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RALEIGH -- For the first time during the 2007 football season, this was the DeMario Pressley that N.C. State had hoped -- no, expected -- to see. In the Wolfpack's victory over East Carolina, Pressley was a game-changer at defensive tackle, collapsing the interior on runs, pressuring the quarterback on passes and even coming up with an interception.

For the first time during the 2007 season, Pressley played without fear.

What could make a 6-foot-3, 295-pound man with black-belt level skills in karate afraid? Injuries. Lots of them.

"Wrist, toes, elbow, knee," said State's defensive coordinator, Mike Archer, ticking off Pressley's problems. "Every part of his body had been through something."

The toughest thing to heal, though, was probably Pressley's mind.

It began with a wrist injury toward the end of last season. Next was a broken toe that kept him out of spring drills, costing him precious practices when Pressley could have been adjusting to the techniques that new defensive line coach Keith Willis wanted to teach the former Dudley standout.

Then came the gruesome elbow injury he suffered during State's second preseason scrimmage. The play was a handoff to Jamelle Eugene, who barged into the gap that Pressley was assigned to cover. Pressley reached out his left arm to grab Eugene. A split second later, a Wolfpack linebacker came crashing into Eugene -- and Pressley's arm. Eugene's momentum was pushing Pressley's elbow one way. The linebacker's momentum pushed it back the opposite direction.

"It popped twice," Pressley said. "It was very, very excruciating."

Despite tearing ligaments in the elbow, Pressley was able to start State's opener against Central Florida. But he had a bulky brace around the elbow and he had a barrier in his mind that was tougher to overcome than any double-team of blockers.

"I knew the pain I felt when I did it, and I could find myself doing movements to not feel that pain," Pressley said. "I knew what things would hurt and what things wouldn't hurt. I was doing, I guess, safe movements."

Yet it was a seemingly safe movement that would next cause Pressley pain. Toward the end of a Thursday practice before the Pack traveled to Boston College, Pressley ran toward the sideline to cover a screen pass. The play ended and Pressley tried to slow to a jog. Suddenly and inexplicably, he felt pain in his right knee. Then came the fear.

"I freaked out, because I know how dangerous knee injuries are," he said. "I didn't know what was wrong with it."

Fortunately for Pressley he only had some torn meniscus tissue. He missed the Boston College game and State's win over Wofford. Pressley was back on the field against Clemson because, physically, he was ready to play.

Mentally, though ...

"I was more timid to do certain things on my knee," he said. "I could cut and my knee would feel weird and I'd get scared again."

Willis could see what was happening to his star lineman and he could understand it. At the same time, he wasn't happy about it. The defense needed Pressley to play to his potential, not to play scared.

"It's that old phantom effect," Willis said. "Some athletes can get past it immediately. It takes time for others. Unfortunately, in this case it's taken some time. Time is of the essence right now."

No one knows that better than Pressley. As a senior who is on track to graduate in December, he has only a handful of game remaining in which he can leave his mark at State and make an impression on NFL scouts. His draft stock has likely taken a hit because of the problems he had in the first half of the season.

In other words, there was no time left for feeling afraid. Beginning with the bye week, which gave him extra practice time to strengthen his knee, Pressley began pushing back at the mental wall that had been blocking him. He finally broke through it against ECU.

"I just played," he said. "I had fun and I wasn't worried about any injuries or anything like that. Saturday I can say I was 100 percent."

The trick now is to stay that way in the limited time he has left.

"I've just got to stay strong and I've got to build off these next five games," Pressley said.

He paused for a moment, and then the proof that confidence had replaced fear showed.

"Six games," he added, "because we're going to a bowl."

Contact at Jim Young at 373-7016 or jyoung@news-record.com