updated 4:49 p.m. ET Jan. 19, 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster will be in street clothes during the NFC championship, cheering on the Carolina Panthers from the sidelines.

Losing both their star running backs to injuries would surely make any team panic. Not the Panthers, though.

They’ll turn to Nick Goings, an undrafted fifth-year pro, to carry them Sunday.

“I’m telling you, this guy we have playing for us this week is going to do a great job,” quarterback Jake Delhomme said. “He knows what to do. He knows how to do it. Hopefully, the players around him, including myself, can help him have a good game.

“But this guy is, in my opinion, a true pro. He does the right things.”

Goings has spent most of his NFL career at the bottom of the Panthers’ depth chart. His first chance at playing time came last season, only after Carolina lost five other running backs to injury.

Fresh out of healthy bodies, the Panthers finally turned to Goings and he almost saved the season for them. Carolina was 1-7, seemingly out of the playoff race and literally out of running backs.

Goings got the nod for the Panthers’ final eight games and racked up 821 yards, six touchdowns and 45 catches for another 394 yards. He had five 100-yard rushing games while helping the Panthers to six wins that almost put them in the playoffs.

“Last year I had an opportunity to be able to start eight games — I gained a lot of confidence from that, a lot of experience,” Goings said. “So I feel pretty good about this.”

They’ll need a strong performance out of him against Seattle if Carolina has any shot of advancing to its second Super Bowl in three seasons.

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He’s no Davis, a bruising three-time Pro Bowler, and he lacks the speed that Foster has, but Goings won’t be taken lightly by Seattle.

“I remember him last year when I was playing with St. Louis and he went for 100 (yards) on us,” Seahawks defensive end Bryce Fisher said. “He runs hard, he runs strong. He was a special teams guy, so he’s got that attitude that every play he has got to go out there and compete like it might be his last.”

The last time Goings played a featured role in a championship game was 1995 when he led his high school to an Ohio state title. His career has been anything but smooth since.

He started as a backup at Ohio State, then transferred to Pittsburgh for more playing time but instead found himself sharing carries with Kevan Barlow.

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Barlow was drafted by San Francisco, but Goings had to settle for a free agent contract with Carolina.

But he worked hard and made himself a name despite his lack of opportunities with the Panthers.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a better measurement for a heart than his,” Carolina coach John Fox said. “He’s that kind of guy. He’s been big for us in a lot of different spots and we’re going to need him to be that way again.”

Goings has been waiting patiently in the wings for this chance. He knew even after he ran well last year that once Davis and Foster came back to the lineup, he’d be shifted back into anonymity.

Now he’s asked for 10 tickets to the NFC championship so his friends and family can see him make the most of his opportunity.

“This is the biggest game of my life,” he said. “It’s exciting. It’s a wonderful opportunity. I feel like I’ve worked hard all year and am prepared. I’ll be ready to play.”

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Goings has gotten a few chances this year — he ran for 133 yards on 37 carries and started one game at fullback.

His production picked up in the playoffs, when he got 12 carries for 63 yards in a win over the New York Giants. Then, after Foster broke his leg in the third quarter of last week’s win over Chicago, Foster gained 34 yards on 10 carries, and added one catch for 14 yards.

Goings wants to turn it up another level this week.

“I take pride in my work ethic and being ready for whatever opportunities come my way,” he said. “This is a best-case scenario for me. I just want to take advantage of it and play well.

“Ever since this happened a lot of guys have come to me and patted me on the back. It gives me a lot of confidence to know my teammates feel that way about me.”

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