brien asked every adult in attendance to contribute a dollar, with the funds raised being split between the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and the Wolfpack Club’s Kay Yow Memorial Scholarship Fund.
But, as the red sea poured into Gates 1-4, just about everyone shoved something into the recycling bins that served as the collection plates, including pennies, nickels, quarters, fives, tens, twenties and a number of checks.
Much of the money was put in by the kids, who understood the significance of their donation, even if they weren't required to donate. One small girl unidentified like everyone else who made a donation was seen breaking open her piggy bank and shaking it into the plastic bin.
“How about this crowd today?” O’Brien said after the game, as dozens of fans waited to get his autograph. “What a great show of support for Kay Yow. This is spectacular. It speaks to the Wolfpack nation and what great people they are.”
Prior to the game, a brief moment of silence was observed for both Yow and former Wolfpack defensive end Corey Smith, who was lost in the Gulf of Mexico in February while on a fishing trip.
But that was the only silent part of the show, as fans honored former players who gathered fro their third-annual alumni reunion and the current players who were finishing up their third spring practice under O’Brien.
The main attraction was the performances of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon, at least until Wilson had to rush off the field to go join the Wolfpack baseball team for its game Saturday night against Florida State.
Before he left, however, Wilson put on a passing and running exhibition for the Red squad, completing 10 of his 14 passes for 195 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown pass to Owen Spencer.
Glennon, the redshirt freshman, seemed to be just as sharp. He began with the White team, for which he completed 15 of 24 passes for 170 yards, including a 40-yard completion and a five-yard touchdown pass, both to sophomore Steven Howard. He competed for both teams for a portion of the second half, completing eight of 14 passes for 102 yards.
On the afternoon, Glennon was 23 of 38 for 272 yards and one touchdown.
In the end, Glennon’s White team defeated the Wilson/Glennon combo Red team by the score,10-7. The score, of course, didn’t matter as much as showcasing the talents of the dual-threat quarterbacks, neither of which threw an interception in the game.
Wilson showed he didn’t have to run as much, something that was an emphasis in the spring.
“We wanted to make sure he went into the spring looking for the number 2 receiver, not just the primary,” O’Brien said of his first-team All-ACC quarterback. “It’s not unusual for a freshman quarterback, if he sees his first receiver covered, to pull it down and run with the ball. But what he is doing a better job of is finding the number 2 guy.
“He is still buying time with his feet. We don’t want to discourage him from running, but you want to have him do a better job of finding the second guy so he doesn’t take some of those god-awful hits that he took last year.”
Glennon, the highly touted recruit from Centreville, Va., who redshirted last season, made his Wolfpack debut a memorable one for the fans, who have waited to see him in action.
“He did a great job,” O’Brien said. “He got into a lot of different situations that you try to simulate in practice. But that is hard to do. Certainly he has a good arm. He has a great demeanor on the sidelines. He doesn’t get flustered. It speaks to what he is going to bring to the plate.
“With him and Russell together, we are going to have a good one-two punch.”
O’Brien, of course, was looking at every aspect of his two teams, not just the quarterbacks. He’s still concerned about the development of the offensive line and the progress of the defensive secondary. He will expect to see improvement when fall practice begins in early August.
The defense, featuring 12 (touch-only) sacks of the quarterbacks, was strong throughout the day, with Clem Johnson and Audi Augustin recording game-high seven tackles for the Red team. The White team was led by Robert Bell’s six tackles and Nate Irving’s five. Eight different players got to the quarterbacks for sacks, with Augustin, J.R. Sweezy, Willie Young, Shea McKeen and Sterling Lucas all recording two each.
Tailback Toney Baker, who has missed the last two seasons with knee injuries, made a solid return to action, gaining 10 yards on seven carries, while freshman James Washington had a game-high 26 yards on nine carries.
As for the receiving corps, O’Brien liked the improved confidence of junior Jarvis Williams, who had five catches for 93 yards for the Red team, and redshirt freshman tight end Mario Carter, who had a game-high six catches for 68 yards for the White team. Howard and tight end George Bryan also made strong impressions, and Spencer made the biggest catch of the day to finish with the game-high 96 receiving yards.
Overall, O’Brien coach was almost as happy with his team’s performance throughout the spring as he was with the Wolfpack fans’ turnout on Saturday.
“I think it is pretty obvious that we are a much tougher football team,” the coach said. “A lot of those guys who played last year, we have them back for this fall. We are more experienced and I think it shows.
“I wasn’t happy with some of the false starts we had today, but I think our toughness level has improved.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
RALEIGH, N.C. It was a friendly game, with friendly competition between teammates.
But Saturday afternoon’s inaugural Kay Yow Spring Football Game was about more than just the end of spring practice for the NC State football squad. It was about Wolfpack fans showing their interest in this year’s team and their love for the late women’s basketball coach and NC State icon for whom the event is now named.
