The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
JULY 2015 ■ 35 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015 The back was one of just three players nationally to record more than 300 yards rushing, receiving and by return, and the only one to do so while scoring at least five touchdowns on the ground and through the air. Only 15 other players have posted such yardage totals with at least 10 touchdowns in the last decade, and Dayes was presented the Torry Holt Award as the Pack's Most Valuable Offensive Player. He was happy with the campaign because team success comes first, but says he wasn't satisfied with his personal accomplishments, noting the numbers still didn't live up to his preseason goals. "This year is going to be different," he stated. "Since I started playing football, I al- ways expected big things out of myself. I set high goals, which are sometimes impossible to achieve, but that's how I am. It brings the best out of me and makes me strive for greatness." This spring, with so many questions about the players out wide, Dayes was occasion- ally asked to line up at receiver. Although he prefers running the ball, he knows it could help him reach his sky-high expectations. "It's not difficult, I just have to get used to it and get more repetition of it in practice," he said. "A lot of people think I'm short, but I'll go get the ball." Brissett's Boost Thornton and Dayes won't be the only players to record carries this season. The offense is known for its jet sweeps, which create chances for tight end/fullback Jaylen Samuels and other receivers to make plays on the ground. Brissett also showed last year he could get it done on the ground. Officially he rushed for 529 yards and three touchdowns, but with sack yardage taken out he would have netted 721 yards on the ground. "It's just playing off those guys," he said. "The defense has to respect them, and when an open lane presents itself, I have to take it. "Me running gives defenses something else to think about and they can't account for everything on the field. It just opens up the offense that much more." The signal-caller is deceptively athletic with his 6-4, 235-pound frame. He can move to buy time before uncorking a throw, like he did in last season's play of the year — a wild touchdown pass against Florida State where he shook two defenders off before letting go a strike while running toward the sideline. Senior running back Shadrach Thornton ranks 10th among the Pack's all-time rushing leaders with 2,369 yards for his career. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN