Fowler encouraged by post-U2 turf at N.C. State

At 7:30 this morning, N.C. State athletic director Lee Fowler was eagerly inspecting the turf at Carter-Finley Stadium.

After last week's U2 show, concert promoter Live Nation paid for new sod to be laid Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's 4 p.m. Wolfpack game against Duke. Fowler was nervous about the procedure last week, but liked what he saw this morning.

"It's a rather amazing process, and nobody's happier than I am that it looks great," Fowler said. "So it will be fine after they cut it and paint it. I think it will be hard to tell that there's anything different from two weeks ago (before the concert)."

The grass was scheduled to be cut and painted this morning. Fowler said turf specialists used a special machine to pull the sections of sod together to eliminate the seams.

He said he can see the spots where the sections meet, but said they're pulled together firmly.

"It's going to be a fast track," Fowler said.

Ken Tysiac