Toney Baker Out For Season With Knee Injury

'07 Football General NCS Football28

It gets worse.

NC State has now lost our two best offensive players for the season.

Toney Baker has injured his knee and is out for the entire season after All-ACC tight end Anthony Hill injured his knee before the season began.

Presuming that Harrison Beck replaces Daniel Evans at quarterback on Saturday, the eleven offensive players who will start the second game of the season will be comprised of only seven players that were initially listed as starters at the beginning of camp; Hill, Baker, Evans and Jerrail McCuller will have all lost their starting jobs for some reason or another.

The Wolfpack may not have a position at which we are deeper than running back. Andre Brown and Jamelle Eugene could potentially start at every ACC school other than Clemson. In a worst-case injury scenario at the position during the season, State could move Darrell Blackman into the backfield from his wide-out spot.

The start of the Tom O’Brien era in Raleigh sure could use some good news.

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

'07 Football General NCS Football

28 Responses to Toney Baker Out For Season With Knee Injury

  1. moomba78 09/02/2007 at 3:45 PM #

    is this for real.

  2. choppack1 09/02/2007 at 3:53 PM #

    Just when you thought you couldn’t get much more disappointed about Wolfpack football.

  3. Wulfpack 09/02/2007 at 4:16 PM #

    Man. My heart goes out to Toney. It just went from bad to worse. Keep your heads up.

  4. vtpackfan 09/02/2007 at 4:23 PM #

    Obviously the stretching routine introduced by the new staff couldn’t stop Ant. Hill and Toney Baker from missing entire seasons. They were, IMO, the best two offensive players.

  5. moomba78 09/02/2007 at 4:30 PM #

    i knew this was the wrong time to stop sniffin glue

  6. noah 09/02/2007 at 4:46 PM #

    Does he have a redshirt he can use?

  7. moomba78 09/02/2007 at 4:46 PM #

    yes, he does have a redshirt….

  8. beowolf 09/02/2007 at 4:53 PM #

    Well, if we’re going to have bad news like this, might as well be during a season we’d all written off anyway.

  9. MatSci94 09/02/2007 at 4:53 PM #

    This is too bad, I really like how TB runs. On the bright side, the mean and run people over Andre Brown showed up again in the 2nd half. Eugene had some nice plays too. The first play I saw him in last night he picked up a pass rusher and gave them a really nice pop and knocked them back, instead of the usual half hearted whiff that RB’s usually end up with.

    My 5 yo son just got a 22 jersey, and couldn’t stop pointing him out when he was on the field, he’s going to be bummed. Get well soon TB.

  10. Cosmo96 09/02/2007 at 5:55 PM #

    We have enough depth there that the team will be fine (barring further injuries). It sucks for Tony, though, because I’m sure he really wants to play. Long term, he’ll be fine. He’ll redshirt and have two more years. He’ll probably be our featured back by his RS senior year, with Eugene and Barnes in the mix.

  11. buttPACKer 09/02/2007 at 6:26 PM #

    beowolf,

    I second that. . . I kinda feel like this season is just a

  12. buttPACKer 09/02/2007 at 6:28 PM #

    beowolf,

    I second that. . . I kinda feel like were just treading water this season, and the real one starts next year.

    It is much easier to stomach when you approach it from this perspective!

  13. Dr. BadgerPack 09/02/2007 at 6:30 PM #

    Well, always one to look for the silver lining, Baker should now eventually get to run behind a real offensive line.

    In all seriousness, get well soon Toney!

    On the redshirts, even if Baker had previously used one just to sit out a year, aren’t medical redshirts a separate issue? I don’t know if that has been changed, but I recall 6th year players in the past (“normal” redshirt and medical redshirt).

  14. wolfonthehill 09/02/2007 at 7:10 PM #

    Welcome to NC State, Coach O’Brien. Welcome to our world.

    Truly amazing the decimation our basketball and football teams so frequently suffer. I dare anyone to name another school that has suffered anything like we have since about 1992.

  15. ncsumatman 09/02/2007 at 7:13 PM #

    I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, but I’ll be excited to see what Andre can do without being shifted in and out of the lineup to free up carries for TB. I think AB gets frustrated when he is yanked, I know it showed last year and the year prior. Also, make no doubt about it, AB is our best offensive player.

    Get well TB.

  16. PurplePeopleEaters 09/02/2007 at 7:54 PM #

    I personally like Andre a lot more than Toney in the backfield but this is still an annoying and crushing blow to our backfield. Why does this have to happen every year? Potential all-acc RB and all-acc TE both out for the season.

    as ncsumatman said this might be a blessing in disguise though. I like Andre’s running style a lot more than Toney’s and Eugene is a solid backup. Plus Stone had a great game at TE last night.

  17. for2n8son 09/02/2007 at 8:11 PM #

    I really hate it for Toney, but sometimes you can have too much talent at a position and in trying to give everybody playing time, you keep anyone from getting into a rhythm.

  18. acc10k 09/02/2007 at 8:11 PM #

    Dr. BadgerPack Says:
    “On the redshirts, even if Baker had previously used one just to sit out a year, aren’t medical redshirts a separate issue? I don’t know if that has been changed, but I recall 6th year players in the past (”normal” redshirt and medical redshirt).”

    Short answer – no. To get a sixth year, both of the seasons you missed have to be for reasons beyond your control (basically, injuries). Redshirting because that is what your team tries to do with all freshmen does not count.

  19. Dr. BadgerPack 09/02/2007 at 8:32 PM #

    ^Thanks. So the second redshirt boils down to an NCAA appeal process (slim-to-no chance). I guess Feggins pulled a second one after getting shot was it? I suppose that’s as extenuating as it needs to be for the NCAA.

  20. haze 09/02/2007 at 9:53 PM #

    A few years back, UT lost their RS Sr QB in the 1st game of the year (may have been the 1st half of the 1st game). NCAA did not grant a 6th year.

  21. BoKnowsNCS71 09/02/2007 at 10:19 PM #

    Maybe the hand of destiny can deliver better results than coaching. Remember Wake Forest last year — losing their top RB and QB and doing well. Maybe the other kids will stand up and take advantage of this challenge.

  22. noah 09/03/2007 at 12:44 AM #

    The only time that a sixth year is given is if the injury prevents the student from attending class.

    In Bryant Feggins case and in Chris Colmer’s case, they were unable to participate as students because of the nature of their injuries.

    In Baker’s case, I see no reason why we should waste a year of his eligibility on this team. Might as well save him for when we have a decent chance.

  23. GAWolf 09/03/2007 at 9:29 AM #

    “Welcome to NC State, Coach O’Brien. Welcome to our world.” my thoughts exactly.

    However, Baker redshirting might very well be a blessing in disguise. It gives him a year without Brown to carry the load AND, as you’ve already pointed out, perhaps get the shot to run behind a real offensive line.

    I hate it for Toney and he’s got a lot of pain and rehab in his future. I wish that on no one. However, this could ultimately give him the best shot to prove he’s NFL-worthy when he’s the only main guy on campus as a redshirt senior.

    This also gives Eugene a chance to truly shine this year.

  24. sf59 09/03/2007 at 10:48 AM #

    arrrrrrrggggg… this will give AB and JE a lot more carries. Hope they step it up. I was lloking forward to watching TB for 2 more years…. I am sure he will only be around for maybe 1 now :(.

  25. CaptainCraptacular 09/03/2007 at 10:58 AM #

    This really sucks for Toney, he seems like a great guy. Like others said, if there’s a silver lining it will allow JE to get more touches, and I think he’s going to make the most of them.

1 2

Leave a Reply