North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Baker Earns Starting Job for Opener
8/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – Going into last year's season opener, NC State coach Tom O'Brien had some major questions about the starting lineup he spackled together to face the Gamecocks.
He wasn't sure about his center, converted defensive lineman Ted Larsen, or his quarterback, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson. He didn't know how well his defensive front would play together. Those questions created major headaches.
This time around, however, as the Wolfpack prepares to host the Gamecocks next Thursday at 7:03 p.m. at sold-out Carter-Finley Stadium, the questions aren't as troublesome.
The biggest news Friday afternoon, when the coach released the depth chart for next week's game, is that senior Toney Baker, who has missed the last two seasons with a knee injury, has returned to the starting lineup.
The coach also announced that two redshirt freshmen, right guard R.J. Mattes, whose father played at Virginia when O'Brien was an assistant there, and cornerback C.J. Wilson, have also earned starting jobs against the Gamecocks.
To be honest, the coach admitted, those minor deviations from what the preseason organizational chart suggested coming out of spring practice don't leave him nearly as queasy as last year's new players.
"We have questions in a couple of spots, but we don't have questions at key spots in the lineup, like a quarterback and the offensive line and up front on defense, like we did last year," O'Brien said. "When we have won football games, we have won them because we have gotten good play out of our defensive front and out of our quarterback.
"In that regard, we are a lot more experienced than we were at this point last season."
For Baker, who led the Wolfpack in rushing in 2006 with 688 yards, it's a return to the starting job he had at the beginning of 2007. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter of the opener against William & Mary. He tried to return last season, but needed another surgery to repair his knee in the preseason and was out all year.
O'Brien said the fifth-year senior earned the starting job over senior Jamelle Eugene with his hard work in the spring and in preseason workouts. Baker has rushed for 1,272 yards in two-plus seasons, with 11 rushing touchdowns and one touchdown reception.
The coach isn't exactly sure how Baker will perform after nearly two years out of action, but he likes what he's seen so far.
"We won't know where Toney is completely until he gets in a football game." O'Brien said."He is certainly a lot better than he was in spring practice and certainly did a great job in preseason when he had the opportunity to carry the ball, catch the ball, protect the quarterback."
The good thing is that Eugene, who missed spring practice because of shoulder surgery, also returns to the backfield, giving the Wolfpack two experience ball carriers with more than 1,000 rushing yards in their careers.
"Jamelle will be as effective as he has always been," O'Brien said. "It's a good position to be in to have two backs of that caliber. They will share the time. I don't know if you can say there is a starter or a backup because they are the same."
Russell Wilson., the reigning first-team All-ACC quarterback, is certainly the team's starter under center, but he will get a little relief from redshirt freshman Mike Glennon, who O'Brien plans to insert into the game at some point in the second quarter, to give him his first collegiate experience.
"We will figure out [exactly when] as the game goes on," O'Brien said. "Generally, what I have done in the past is that he will go in during the second quarter. He will definitely play in a meaningful situation, sometime in the second quarter."
C.J. Wilson is one of several new faces in the secondary. He and Koyal George, who was converted from wide receiver two years ago, have just two career starts between them. Safeties Clem Johnson, Earl Wolff, Justin Byers and Bobby Floyd have 13 starts between them, but are still a question mark in O'Brien's eyes.
"I think we are very athletic back there," said the coach. "What we are lacking is experience. The only thing you can do is get in the football game and play. We are going to find out Thursday night what their experience level is. They are talented and they are going to play hard.
"That is all we can ask of them right now."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
