Technician Online

August 13th, 2008

Injury bug bites Pack

Preseason practice takes its toll on most college football teams, and the Wolfpack is no different. Coach Tom O’Brien announced Tuesday that running back Toney Baker had surgery to clean out residue in the knee he already had surgically repaired and that safety JUCO transfer Clem Johnson had suffered a broken jaw and could be out for the season.

While O’Brien did not give a timetable for Baker’s return, the running back core shouldn’t suffer too bad without him, as Jamelle Eugene and Andre Brown return in front of a group of talented youngsters.

But the loss of Johnson could prove to be painful for the Pack. O’Brien said that Johnson, who spent his past two seasons playing quarterback at Valley Forge Military College, had played so well in preseason practices at safety, that it looked as though he would be a starter. With his loss, the already thin safety unit may have to rely on two redshirt freshmen — Justin Byers and Jimmaul Simmons — to start at free safety opposite senior J.C. Neal.

Both Byers and Simmons were talented recruits, with Byers taking home MVP in North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl game, but the team was hoping for a more experienced secondary to face South Carolina’s high-flying passing game.

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