Q&A with N.C. State QB Russell Wilson

Four questions with N.C. State redshirt freshman quarterback Russell Wilson, who will start Thursday night at South Carolina:

Q: Are you nervous?
I’m not nervous. I’m more excited than anything. I’m trying to make some plays and help my team. South Carolina is a great team and it’s going to be a challenge. I’m definitely ready.

Q: What’s the biggest crowd you’ve played in front of?
Probably around 10,000. In baseball at Florida State, I played in front of around 9,000 people. That’s baseball. That’s a lot of people for a college baseball game. Clemson had a lot of people. Georgia did, too. Georgia was right up on you. It was really loud. I’m not really worried about the crowd. It’s almost like the more you are in front of a crowd, the more you focus. As soon as you get out there you hear a lot of noise, but it will slowly go away. You get in a zone and it’s almost like you’re on the practice field.

Q: How many texts, phone calls and e-mails have you gotten congratulating you (on winning the starting job)?
I’ve gotten hundreds of texts and e-mails and stuff like that. A lot of people care about me. There are a lot of people I haven’t been able to keep in touch with because I’m always running around. And they can’t wait to see me play.

Q: Which Bible verse will you write on the tape on your wrist Thursday night?
I’m not sure. I have a daily Bible verse (book) in my locker that my grandmother gave me. Every day the verse changes, and whatever the verse is, that’s (what I write).

– Ken Tysiac