beto
Footballguy
Chip Alexander, Staff WriterManny Lawson, smiling and shaking his head, said Mario Williams simply amazed him.No, not Saturday in N.C. State's 20-14 victory over Maryland. Not by making four of the Pack's seven sacks and generally causing havoc on defense. Lawson has seen all that before.It was the day before the game, Lawson said. The Pack's two defensive ends were watching Maryland game film, and Williams was impressing Lawson with his thorough preparation."As soon as they were in a formation, Mario would call out 'Running play,' and it was a run," Lawson said. "The next play, it was 'That's a pass,' and it was a pass. "I mean, the guy's an incredible athlete. But the knowledge he had of the game and what would happen. ... I knew he was ready."Ready? Williams' four sacks gave him 13 for the season, breaking the school record of 11 set by Tyler Lawrence in 1993. His 24 career sacks also tied Lawrence's record. He made it a long, mostly miserable day for Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach.Not bad for a guy who wasn't certain he would be able to play.Williams said he has been fighting a staph infection in his right leg. It kept the 6-foot-7, 290-pound junior out of practice before the Middle Tennessee game a week ago and has curtailed his practice."It was the worst kind you can have," Williams said. "They say if I had waited another day for treatment, there's was no way I probably could have practiced or played."I had it last Saturday [against Middle Tennessee]. It affected me. But thankfully I got treatment that worked on Tuesday."NCSU coach Chuck Amato said there were concerns about Williams' stamina, especially if the Wolfpack defense spent too much time on the field. That happened in the first half as the Terps ran 40 plays to the Pack's 21 and held the ball for more than 20 minutes.But State's defense was a more aggressive, efficient bunch in the second half, and its offense finally began to move the ball and the chains. The Terps had 118 yards in total offense in the last two periods, and Hollenbach lost a fumble after a Williams hit while having two passes intercepted -- the first returned 28 yards by State's Marcus Hudson for a touchdown."Mario has had about three games this year that he has completely taken over," Amato said. "He played a heck of a game. We knew our ends would be a challenge for their tackles."There has been much speculation that Williams could enter the NFL Draft after this season, passing up his senior year. The former Richlands High star has said he would lean toward turning pro if he is guaranteed of being the first defensive end taken or of being a high first-round draft choice.So Williams could have been playing his last game at Carter-Finley Stadium as well as the 20 Wolfpack seniors."That's why I had to play today -- for the seniors," Williams said. "I was going to go out there and do all I could to get a win for them. I had to do my part. I just cut it loose."And left Lawson smiling, again.
