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It was a tough day for football injuries at N.C. State and North Carolina.

You probably don't have to be clairvoyant to guess the next member of State football's list of walking wounded. Is his play improving weekly? Demonstrating a grasp of his position's nuances?

He's probably doomed.

The Wolfpack's absurdly bad luck continued with Monday's revelations that quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Nate Irving are out for Saturday's game against 13th-ranked South Florida and will miss an uncertain amount of time thereafter. Coach Tom O'Brien didn't specify the nature or severity of the injuries, citing ACC policy consistent with federal privacy laws.

Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels learned that quarterback T.J. Yates has a broken left ankle and is expected to miss at least six weeks of action.

Back in Raleigh, it was fair to wonder if the Wolfpack, which has seen 11 projected or actual sidelined already in 2008, is vulnerable to a meltdown.

"My job is to make sure that doesn't happen," O'Brien said. "Maybe they'll start to believe me when I tell them it's going to stop somewhere. It sure hasn't yet."

Irving, who intercepted a pass in each of the Pack's first three games and sustained a lower-leg injury during Saturday's win over then-No. 15 East Carolina, joins a list that includes former Ragsdale running back Toney Baker, out for the year with complications from a year-old knee injury; defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash, who recently had knee surgery; and wide receiver Donald Bowens.

Wilson suffered a concussion in the season-opening loss at South Carolina that knocked him out of the next game, the home opener with William & Mary. Harrison Beck, who relieved starter Daniel Evans against the Tribe and led the team to a 34-24 victory, will start Saturday against the Bulls.

"We're playing our third- starting quarterback in the fifth week of the season," O'Brien said. "I have never seen something like this anywhere I've coached."

The timing is especially eerie. Wilson, who struggled to move the team against South Carolina and Clemson, delivered a breakthrough performance against ECU. He played the entire second half and overtime, completing 21 of 31 passes for 210 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He didn't appear injured when Andre Brown scampered into the end zone to end the game. The specifics on Wilson's condition may be revealed Thursday.

Irving has been State's best player this season, contributing three interceptions and a fumble recovery. He was hurt late in the first half Saturday and played only one second-half series after briefly convincing the staff he could go.

Dwayne Maddox, a true freshman from Shelby who enrolled at State in January, was on the field for 37 snaps as Irving's replacement and will get the call again.

"Our spirits would never go down even if a player goes down," linebacker Ray Michel said. "For instance, when Dwayne Maddox came in, he played like Nate had played."

It's unclear if any quarterback for UNC can play the way Yates played. Coach Butch Davis said Monday that he hasn't settled on a starter for Saturday's game at Miami. His choices are redshirt freshman Mike Paulus and junior Cam Sexton, who started five games in 2006.

"I don't think that we'll deviate our offense. You are who you are," Davis said. "We've got 10 other starters back, and we'll do what they do. We'll have to put a quarterback in that can do the things that help those guys be as good as possible."

Yates, a sophomore, was hurt on a sack in the third quarter of Saturday's 20-17 loss to Virginia Tech. He stayed on the field for one more play, then limped off and didn't return. He threw for 181 yards and a touchdown, leading the Tar Heels to a 10-3 lead before he was hurt.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com