Staff video by Scott Sharpe

DURHAM — Duke football coach David Cutcliffe, who knows a good quarterback when he sees one, likes what he sees from N.C. State freshman quarterback Russell Wilson, the ACC's leader in passing efficiency.

Wilson (8 TD, 1 pick, 900 passing yards, 6 games) is part of the reason Cutcliffe, on Tuesday, called the Wolfpack "more talented than the last two teams" Duke has played. For the record, he was referring to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Hear Cutcliffe break down Wilson's game in this audio clip.

N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson will return to the starting lineup Saturday against Boston College, coach Tom O'Brien said after practice Thursday.

And he might have tight end Anthony Hill to throw to. The senior was listed as probable in N.C. State's injury report on Thursday. Hill has missed the past four games with strained chest muscle.

N.C. State's depth chart lists quarterback Harrison Beck as the starter for Saturday's game with Boston College.

Daniel Evans is the backup with no mention of Russell Wilson, who missed the South Florida game with a shoulder injury.

The N&O today used an anonymous source to report on the injury to N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson. He injured his throwing shoulder in last weekend's win over East Carolina, "a source close to the program said Tuesday."

State Coach Tom O'Brien had refused to disclose publicly the nature of the injury.

It's rare to see in The N&O a story based on an anonymous source. Attributing information to unnamed sources undermined the credibility of the story, causing the reader to wonder how reliable the information is.

The N&O's Stylebook advises "Avoid using them in almost every case." Question to ask are if the story can survive without the sourced material and whether we need to publish the story. The policy requires approval of a senior editor before a source can be used.

In this case, that happened. Senior Editor Linda Williams approved the use of the source. She said:

"In making the call, I consider the degree of confidence in the truthfulness of the information (i.e. are these people who are in a position to know the truth, or or they people receiving second hand, or third hand information), the degree of public interest in the information, the competitiveness of the story, and whether we have a chance to get the information on the record. My discussion with the sports editor led me to the conclusion that we could allow the use of the source in this case. As to whether the story was important enough to merit the exception, I supposed that could depend on one's degree of interest in sports, or this particular team and its rivals."

I'm sure the story was of intense interest to N.C. State fans. Ironically, The N&O did not publish today a New York Times story reporting that a top advisor to John McCain had financial ties to Freddie Mac. The reason: the story was based on anonymous sources. Which story is more important?

The injury situation in N.C. State’s football program officially passed the surreal point with today’s news that quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Nate Irving will be unavailable for Saturday’s game against South Florida.

There’s probably no way to accurately measure such things, but I’ve been covering college football for many years and I can never recall a program going through a more devastating two-year stretch of rotten luck.

Quarterback Russell Wilson and leading tackler Nate Irving will not play against South Florida because of injuries, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said Monday during his weekly news conference.

O'Brien said both players are out indefinitely but declined to elaborate on Wilson's specific injury. Wilson suffered a Grade 3 concussion in the Aug. 28 season opener against South Carolina and returned to play at quarterback 16 days later at Clemson.

RALEIGH — By the time Andre Brown stretched the ball over the goal line, the oldest of adages was proven again — there's a reason they play the game.

N.C. State was given little, or no chance, of beating East Carolina before the kickoff on Saturday, heck, even when the Pirates led late in the fourth quarter by a touchdown.

But by the time of Brown's second touchdown, the scoreboard read: N.C. State 30, ECU 24.

N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien’s decision to start Russell Wilson over Harrison Beck atquarterback on Saturday in Clemson likely will be debated by many Wolfpack fans right up to game time and possibly after the closing bell.

It should be, too. Based on Beck’s performance in last weekend’s win over William & Mary, there’s a legitimate argument for sticking with him. And if there’s ever been a fan base deserving of a voice, it’s the Wolfpackers. Their loyalty — in football and basketball — is far beyond the call of duty.

RALEIGH — Russell Wilson returns at quarterback for N.C. State this week but the injuries at the skill positions continue for the Wolfpack.

Second-string tight end Matt Kushner (knee) will miss the Clemson game on Saturday. Coach Tom O'Brien said starter Anthony Hill will miss his second straight game, with a strained chest muscle.