By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. – Immediately after NC State’s 25-23 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday, Wolfpack quarterback Daniel Evans wasn’t quite sure what had transpired late in the contest. In fact, he couldn’t remember details of the interception he threw with 45 seconds left that ultimately secured a two-point victory for the Deacons.
Later, team doctors said Evans had suffered a slight concussion, the result of a jarring hit he had taken in the fourth quarter.
Two days after that diagnosis, however, the redshirt sophomore has been cleared to practice for the Pack’s (3-3, 2-1) noon ACC road game at Maryland (4-2, 1-1) on Saturday. Since NC State doesn’t allow its quarterbacks to get hit in practice, Evans won’t encounter any physical contact again until the weekend.
“The doctors have released him to practice,” said NC State coach Chuck Amato. “I think he’s very probable [for the game]. I don’t think there’s any question.”
And that’s good news for Amato and his football team, which has certainly benefited from Evans’ poise and accuracy since he replaced Marcus Stone as the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback three games ago.
Against conference opponents, the Raleigh native ranks third in the ACC in passing yards with 569. Overall, Evans has completed 57-of-101 for 666 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He was solid again against the Deacons, posting career highs for completions (21) and yards (200).
His pick on Saturday, a ball that fluttered in the air right before he was hit, came at a time when the Wolfpack was trying close in on a third straight dramatic comeback win over an ACC opponent. It was Josh Gattis who ultimately came up with the game-winning interception. Earlier in the drive, Wake just missed another interception when cornerback Riley Swanson jumped in front of a short pass to the sideline only to have the ball bounce in and out of his hands.
“On the first play of that drive when their DB dropped that interception, I said ‘that’s the omen,’” Amato said.
But another Pack comeback was not to be this time.
Still, Amato and his team appear to be upbeat heading into Saturday’s contest in College Park. After consecutive defeats to Akron and Southern Mississippi earlier in the season, the Pack had the look of a team heading in the wrong direction. Three games later, NC State is improving both offensively and defensively.
Evans’ efficiency through the air is complimenting the running of backs Toney Baker and Andre Brown. Now, defenses must think twice before loading up the box to stop the run.
“He’s very poised and he makes great decisions,” said Baker, who had a pair of touchdown runs on Saturday. “He’ll step in there and make a throw and he’s not scared to take a hit. He’s a natural quarterback, that’s the best way I can put it.”
Defensively, the Pack has also made remarkable strides since giving up 442 yards of total offense in a lopsided 37-17 loss at Southern Miss. on September 16. After stingy performances in wins over Boston College and Florida State, the NC State defense yielded just 266 yards to Wake Forest. In the second half, the Deacons were held to just three points and 61 yards.
What’s changed since the game on Hattiesburg?
“A sense of urgency,” said safety Miguel Scott. “We had a lot of missed tackles and missed assignments in those [earlier] games. After that [Southern Mississippi] game, we watched film and the defense as a whole, we were down on ourselves because that’s not the way we play Wolfpack football around here. That kind of pumped us up for the next couple of games.”
If NC State’s last three games are any indication, then the rest of the ACC season will be filled with strange twists, big plays and nail-biting finishes. After all, the memorable battles with Boston College, Florida State and Wake Forest weren’t decided until the final frantic seconds.
How much more can Pack fans take?
“That’s ACC football,” Baker said. “It doesn’t get any better than that. You’re going to have to play for 60 minutes. We would like to take care of our business a little earlier, but unfortunately, it hasn’t come down to that. The past couple of games have come down to the last few seconds and the last few drives. That’s what happens when you play big-time football in the ACC.”
And if the Wolfpack can continue to improve as a football team, it will have an opportunity to bag some more big conference wins down the stretch. But much of that damage will have to be done on the road since four of NC State’s last five ACC games will be in venues that will be anything but hospitable.
It all starts with Maryland on Saturday.
“I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for us,” Amato said. “I’m sorry we lost the game, but we played three back-to-backs against three very good teams. Two of them were ranked and a third that could have very easily been ranked. If we play six more like that, we’re going to feel real good about ourselves.”
Courtesy: Peyton Williams/NC State
