Baker undecided on future

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NCAA grants Baker extra season

The NCAA has granted N.C. State senior running back Toney Baker's request for an extra season of eligibility, coach Tom O'Brien announced Thursday after practice.

Baker missed all but one game over two seasons because of a knee injury before returning this season for the Wolfpack. Getting the extra year doesn't guarantee that Baker will return, though, because there is a chance he will enter the NFL draft after this season.

"After the season I will talk to my family and Coach O'Brien and all these guys, and we'll figure out what's best for me," Baker said after practice Wednesday, before the sixth year was granted.

Irving will have leg evaluated

N.C. State linebacker Nate Irving will meet with a doctor Thursday to learn more about the status of his broken leg, coach Tom O'Brien said Monday.

Irving also suffered a broken rib and collapsed lung in a June 28 car crash. He has seen doctors already to have those injuries evaluated, but the leg injury remains to be examined.

O'Brien expects to have a better idea about Irving's status for this season after Thursday's appointment. N.C. State lists Irving as out "indefinitely," and O'Brien sounds as though he's prepared for a long absence.

N.C. State's Baker returns after injuries

During N.C. State's first spring scrimmage, offensive coordinator Dana Bible called a play named "Booster" for running back Toney Baker.

Pulling guard Julian Williams led the way for Baker, who lowered his shoulder and plowed into the end zone.

After two almost totally futile seasons, it felt great to score a touchdown. Baker, who missed almost all of 2007 and 2008 with an injured right knee, is back as a senior for the Wolfpack, which holds its spring game at 1 p.m. today at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Old Glory has a story

The American flag that former N.C. State football player Drew Wimsatt kept behind the seat of his helicopter in Afghanistan will lead the Wolfpack onto the field tonight as the Wolfpack plays host to South Carolina in the season-opener.

Wimsatt, who played for N.C. State in 2001 and 2002, is a first lieutenant in the Marines flying missions in his Cobra attack helicopter. O'Brien said Wimsatt sent him the flag, which was kept in the helicopter with him for a month in April.

"It's seen combat, heroic acts and everything else," said O'Brien, a Naval Academy graduate who served in the Marines.

Pack follows O'Brien's lead

Willie Young got the message the moment N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien sat him down.

Young was one of the Wolfpack's best players last season as a junior defensive end. But through six games, he had only 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

So when the first-team defense took the field for the seventh game, against Florida State, Young was on the sideline, replaced by Jeff Rieskamp. Young said that was O'Brien's way of telling him that he has to pay attention to little things -- techniques and assignments -- in order to take advantage of his talent.