The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015 BY RYAN TICE O nly seven players in NC State his- tory have topped 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, and it has not been done in Raleigh since T.A. McLendon in 2002. No ACC squad has a longer such drought. This year, the Wolfpack boasts a pair of backs who both have stated their goal is to break into the exclusive club. The objec- tive is lofty, but not unattainable given how much the squad will rely on the ground game, led by senior Shadrach Thornton and junior Matt Dayes. Fifth-year senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett can't be forgotten either, after he helped the threesome pile up 2,463 yards rushing and receiving last year, to go along with 26 touchdowns. The team's total of 2,659 yards on the ground was its highest since 1977. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has experience keeping a loaded stable of backs happy, which should come in handy this fall. The Wolfpack was one of just two teams in the country to ink three four-star running backs in the 2015 class. In 2012, with Canada as the offensive coordinator, Wisconsin boasted first-team All-American Montee Ball, who rushed for 1,830 yards and 22 touchdowns on 356 attempts (5.1-yard average). However, backups James White and Melvin Gordon, a 2014 Heisman finalist, both averaged more yards per carry than their teammate. White rushed 125 times for 806 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) and 12 touchdowns, while Gordon toted the rock 62 times for 621 yards (10.0 yards per rush) and three scores. All three were eventually selected in the top four rounds of the NFL Draft. "It's a situation where we do have expe- rience, and we had it last year with Tony Creecy, Matt and Shad," Canada explained. "We had three very good backs. We'll con- tinue to work through that, and that will be good for us." One More Chance At 1,000 Since day one — when Thornton burst onto the scene with 145 yards against The Citadel in 2012 after the depth chart was depleted by injuries — he has held himself to a high standard. The senior currently ranks 10th among the Pack's all-time rushing leaders with 2,369 yards. He has led the team in that statistic for each of the last three years, becoming the first Wolfpacker to do so since McLendon in 2002-04. This year, he'll look to become just the third in program annals to do so all four years, joining Tremayne Stephens (1994-97) and ACC rushing king Ted Brown (1975-78). He also ranks in the school's top 10 for 100-yard games (eighth, eight) and career rushing average (ninth, 4.9 yards per carry). Thornton has just one number in mind, though, for his senior campaign — 1,000 rushing yards. He admitted it was hard to come so close to breaking the barrier, but fall short, last season. He finished with 907 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. "It made me go back and look at a few games to see where I left some yards out on the field," he said. "It made me won- der; if I would have hit this hole or that hole, there's no telling what I would've ended up with." Still, Thornton felt like it was a suc- cessful season, highlighted by his first win over rival North Carolina. He appeared in every game — another career first — and although he carried one less time than in 2013, he gained 139 more yards and scored six more touchdowns than the previous campaign. Head coach Dave Doeren noted the back was one of the top vote getters when the team held its leadership council elections this spring. Thornton leads by example and has taken youngsters, such as early enrollee Reggie Gallaspy II, under his wing. "He's very respected by his peers," Do- eren explained. "I think that's the one thing that stands out to me as a coach. "He is, without a doubt, one of the hard- est-working guys in this building on a day- to-day basis, and our strength staff will tell you the same thing. He really works hard, and he's become a leader with the younger players." Triple Threat Dayes' stated goal of posting 1,000 rush- ing yards and 1,000 receiving yards raises eyebrows because only one player in college football history has ever done it — Brian Westbrook at Villanova in 1998. He's aware it sounds preposterous, but noted putting limits on himself would be more outrageous. "It's extremely rare, but that's my goal," he said. "I have high standards and I'm working as hard as I can." The 5-9, 203-pounder finished second on the team with 573 yards and eight touch- downs on the ground last year. He is also the top returning receiver after posting 32 receptions for 321 yards and five touch- downs, which tied for the most on the Pack. Dayes' 13 total touchdowns led the squad and ranked third in the ACC, while his total of 1,278 all-purpose yards was seventh in the league. Full House NC State's Productive Offensive Backfield Boasts Experience, Leadership And Lofty Goals