Baker's Back: Former Ragsdale star eager to play again for N.C. State after missing two seasons with injury

Grabbing a football and cradling it tightly in an arm used to be an everyday occurrence for Toney Baker.

Now, it's a treasured moment.

"It feels fantastic to run full speed and run into a 300-pound man," Baker said. "I've missed that."

Baker never thought he would admit to enjoying tackles that rattled almost every bone in his body. But he never suspected that he would miss almost two full seasons of play, either.

He believes that his right-knee problems are over. He said that he still has improvement to make in coming back from so much time away from the game, but is confident that he can be a threat at running back for N.C. State for the first time since 2006, his sophomore season.

"I feel fantastic," Baker said. "I feel like I'm the old Toney in every way. It's been a great camp. I'm eager to get back on the field. Right now, I'm just focusing on getting better."

The return of Baker, a former player at Jamestown Ragsdale High School who shattered state high-school rushing records, could help N.C. State to quickly become a contender in the ACC's Atlantic Division and post its first winning record in Coach Tom O'Brien's three seasons.

Baker last played in a game for N.C. State on Sept. 2, 2007, in O'Brien's first season. He damaged cartilage in the knee and needed surgery that shelved him for the rest of the season.

He was ready to play last season, even after missing all of 2008's spring practice, but his knee wasn't. It began to bother him after summer practice began in August and another surgical procedure, this one to clean out debris in the knee, was necessary.

The setback meant that he couldn't play all season. He has missed the last 24 N.C. State games.

"It was very difficult watching and not being able to help out," Baker said. "I had to be patient, and that was the hardest part. All of it's going to pay off now."

No problems have occurred since practice began. Baker doesn't wear a brace on the knee and needs no extraordinary maintenance measures after practice, aside from icing the knee occasionally.

"As far as aching and tossing and turning in the bed, I don't have any of those problems," Baker said.

O'Brien is encouraged by what he has seen from Baker in early practices. He anticipates that a productive Baker can take a load of defensive pressure off Russell Wilson, the All-ACC quarterback last season as a freshman.

No one at N.C. State has more appreciation for the ordeal that Baker has undergone than O'Brien, but Baker will have to earn his playing time. O'Brien is not going to hand the position to him. Of course, if Baker keeps running as he did in Sunday night's scrimmage, O'Brien won't have many worries about Baker's status.

"He was better off (Sunday) than he was at any time during the spring," O'Brien said. "That's a positive for us, I think. I don't know if he was totally sure of himself in the spring. So I think his starting point is much different than it was.

"He ran (Sunday) with a little bit of power and a burst that we hadn't seen in the spring. He's still not all the way back to where he was but he's tracking in that direction, which is good news for our football team."

Baker said that at least a few times in the last two seasons that he felt sorry for himself and wondered why he was injured twice.

He was at practice almost every day last season, although his practices were of a special kind. He worked on the sideline performing physical-rehabilitation drills, while the normal practice took place only yards away. Gradually, though, he came to grips with what had happened and what he had to do to return to the playing field.

"I had to rebuild everything to get my leg strong again," he said. "That stuff takes time. We just had to play it smarter.

"I didn't tear any ligaments so my stability is fine. It was more of a weight-bearing issue. The cartilage was actually floating in my knee. When I tried to bend it back and forth, it got stuck and started popping. I couldn't move my knee. Something was in the way."

Baker said that he hasn't set a rushing yardage goal and will put team success in front of personal desires.

He is a fifth-year senior but might be able to return for the 2010 season. N.C. State athletics officials have told him that they believe that he can present a case to the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility, given that two of his seasons were wiped out by injury.

The idea of returning one more season appeals to Baker but he can't apply for the sixth season until this season is over. Both he and O'Brien will have to see if playing in 2010 is best for him and the team or if the injuries, the two surgeries and the time way from play inflicted too much damage to his running ability.

"It feels incredible to get back in here with the team," Baker said. "It's a great feeling to know that I'm back doing what I love to do. I feel great. I feel like Toney Baker."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.