The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540860
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 ■ 21 joked with Gallaspy, who's interning with the strength staff for the second consecutive season. It's a bittersweet moment for Gallaspy. He's enjoyed holding that title for the past seven years, but he has also embraced his opportunity to mentor Smothers. The two running backs talk often, and Gallaspy has been able to help Smothers handle be- ing in this position with an opportunity to etch his name in the program's record books. Only four NC State ball carriers have rushed for 1,000 yards since the turn of the century with pass-heavy offenses having become en vogue. For Gallaspy, there's an easy answer, one that he has shared with Smoth- ers throughout this season: focus on the team and doing what it takes to win, not on counting statistics each week to see where you stand. "I never really thought about reaching 1,000 yards when I was playing my senior year. I focused more on the team and what I could do to the best of my ability to make the team win," said Gallaspy, who totaled 1,061 rushing yards in his first three sea- sons before breaking out in his final cam- paign with the Pack. "I took myself out of a lot of the equations my senior year. … When it came down to it and I focused on everybody but myself, the 1,000 yards happened to come with it." Gallaspy developed that mindset while paying close attention to Dayes and Hines during his time backing them up. The ap- proach worked out for all three in the long run, and Smothers appears to have ad- opted a similar attitude this season. With 825 rushing yards though the Wolfpack's first eight games, Smothers is on pace to become only the 14th player in program history to reach the 1,000-yard plateau in a single season. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS NC State Football Schedule Date Opponent Results/Time (TV) Aug. 28 EAST CAROLINA W, 24-17 Sept. 6 VIRGINIA W, 35-31 Sept. 11 at Wake Forest W, 34-24 Sept. 20 at Duke L, 45-33 Sept. 27 VIRGINIA TECH L, 23-21 Oct. 4 CAMPBELL W, 56-10 Oct. 11 at Notre Dame L, 36-7 Oct. 25 at Pitt L, 53-34 Nov. 1 GEORGIA TECH 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Nov. 15 at Miami TBA Nov. 21 FLORIDA STATE 8 p.m. (ESPN) Nov. 29 NORTH CAROLINA TBA