From the pink shirts and hats worn by the coaches, the pink pompons shaken by the cheerleaders, the pink tape around players’ ankles and wrists and the pink ribbon painted on the 50-yard line the red-clad stadium was dotted with a few softer highlights, honoring Yow’s courageous fight against breast cancer.
A total of 21,075 fans the largest in memory, if not in the history of NC State football attended the contest, filling both the upper and lower decks of the West grandstand and a large portion of the south endzone seating.
Wolfpack head football coach Tom O’Brien asked every adult in attendance to contribute a dollar, with the funds raised being split between the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and the Wolfpack Club’s Kay Yow Memorial Scholarship Fund.
But, as the red sea poured into Gates 1-4, just about everyone shoved something into the recycling bins that served as the collection plates, including pennies, nickels, quarters, fives, tens, twenties and a number of checks.
Much of the money was put in by the kids, who understood the significance of their donation, even if they weren't required to donate. One small girl unidentified like everyone else who made a donation was seen breaking open her piggy bank and shaking it into the plastic bin.
“How about this crowd today?” O’Brien said after the game, as dozens of fans waited to get his autograph. “What a great show of support for Kay Yow. This is spectacular. It speaks to the Wolfpack nation and what great people they are.”
Prior to the game, a brief moment of silence was observed for both Yow and former Wolfpack defensive end Corey Smith, who was lost in the Gulf of Mexico in February while on a fishing trip.
But that was the only silent part of the show, as fans honored former players who gathered fro their third-annual alumni reunion and the current players who were finishing up their third spring practice under O’Brien.
The main attraction was the performances of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon, at least until Wilson had to rush off the field to go join the Wolfpack baseball team for its game Saturday night against Florida State.
Before he left, however, Wilson put on a passing and running exhibition for the Red squad, completing 10 of his 14 passes for 195 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown pass to Owen Spencer.
Glennon, the redshirt freshman, seemed to be just as sharp. He began with the White team, for which he completed 15 of 24 passes for 170 yards, including a 40-yard completion and a five-yard touchdown pass, both to sophomore Steven Howard. He competed for both teams for a portion of the second half, completing eight of 14 passes for 102 yards.
On the afternoon, Glennon was 23 of 38 for 272 yards and one touchdown.
In the end, Glennon’s White team defeated the Wilson/Glennon combo Red team by the score,10-7. The score, of course, didn’t matter as much as showcasing the talents of the dual-threat quarterbacks, neither of which threw an interception in the game.
Wilson showed he didn’t have to run as much, something that was an emphasis in the spring.
“We wanted to make sure he went into the spring looking for the number 2 receiver, not just the primary,” O’Brien said of his first-team All-ACC quarterback. “It’s not unusual for a freshman quarterback, if he sees his first receiver covered, to pull it down and run with the ball. But what he is doing a better job of is finding the number 2 guy.
“He is still buying time with his feet. We don’t want to discourage him from running, but you want to have him do a better job of finding the second guy so he doesn’t take some of those god-awful hits that he took last year.”
Glennon, the highly touted recruit from Centreville, Va., who redshirted last season, made his Wolfpack debut a memorable one for the fans, who have waited to see him in action.
“He did a great job,” O’Brien said. “He got into a lot of different situations that you try to simulate in practice. But that is hard to do. Certainly he has a good arm. He has a great demeanor on the sidelines. He doesn’t get flustered. It speaks to what he is going to bring to the plate.
“With him and Russell together, we are going to have a good one-two punch.”
O’Brien, of course, was looking at every aspect of his two teams, not just the quarterbacks. He’s still concerned about the development of the offensive line and the progress of the defensive secondary. He will expect to see improvement when fall practice begins in early August.
The defense, featuring 12 (touch-only) sacks of the quarterbacks, was strong throughout the day, with Clem Johnson and Audi Augustin recording game-high seven tackles for the Red team. The White team was led by Robert Bell’s six tackles and Nate Irving’s five. Eight different players got to the quarterbacks for sacks, with Augustin, J.R. Sweezy, Willie Young, Shea McKeen and Sterling Lucas all recording two each.
Tailback Toney Baker, who has missed the last two seasons with knee injuries, made a solid return to action, gaining 10 yards on seven carries, while freshman James Washington had a game-high 26 yards on nine carries.
As for the receiving corps, O’Brien liked the improved confidence of junior Jarvis Williams, who had five catches for 93 yards for the Red team, and redshirt freshman tight end Mario Carter, who had a game-high six catches for 68 yards for the White team. Howard and tight end George Bryan also made strong impressions, and Spencer made the biggest catch of the day to finish with the game-high 96 receiving yards.
Overall, O’Brien coach was almost as happy with his team’s performance throughout the spring as he was with the Wolfpack fans’ turnout on Saturday.
“I think it is pretty obvious that we are a much tougher football team,” the coach said. “A lot of those guys who played last year, we have them back for this fall. We are more experienced and I think it shows.
“I wasn’t happy with some of the false starts we had today, but I think our toughness level has improved.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
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