Winter is coming? If only. Sweltering heat slows NC State down

N.C. State unveiled its new “Ice Wolf” all-white uniforms on social media and borrowed the “Winter is Coming” tag line from the HBO hit show “Game of Thrones.”

Ice. Winter. Maybe just saying the words will make it cooler at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday for N.C. State’s game with Georgia State (12:30 p.m., Fox Sports South).

The Wolfpack (1-0) survived a scorcher this past Saturday to beat James Madison and is in line for another one this week. At least the fans are being encouraged to wear white.

“That’s my gift to you,” coach Dave Doeren joked on Monday at his weekly press conference.

With temperatures in the 90s, and the heat index in triple digits, several N.C. State players cramped up and had to miss parts of the 24-13 win over JMU. Several players needed to be treated with intravenous fluids during and after the game. The players had specialty hydration drinks before, during and after the game, Doeren said.

“(We) talked with our nutritionists and our training staff and our strength staff and we thought we did everything right going into the game but we still had some guys cramp,” Doeren said.

Fatigue and injuries were a problem throughout the game. Defensive end James Smith-Williams and left guard Terronne Prescod had to leave the game with cramps. Both were able to come back and finish the game.

“Most of the stuff we were dealing with was heat related,” Doeren said. “Just guys needing IVs, cramping and things like that.”

Doeren was hopeful that receiver Steph Louis and tight end Dylan Autenrieth, who both missed the JMU win with injuries, would be able to practice this week and potentially return to the lineup.

“We’ll see where we are at (Tuesday at practice),” Doeren said.

As for the injuries during the game, Doeren sounded optimistic that both defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant and receiver Jakobi Meyers would be able to play against Georgia State (1-0).

Bryant got a scare in the second quarter after a head-to-head collision with a JMU offensive lineman after a fumble recovery. Bryant’s neck stiffened, he told Doeren, and medical personnel took the senior defensive tackle to Rex Hospital.

He was able to return and watch the second half of the game in shorts and t-shirt on the Wolfpack sideline.

“Eurndraus is doing really well,” Doeren said. “He’s doing great. He’ll practice (Tuesday), so he’s fully cleared.”

Doeren also said that Meyers, who turned his left ankle on the first series of the second half, was fine. Meyers, who had a career-high 14 catches and 161 yards, was wearing a walking boot on his left foot after the game.

“He just needs to get his body back,” Doeren said of Meyers. “He was pretty beat up after the game but he said he’d be ready to go.”

The care Bryant received, and the precaution that was taken, is in line with the NCAA’s emphasis on player safety, especially when dealing with potential head or neck injuries. But what about the safety concerns of playing in the heat?

The JMU game started at noon because it was broadcast by ESPNU. Saturday’s game with Georgia State will be on Fox Sports South. ESPN, which paid the ACC $236 million in 2017, and the league’s TV partners determine when game times are set.

“They don’t ask me, when do you want to play? Is 12:30 too early in the heat?” Doeren said. “I think everybody around here would say they’d rather play in the late afternoon or the evenings.”

The majority of the fans would agree: a later start time is better.

“Obviously, we’re going to line up and play whenever they tell us to,” senior center Garrett Bradbury said after the JMU win. “I think ideally for everyone else, we’d rather not play at noon. I think the tailgaters would rather play a little bit later so they don’t have to wake up and drink so early.”

As long as the league is taking money from the TV and cable companies, it won’t have much of a say when the games start.

“I don’t know if that will ever change, because TV is TV and they need their slots, but in the South those early kicks are tough,” Doeren said.

This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 3:15 PM.