TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After freshman cornerback Rashard Smith suffered a season-ending injury against Boston College, coach Tom O'Brien asked Jarvis Byrd how he felt about playing this season.
Byrd is a highly recruited freshman cornerback who hadn't played in the first seven games this season. That meant he was still eligible for a redshirt season, which would have given him an extra year to play at the end of his career.
But Byrd wanted to play now, and N.C. State's manpower is seriously depleted in the secondary.
O'Brien used him as a backup to C.J. Wilson at boundary cornerback Saturday in a 45-42 loss to Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium.
"I feel like it was a good decision," Byrd said. "They were trying to get me ready for the future. So by pulling the redshirt now while we're down ... it will give me an opportunity to play."
Byrd was credited with three tackles. O'Brien likes to redshirt freshmen whenever possible but will use them if they're needed. Byrd joins Smith and Brandan Bishop as the third freshman used this season in the secondary.
O'Brien said Oct. 26 that with five games remaining, he believed there still was enough football left to make it worthwhile to a freshman who entered the lineup now.
"To not [play Byrd] would have been foolish," O'Brien said Saturday. "Hopefully we will see some things [from Byrd] on tape; we saw some things in practice last week. I think he can help us and play."
O'Brien also moved senior Koyal George from cornerback to wide receiver, where he had started his career.
Missed opportunity: O'Brien said he should have called a timeout as the clock ran following an illegal shift penalty at the Florida State 38-yard line in the closing seconds of the first half.
He estimated that N.C. State lost about seven seconds.
"I should have taken the timeout right then," O'Brien said. "I was talking to [offensive coordinator Dana Bible] about where we were going."
N.C. State might have saved time by using a timeout even earlier, after an 8-yard completion to Donald Bowens with about 27 seconds remaining in the half that preceded the illegal-shift call. The Wolfpack used just one of its first-half timeouts.
Nonetheless, O'Brien said quarterback Russell Wilson still could have passed to Toney Baker in time for a gain that would have put the Wolfpack in range for a final-play field goal attempt. Wilson threw an interception down the field on the final play of the half instead.
Narrow misses on 'D': N.C. State's agony on defense was highlighted by two third-quarter plays that looked like Florida State turnovers but never put the ball into the hands of the Wolfpack offense.
A replay review ruled that quarterback Christian Ponder was down before losing the ball on what initially appeared to be an Earl Wolff fumble recovery. Defensive tackle Natanu Mageo intercepted a tipped pass but had the ball wrestled away from him for a fumble that was recovered by Jarmon Fortson at the Florida State 18.
