Another year, another round of injuries

'08 Football General67

Un-f*ing believable.

Just last year the NC State Wolfpack lost a staggering number of players to injury, including our three best offensive players – Anthony Hill, Toney Baker and Andrew Brown.

This year, Toney Baker has already been sidelined with another knee surgery and has no scheduled return date; and Andre Brown hasn’t practiced with the squad in recent memory.

So, it should only be consistent that it was announced on Friday that the Wolfpack’s best returning wide receiver is out for the season with a hairline fracture of his spine. #80, Donald Bowens will miss the 2008 season with the freak injury. (Link)

“Bowens is out – he’s done,” O’Brien said. “He’s got a fractured spine… well not a fractured spine I said that wrong. He has a hairline fracture. So he’s out for the year.”

As a sophomore, Bowens posted the team’s best reception average at 15 yards per catch. He totaled 41 receptions for 598 yards and three touchdowns. Bowens had a breakout performance in his start against Virginia, recording 11 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Those were the top marks ever posted by a NC State sophomore.

If there is any silver lining to this story it would be that Bowens has not yet red-shirted so he will still have two years of eligibility remaining (if he can ever play football again). Those two years will match themselves with the play of a more experienced quarterback both/either Russell Wilson and/or Mike Glennon should be more comfortable under center in 2009 and 2010 than they are this season. Additionally, State’s offensive line should be in better shape in the future as opposed to Coach O’Brien’s second season.

Including JUCO transfer and projected starting safety, Clem Johnson, State now has lost at least three projected starters from this year’s team and two weeks remain until the season opener at South Carolina.

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'08 Football General

67 Responses to Another year, another round of injuries

  1. DuPack 08/17/2008 at 11:48 AM #

    I hope the tone of these comments resides in the frustration over the preseason injury bug brought to a head by Bowens’s season ender. Daniel Evans would not be my desired starter, but how many of us have been to all the practices and seen Evans work. Dumping on the kid cannot be helpful. I choose to hope (perhaps beyond) that Evans will go out and do well. Wilson will certainly be the #2 and I surely believe TOB expects and will try to win games. Let’s not forget Daniel Evans and his father have given and will continue to give alot to NC State football.

  2. Afterglow 08/17/2008 at 12:47 PM #

    I think we’ll be ok. We almost went to a bowl last year. I know we lost a lot of people and there are a lot of injuries but, people are more familiar with the system and I believe we’ll see improvement. This is a smart coaching staff who know how to play with the cards they’ve been dealt.

  3. Cardiff Giant 08/17/2008 at 12:59 PM #

    The thought of another season of Daniel Evans makes the Baby Jesus weep.

  4. StateFans 08/17/2008 at 1:49 PM #

    Some good news – if true – in this N&O Blog entry.

    http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/notes-from-pack-media-day

    (1) Bowen’s career not jeopardized
    (2) Toney Baker looks to be back in a few weeks

  5. Noah 08/17/2008 at 2:58 PM #

    Glennon has been impressive so far. I think the coaches are very, very happy with him. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready.

    I don’t know what’s going on with Wilson.

  6. Dogbreath 08/17/2008 at 3:40 PM #

    Baker needs to somehow lose about 10 to 15 lbs before he returns, or he will remain firmly behind Eugene, Brown, and perhaps Underwood. He is carrying too much weight to be an effective tailback right now. He looks more like a prototypical Torbush “fatback” runner right now.

    Something tells me Evans will not be the starter, based on nothing more than a hunch. He will, however, be the number two guy behind the starter, who will have a short lease at first. I would not be surprised to see Wilson start and at a minimum play the first 3 series against USC, then the coaches might insert Evans for a series or two if Wilson needs to be calmed. I think the staff wants Wilson to emerge and is giving him every opportunity to do so. At the same time, they are giving Glennon a long look to see whether they absolutely CANNOT redshirt him, in which case he may be the starter from game 1. Evans is a known commodity, and they are giving him every opportunity to prove he is the best guy we have, but they also know he has to be prepared should he not win the job, but is pressed into service due to injuries or whatever. Evans will be the backup to whoever is named starter, is my guess.

    Wilson has not had great numbers in the two scrimmages, not even as good as Beck in the first. Glennons YPC and completion percentages looked good, but he has thrown several picks. Evans has looked good statistically on paper, but he did last preseason as well.

    I am actually shocked that Beck was eliminated as quickly as he was. He must have completely blown off summer conditioning and pissed off the staff, because he really didn’t get much of a shot.

