The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State's spring football started Feb. 25, and its annual Kay Yow Spring Game will be April 1. The Pack is hoping to build off its strong finish to the 2016 season, during which it won three of the last four games to finish 7-6. Those wins included a road victory at archrival North Carolina and a 41-17 rout of SEC foe Vanderbilt in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. Expectations have increased for the 2017 season. ESPN recently released its preseason Football Power Index (FPI), and NC State checked in at No. 22. But in a show of the strength of the ACC's Atlantic Division, that is just fourth highest on that side of the league. Florida State (No. 4 in FPI), Clemson (No. 7) and Louisville (No. 14) are rated higher. There are some questions that have to be answered for the Pack going forward to meet those expectations and compete in the At- lantic: Who is running the football? Matt Dayes has exhausted his eligibility after being a workhorse as a senior this past fall. He ran 249 times for 1,116 yards and 10 touchdowns. The rest of the Wolfpack team combined to run 249 times for 884 yards and 13 scores, not including six kneel downs that lost 30 yards. The next-highest carry total on the team after Dayes was rising junior Reggie Gallaspy's 49 rushes. Running backs coach Des Kitchings, who also serves as NC State's assistant head coach for offense and recruiting coordinator, noted that it is not necessarily his preference to have one tailback carrying the load. "Obviously Matt Dayes had been here, he's unique," Kitchings noted. "We relied on him a lot with that. Before leaning on him we had Tony Creecy, Shad Thornton and Matt Dayes. I foresee it being that way going forward unless somebody really steps out to the forefront." Gallaspy ran 49 times for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and has the most experi- ence among the returning tailbacks. Rising fifth-year senior Dakwa Nichols (19 rushes for 98 yards and a touchdown in 2016) and rising redshirt sophomore Johnny Frasier (18 carries for 64 yards and a score) also are back. The wild cards in the spring are likely to be the combination of rising junior Nyheim Hines and rising senior Jaylen Samuels. Both were primarily used as receivers last season. Samuels led the Pack with 55 catches and seven scoring receptions. Hines hauled in 43 passes for 525 yards. However, both can carry the football and Rising junior Reggie Gallaspy, who ran for 234 yards and two scores last season, is one of several in the mix to replace Matt Dayes at running back. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN SPRING AHEAD NC State Football Began Spring Practices Facing Several Questions