The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL 2014 BY MATT CARTER Y ou can understand why running backs coach and recruit- ing coordinator Des Kitchings is excited about his unit's potential in 2014. Consider that junior Shadrach Thornton has rushed for 1,462 yards in two seasons on 319 carries, a healthy average of 4.6 yards per rush. He has rushed for more than 100 yards six times in his career, including in five of his 13 starts. He is on a pace that has him in position to become just the fourth running back in NCSU history with 3,000 career rushing yards. In nine starts last year, Thornton averaged 83 yards per game. He ran for 173 on 23 carries against national champion Florida State, including his career-long run of 72 yards on a touchdown scamper, one of two scores that afternoon. Had Thornton started all 12 games and averaged 83 yards, he would have finished with 996 yards, threatening to become the first 1,000-yard rusher at NCSU since T.A. McLendon in 2002. In the process, Thornton has established himself as one of the top running backs in the ACC, and yet he was not the best running back during NC State's spring practices. In fact, he was not even the second best. "When he gets here for August camp, he'll be locked in and it'll be good, but he's got some room to make up because Tony [Creecy] and Matt [Dayes] had really good spring practices," Kitchings noted. "He's not a lock. "One thing about Shad, he's going to work hard. He just didn't perform as well com- pared to the other two guys in the spring." Thornton has improved his strength, pushing 215 pounds on his 6-1 frame over the summer, but Creecy, a fifth-year senior, and Dayes, a sophomore, have also made strides. Kitchings noted that Creecy is also around 215 and was "as explosive and as quick twitched as I have seen him in a while." Kitchings has detected a chip on Creecy's shoulder after laboring through a painful turf toe injury his redshirt sophomore season when he ran for 476 yards and five touchdowns and then followed up with just 49 carries for 131 yards last season, both career lows. "Tony has improved himself tremendously," Kitchings said. "He wants to play and to play a lot. He's working towards that. "He hadn't really had the years he wanted to have or what he is capable of having or what he did this spring. He can do a lot of stuff and do it pretty well." Dayes ran 62 times for 252 yards and four scores last fall, and showed flashes in the passing game with 10 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown — but that was just a glimpse of his po- tential. He rededicated himself this spring to getting into peak condition. "He looks like a football player, and he's competing," Kitch- ings said, adding that, "I don't know if we have seen the true Matt Dayes yet." Redshirt freshman Dakwa Nichols, a noted speedster with even better quickness coming out of Richmond County High in Rocking- ham, N.C., has gotten stronger to help his durability after missing time last season with various injuries. Kitchings believes if Nichols can stay healthy, "he'll have a role for us." Versatile freshman Jaylen Samuels could also join the mix, al- though where he will line up remains to be seen. "He's a guy that could plug in a lot of places in the offense," Kitchings said. "I could utilize him at running back, certainly." Add it up, and Kitchings is not shy about his expectations for the running backs. "I feel like we better be the best unit on the team just cause of all the experience with Tony being a senior, Shad being a two-year starter, and Matt gotten some experience last year and having a tre- mendous spring," Kitchings said. "I told our guys we should be the best unit on offense, and do what we need to do to win games." ■ ■ By The Numbers 6 Career 100-yard rushing games for junior Shadrach Thornton, tied with Andre Brown and Dick Christy for ninth most at NC State. 12 Years since NC State has had a 1,000-yard rusher in a season, the longest drought in the ACC. 162.7 Average rushing yards per game for NCSU last season, the most for the Wolfpack since they ran for 178.8 yards per contest in 1997. NC State's Top Rusher The Past 10 Seasons Year Name Yards 2013 Shadrach Thornton 768 2012 Shadrach Thornton 694 2011 James Washington 897 2010 Mustafa Greene 597 2009 Toney Baker 773 2008 Andre Brown 767 2007 Jamelle Eugene 667 2006 Toney Baker 688 2005 Andre Brown 667 2004 T.A. McClendon 770 TAILBACKS STRENGTH OF THE PACK Talent And Experience Should Make Running Back One Of The Best Units On The Team Tony Creecy enters his fifth-year senior campaign with 279 career car- ries for 1,008 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 73 receptions for 424 yards and five scores. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Quick Facts Position Coach: Des Kitchings (3rd season) Returning Starter: Shadrach Thornton (13 career starts) Starters Lost: None FYI: Thornton was named preseason second-team All-ACC by Athlon's and third-team all-conference by Lindy's … Athlon's also rated NC State's running back unit as the seventh best in the ACC … Thornton needs 538 yards to become the 12th running back in Wolfpack history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards … Thornton's 173 yards rushing against FSU last season were the most in a single game for a Pack running back since Toney Baker ran for 174 at Clemson in 2006 … Fifth-year senior Tony Creecy would need to rush for 635 yards this year to crack the top 15 on NCSU's career rushing yards list … Sophomore Matt Dayes became the seventh true freshman running back since 2002 to see the field for NC State … Redshirt freshman Dakwa Nichols rushed for 1,094 yards on just 91 carries (12.0 yards a rush) and added 14 touchdowns as a senior at Richmond County High in Rockingham, N.C. … Incoming freshman Jaylen Samuels posted amazing stats for 4-AA state champ Mallard Creek High in Charlotte last season, running 109 times for 1,404 yards (12.9 a carry) and 39 touchdowns and catching 49 passes for 932 yards and 16 more scores … He produced a touchdown every 2.9 times he touched the ball and reached the end zone five times (three rushing and two receiving) in the 4-AA state title game on 12 touches … NCPreps.com named Samuels Mr. 4A Football in 2014. 54-56.TBs.indd 54 6/27/14 11:51 AM