The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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■ PACK PROS change with all of the autographs that we sign and the media. It is just part of the process. When you get to the big leagues it is three times as much." Does he pay attention to his prospect status? "I try not to think about that," he said. "I try to get better each day. So far I am thank- ful for the opportunity they have given me. I know a lot of people would like to be in this situation." Mazzoni worked this summer with Bing- hamton pitching coach Glenn Abbott, a for- mer big-league hurler from 1973-84 with Seattle, Oakland and Detroit. "You always try to listen when he talks," Mazzoni said. Looking back, Mazzoni is happy how things worked out after he turned down the Nationals coming out of high school. "I just matured," he said. "I was really skinny in high school. I got a lot stronger. I got on a weight program [at NC State]. I had a great pitching coach [Tom Holliday] at North Carolina State. "He taught me a lot. It was a good ex- perience for me. Coach Holliday and I are big Cardinals' fans. We would talk about the Cardinals sometimes. It is a nice family bond that people create down there." NFL Rookies Off To A Great Start The NFL's regular season has not started yet, but a few NC State rookies have al- ready left big impressions on their pro- fessional clubs. The most impressive so far has to be former quarterback Russell Wilson, who played so well in the second half of the Seattle Seahawks' first two pre- season games that head coach Pete Carroll is starting the rookie in his team's third exhibition. "It's just exciting to watch this kid," Carroll said. "Everyone who has watched him back at NC State and then Wisconsin, we're seeing the same thing that they saw. He's carried his style of play from the col- lege level to our level, at least in these first couple of preseason games, and we're go- ing to see what that means in game three." In his first two preseason games, Wilson went 22-of-33 passing for 279 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and he also rushed eight times for 92 yards and a score. Most importantly, the team con- verted 54 percent of its third-down plays with the third-round pick under center. However, Wilson is not the only rookie that once played for the Red and White who is drawing rave reviews. There's even another one on the Seahawks — J.R. Sweezy. The college defensive tackle was 92 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Quarterback Russell Wilson completed 22 of 33 throws for 279 yards with three scores and one pick, and ran for 92 yards and a touch- down, in Seattle's first two preseason tilts. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN drafted in the seventh round to play offen- sive guard, and he was the name brought up by Carroll on Twitter when a fan asked him who was an under the radar player that had a tremendous camp. When projected starter John Moffitt went down with an injury, Sweezy saw preseason action with the first-team offense. "I think he's doing a fine job, in terms of his learning," offensive line coach Tim Cable said. "He's not the typical defensive lineman who played offensive and defen- sive line in high school. He was a line- backer and fullback in high school, so he's never been an offensive lineman and never put his hand on the ground that way. This has been his first time, and his transition so far, I would say he's ahead of schedule. Now, let's see how far we can take it." A third two-star recruit from the Pack's 2007 recruiting class has also turned heads this preseason — Minnesota Vikings line- backer Audie Cole. In his preseason debut, Cole notched three tackles and a sack. In the following week's win over the Buffalo Bills, the seventh-rounder did something that may have never been done before in NFL history, when he returned interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back plays. "It definitely helps when a guy makes plays in games," head coach Leslie Frazier said. "You don't want to discount that. It means something whether it's the first unit or the third unit, and it was good to see him step up and make some keys plays when he had an opportunity to." Of course, it's just the preseason and Cole made the incredible plays against third-string competition. He knows that his roster spot is not locked up yet, so he stays focused on improving every day. "I have to pick it up on special teams and keep going," he said. "I made a lot of mis- takes out there tonight. Everyone saw two good plays; I made five bad ones. I've got to correct those and keep going." — Ryan Tice Former Pack Golfers Finishing Season Strong Former roommates Carl Pettersson and Tim Clark have both made strong pushes to finish their PGA seasons on a good note. The duo missed the cut at the U.S. Open on June 17, but have recorded some incredible performances since. At the Travelers Championship on June 24, Clark tied for fourth with a 12-un- der-par 268. Pettersson had a little bit lon- ger of a layoff after the U.S. Open, but bounced back with his fifth top-20 finish of the season, a tie for 17th at the Greenbrier Classic on July 8. The former Pack teammates actually tied for 36th at the John Deere Classic on July 15, carding scores of nine-under 275. Clark missed the cut at the Open Champi- onship the following weekend, while Pet- tersson finished in a tie for 23rd. However, Clark made a big statement on July 27 at the RBC Canadian Open when he tied the course record with a round of 62 on Friday en route to a tie for 15th. Pettersson finished 28th at the World Golf Championships on Aug. 5, but the former Pack All-Americans were in each other's company once again at the PGA Championship the following weekend, and both played outstanding. Pettersson jumped out to an early lead at the tournament with his first sub-70 round ever at the major event. Pettersson finished in a tie for third, his best-ever major per- formance, while Clark closed strong and tied for 11th. The duo was on top of their respective games the following weekend, as well, and even fought atop the leaderboard for a while at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro — Clark finished in second place, while Pettersson ended up in a tie for fourth. Before the start of the Barclays, which kicked off on Aug. 23, Pettersson, owner of six top-10 finishes this year, stood seventh in the FedExCup standings, while Clark, who has placed among the top 25 in six tournaments, checked in at No. 54. — Ryan Tice