    Is anyone else optimistic about the o-line? McCuller, Bedics/Vermiglio, Larsen, Crouch, and Green/Williams sounds like a serviceable group. I don’t see a Jon Holt like presence in there.

  7. BAC79 08/17/2008 at 4:06 PM #

    This may not be the right place to post it but I swear this is true. I moved my daughter into her dorm at UNC yesterday. Yes I lost both daughters to the evil empire. Go figure. Anyway, she is in an all girls dorm and on the bulletin board is a flyer titled CAROLINA FOOTBALL TEAM TRY OUTS. Monday August 18th at 8:00 a.m. If a site administrator will contact me I can email a copy of it. And no my daughter will not be trying out for the team.

  8. Noah 08/17/2008 at 5:26 PM #

    Considering UNC’s schedule this year, it sounds like they’re just trying to provide an even-fight.

  9. DuPack 08/18/2008 at 5:35 AM #

    Dogbreath–what about Burke? Is he nowhere in the equation? And what is his official status? Redshirt frosh or soph or what?

  10. 44fan 08/18/2008 at 5:49 AM #

    So, the life of a State fan continues!!!!!!!!!

  11. vtpackfan 08/18/2008 at 8:23 AM #

    If TOB starts DE in a short week and half from now, here are some very plausibe explainations.

    No one took control of the situation. Not a big deal, no one has since PR, moving on.

    2.The offensive line struggled along most of the last two seasons. Contrary to what is said here often, having RW play because the line is not strong is not an effective answer. We need a QB who will hustle them in/out of the huddle, call checks on the line and provide overall strong management. DE has way more experience so this makes him a strong candidate. How is having a sprint out of the pocket QB suppossed to help this OL block as a unit, especially if the long term goal is to insert Glennon in there?

    3. TOB has a dart board in his bathroom with DE’s mug on it, and is somehow fullfilling a deep desire to deliver the final punch and end internal rift that divides the two rivals.

  12. wolf2003 08/18/2008 at 8:47 AM #

    Mike Glennon will start!

    Daniel Evans will be backup!

    Russell Wilson returning kicks!

  13. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/18/2008 at 9:18 AM #

    ^^^ This is my ideal scenario.

  14. b 08/18/2008 at 5:49 PM #

    great point vt, but I’m operating under the assumption that RW HAS some of those qualities, though obviously no experience to fall back on. The OL is not without talent, they just need time to mesh. RW can provide us some opportunities to make plays outside the playcall while that occurs, I don’t believe DE is quite as adept in that area.

    Some questions are:
    1)Can DE “learn” to be evasive and make plays after the play falls apart?
    2)Can RW learn when to adjust the blocking scheme or play direction, and manage a huddle on the college level?
    3)Which gives us the best chance to win? This would be contingent in part on how the running game is going to fare.
    4)And which QB is in tune with the young WRs.

    The answers, IMO, are no and yes to the first two. If we are running effectively, DE could probably get by. If we aren’t, he likely can’t. The last is likely to be Evans, but since many of them were RS and backups, they may have better rapport with RW who was the scout team QB.

  15. Ismael 08/19/2008 at 12:08 AM #

    alot of the articles from the spring practice and scrimmage that had quotes from the coaching staff about RW was that the guy is one of the most clear-minded in-control guys there is. He handled his school work and two D1 sports. The coaches had alot of good things to say about him as a manager of a team as a QB. That he had great pocket-presence and could lead a huddle and hold its attention.

    Like TOB said recently though, the QB’s (I assume he means DE and RW,) appear to look like they have been in a TOB/Bible system for more than a year as they make the right reads. If DE starts its because he has the edge on experience. Glennon was commenting how he has never been so confused in his life: “Ive made more mistakes in 2 weeks than i did in 2 years of high school.”.

  16. Oldwolf 08/19/2008 at 7:56 AM #

    We are all basing our opionions on seeing DE th past couple of years. We have not seen RW nor MG in a Wolfpack game.

    TOB sees them at practice every day.

    He will play the one that he sees as the best for the team.

    Let’s wait until we see how, whomever, is the QB does in an actual game before we start tearing apart the coaches decision.

  17. Noah 08/19/2008 at 8:06 AM #

    Burke is transferring to Louisville (to answer a question up above). TOB said yesterday that Beck was staying, and apparently that was a little bit of a surprise.

    I haven’t seen anyone tearing the coach’s decision apart.

    Looks like we will know the final answer tomorrow. I’m hoping that Wilson has done something since the weekend to supplant Evans.

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