Doeren: 'We Probably Won't Have Devin For Awhile'
NC State football coach Dave Doeren was relieved at first when he made went onto the field to check on injured quarterback Devin Leary on Saturday.
"I thought he got concussed when I saw the hit, the targeting hit," Doeren said. "... I thought he was out, so I was trying to get out there to see if he was awake. He was wide awake. He was very alert."
But he wasn't okay.
While Leary was able to escape a head injury from the hit delivered by Duke safety Lummie Young, one that resulted in a targeting penalty Young's ejection, the redshirt sophomore injured his ankle as he tried to get down and slide at the end of a four-yard run that earned the Wolfpack a first down.
Doeren's relief turned back to concern as an air cast was placed on Leary's left leg and he was taken from the field on a cart. By Sunday afternoon, the worst was confirmed.
State has reported that Leary suffered a broken fibula. He has already undergone surgery and will be sidelined for 4-8 weeks.
"We probably won’t have Devin for awhile," Doeren said after State's 31-20 victory against Duke, a game in which Leary 14 of 24 for 194 yards, a touchdown and an interception before he got hurt.
"He’s a tough kid. I hate it for him to get injured like that because I know how much this game means to him, how much this team means to him."
Leary was named the Wolfpack's starter before the start of spring practice, but because he spent so much time during preseason camp in COVID-19 contact tracing, he didn't actually start a game until a Week 3 win at Pittsburgh.
He earned ACC Quarterback of the Week honors for that first performance, one in which he rallied State to a victory by driving it the length of the field for the winning touchdown in the final two minutes.
It was one of four touchdown passes he threw in the game. Leary had two more to in last week's win at Virginia.
"That’s my brother, he’s like a brother," running back Ricky Person Jr. said. "I’ve known Devin since my senior year of high school. To see that happen, I was heartbroken. I was frustrated. I was mad at the play, at what happened."
Even though Leary wasn't able to play anymore Saturday, he continued to be a leader for the Wolfpack by returning to the sidelines on crutches to encourage his teammates in the fourth quarter.
"He’s just a fighter," Person said. "It took a lot of courage for him to come back on the sideline to motivate his teammates and keep his teammates pumped up the whole time. Prayers go out to him."
With Leary out for an extended period, if not the rest of the season, the job of leading the Wolfpack on the field now belongs to someone else.
"Next man up," Doeren said. "Bailey (Hockman), Ben Finley and Ty Evans will have to be ready to roll for us at quarterback."
The good news for State is that Hockman was ready to roll.
A junior who started the first two games while Leary was working his way back into condition, completing 69.6% of his passes for 191 and a touchdown in an opening week win against Wake Forest.
Saturday, he stepped back in and finished the drive by throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Thayer Thomas, who made a spectacular catch against his helmet on the play. Hockman also led the Wolfpack to a clinching field goal while 4 of 7 for 43 yards.
Bailey stepped in and did some things well and didn’t do some things well," Doeren said. "It’ll be a great opportunity for him."
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