A Week After A Scary Hit, Tez Walker Scores Two TDs Against Campbell
Walker was careful to let Mack Brown know how
he was feeling before he left the field, answering his head coach's question
with a straightforward "yes" even though the scenario looked
startling at first.
Walker caught two receptions for two touchdowns in North Carolina's 59-7 home victory against
Campbell on Saturday, which was a comforting sight.
Walker remarked, "I tapered up after taking a few medications." "I played well in
the pregame and warm-up."
It felt like longer, but that's how long Tez Walker was injured on Bobby Dodd Stadium's
field last week before medical personnel took him off. Against Georgia Tech, he
suffered a hard hit to the side and even had a player roll onto his ankle
during the play.
He pulled himself together, and coaches and players crowded around to pray over him. His family
received updates from the coaching staff at North Carolina. Walker flew to a
nearby hospital, spent the night there, and then returned to school the
following day.
Throughout the week, the crew kept an eye on Walker, first for signs of a brain injury. In the
end, he was hampered by his ankle, and he was declared a game-time decision for
Campbell's noon kickoff.When asked when UNC decided to play Walker, Brown said
in jest, "about 11:58."
Walker, who already had a delayed start to his UNC career because of an NCAA eligibility dispute,
appeared for a brief period to be going to miss a significant amount of time
again.
Walker, however, was not going to permit it to occur. He worked hard to return to the field
during the week.
Walker remarked, "I don't really like to sit out." I'm going to try to play at full
speed if I can. I find sitting out to be soft. "Man, if I can go, I'll
go," is how I feel about players who are intentionally attempting to avoid
playing and milk things.Walker had his ankle treated throughout the week before
the game. Because of the ongoing stiffness in his ankle, he wasn't sure if he
would be prepared to go. In fact, Brown stated that if the player was still in
pain, he wouldn't play him against the Fighting Camels.
Walker could have certainly been rested by North Carolina in order to prepare for its final three
conference games. Walker, though, was unaffected by the opponent. He just
wanted to have fun.Bryson Nesbit commented, "It speaks to his toughness."
Walker returned and viewed the play in which he was hurt. He believed it to be a simple hit from
Georgia Tech's Ahmari Harvey and a normal part of the match.
When he was in the hospital, he didn't sleep at all. Walker was worn out when he returned to
Chapel Hill. Upon his return, Gavin Blackwell, his roommate, served him dinner
so he wouldn't have to leave the apartment.
When Walker returned to campus, a large number of his teammates checked in with him. Walker
also took full advantage of his return to the field on Saturday.
"Tez could have easily declared, 'I'm just going to work with the scouts and I'm
done,'" according to Brown. "I want to avoid getting harmed. I want
to avoid jeopardizing my draft standing. In an effort to return to the field
and support his team, he was trying to return to playing a game that he knew we
would win in any case.
