Flipping through the ACC record book, the accomplishments of N.C. State senior quarterback Philip Rivers are nothing short of remarkable. The 6-foot-5 pocket passer is now in his fourth year starting under center for the Wolfpack--a rarity in college football--and if he can throw for 361 yards Saturday against a porous Duke secondary, he will become the first ACC quarterback to eclipse the 3,000 yard mark in three consecutive seasons.
"I can't put into words how much Philip Rivers means to this team, this program and this university," said head coach Chuck Amato. "He has been such a key to our success."
And despite attempting more passes, 305, than any of the nations other top quarterbacks, Rivers has maintained a remarkable completion percentage. Connecting on 215 passes this season, 70 percent of his attempts, the senior's arm has been a model of consistency and power.
Yet, Rivers' N.C. State team (5-3, 2-2 in the ACC) has not fared as well. After starting the season at No. 16 in the nation and climbing as high as No. 14, the Wolfpack have slipped out of the top-25 after a trio of losses and falling to a 2-2 mark within the conference.
The defeats have jeopardized Rivers' chance at the Heisman trophy and have knocked the Wolfpack out of major bowl contention.
The season that had the chance to make dreams come true for Rivers and his N.C. State teammates began to crumble early in the 2003 season. In just their second game, the Wolfpack was stunned by Wake Forest. Rivers threw for 433 yards including three touchdowns, but 511 yards of total offense were not enough to hold off the Demon Deacons.
One week later, N.C. State and Rivers had a chance to avenge their loss but came up a yard short in triple-overtime against the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Marshaling a heroic effort in overtime, Rivers threw for four touchdowns during the contest, but also tossed two costly interceptions.
A third defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech further damaged Rivers' Heisman hopes. Yet, the ACC's all time leading passer will likely present a major challenge for the Blue Devils' defense, which to date has not proven effective at quelling opponents passing attacks.
"He's definitely a threat," Duke senior Matt Zielinski said. "He's the best quarterback out there. He's smart. He's not going to take a loss yardage play; he's going to scramble and get himself out of trouble. He's going to go out there and lead those guys. That's something we're going to have to worry about: Getting inside of his head early, break him up a little bit."
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