The last week of the 2004-2005 National Football League regular season saw some important contributions from former NC State University Wolfpackers, including three Touchdowns from some recent favorites.
Torry Holt became the first player in NFL history with five consecutive 1,300-yard seasons when he caught a 44-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half against the New York Jets.
In the same Rams-Jets game, another former Wolfpack wide out, Jerricho Cotchery, returned a kick 94-yards to score his first touchdown of the year for the Jets. Cotchery ended his rookie season with six catches for no touchdowns in the process of earning a strong reputation for hard-nosed play with Jets’ Head Coach, Herman Edwards. Cotchery saw extensive time on special teams in his first season and figures into the Jets future plans at wide receiver.
Perhaps NC State’s most heralded football player of all-time, Philip Rivers, also scored his first NFL touchdown on Sunday. Due to the San Diego Chargers’ pre-determined playoff berth, Rivers playedthe second half of the Chargers’ final game against the 7-8 Kansas City Chiefs. Playing with the 2nd string and a 17-7 lead to start the 3rd quarter, Rivers managed the game well enough to insure the Chargers a 24-17 win to finish the season 12-4. Rivers finished the day 5 of 8 for 33 yards with a 13 yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd in the middle of the 4th Quarter.
All three Wolfpackers mentioned in this article play on teams that will participate in the NFL’s playoffs starting this Sunday.
