Knee injury sidelines C.J. Riley for rest of season

The redshirt junior wide receiver was injured covering a punt during Saturday's win against ECU

Matt Konezny/USAToday sports

 Wide receiver was the one position group on the NC State offense that came into the season with an abundance of experienced depth. 

 One game into that, some of that depth is now gone.

 Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren announced Monday that redshirt junior C.J. Riley will miss the rest of the year after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during Saturday’s opening day win against East Carolina.

 The injury happened on special teams while Riley was covering a punt late in the first quarter of the 34-6 victory. It is the second ACL tear of the Florida native’s career. He also missed the entire 2016 season after undergoing surgery to repair damage in his right knee.

 “He did tear his ACL in his other knee,” Doeren said as his regular weekly press conference. “It’s very positive. There wasn’t a lot of other things going on in there. He’ll have surgery and be back. He’s been through this before with his other knee and he’s very upbeat.”

 Riley came into the season as one of three veteran members of the Wolfpack’s receiving corps. He caught 28 balls for 315 yards and two touchdowns last season and was being counted on to have a big year in 2019 with the departure of 1,000-yard receivers Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers.

 Redshirt freshman Devin Carter has moved up to the top of the depth chart at the X receiver position in Riley’s absence with fellow redshirt freshman Jasiah Provillon listed as the top backup.

Carter caught one pass for 12 yards in Saturday’s win.

 "Devin Carter is a guy that needs to step up and seize this opportunity,” Doeren said. “He needs to seize that moment, because he has really good ability and size.”

 Because Riley has previously missed a full season because of injury, there’s a good chance he could be awarded a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.

 But that’s the farthest thing from his mind right now.

 “I appreciate all the prayers and well wishes,” Riley wrote in a Twitter post. “Nothing hurts me more than to know I can’t be out there with my brothers, but I know they are going to hold it down out there. My story is far from over and my comeback is just beginning.”