N.C. State didn't rule out regular starter Russell Wilson as possibly getting playing time on Saturday. The team's injury report, released late Thursday, lists Wilson as doubtful, which means he has a 25 percent chance of playing.

In a post-practice news conference held about an hour before the injury report was released, coach Tom O'Brien said reserve Harrison Beck would start. O'Brien had appointed Beck the starter Monday, when he announced that Wilson would not play because of injury.

"Right now, Harrison Beck will start, and we will go from there," O'Brien said Thursday. "Hopefully he will play and play well. The whole game."

Thursday's report didn't specify Wilson's injury. O'Brien has declined to elaborate, though a source close to the program who asked for anonymity said Wilson injured his right (throwing) shoulder during the first half of last week's win over East Carolina.

ECU, NCSU CITE LETTER IN SQUABBLE: The dispute over football scheduling between East Carolina and N.C. State remained unresolved Thursday.

Both schools released to the media a June 18, 2008, letter ECU athletic director Terry Holland sent to his counterparts, Lee Fowler at N.C. State and Dick Baddour at North Carolina.

The letter said that ECU had agreed in principle to play N.C. State in 2010, 2013 and 2016, with games against North Carolina in 2009, 2012 and 2015.

In an e-mail to media members Thursday, Holland explained that he thinks the letter does not nullify a legally binding contract that says ECU and N.C. State will play five times between now and 2016.

But Holland wrote that if N.C. State has scheduled other games based on the agreement in principle stated in the letter, ECU will honor the agreement in the letter.

Fowler has maintained that the letter indicates East Carolina's agreement to play N.C. State only in 2010, 2013 and 2016 and has said N.C. State has worked to schedule other games based on that agreement.

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