The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916614
68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WOLFPACK FOOTBALL He was also invited, as a running back, to the Reese's Senior Bowl Jan. 27. The Charlotte native finished fifth in the ACC with 69 catches for 551 yards and four touchdowns. His reception total ranked 22nd nationally, but second among non-wideouts. He added 70 carries for 384 yards and 11 scores, and completed one pass for 25 yards. His 15 touchdowns tied for 18th nationally. Samuels will be joined at the Senior Bowl by at least two other NC State play- ers. Senior defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Justin Jones earlier accepted invitations to the game that offers valuable NFL Draft exposure. Junior running back Nyheim Hines was the only other Pack player to earn All- America laurels, being listed as an all-pur- pose specialist on the second team by the American Football Coaches' Association. He totaled 10 touchdowns and 1,774 all- purpose yards, with the latter mark ranking ninth nationally. The Garner, N.C., native became just the second 1,000-yard rusher at NCSU in the last 15 seasons during his first year at the position, and finished with 1,040 yards on the ground despite missing most of the Notre Dame game and almost half of the Wake Forest contest due to injuries. The only other time NC State had at least three players earn an All-America mention of some form was the famous White Shoes Defense squad of 1967. College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Dennis Byrd was a consensus All-American that year. Defensive back Fred Combs was a first-team selection by the Football Writers, second team accord- ing to UPI and honorable mention by the Associated Press, while kicker Gerald Warren was second team on the AP's ballot. Chubb, Hines and Samuels were all named first-team All-ACC, with Hines at running back and Samuels receiving his designation at the newly created all-pur- pose position. NC State sophomore wide receiver Kel- vin Harmon, redshirt junior right tackle Will Richardson and senior right guard Tony Adams were named second-team All- ACC on offense. Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Fin- ley and Hines, as a returner, added third- team honors. Redshirt junior center Garrett Bradbury, senior defensive tackle B.J. Hill and junior punter A.J. Cole III earned hon- orable mention. The number of NC State players voted first-team All-ACC is the most since three were chosen in 2005 (defensive ends Mario Williams and Manny Lawson, and line- backer Stephen Tulloch). Six on the first three teams is the most since the Wolfpack placed nine in 2002. One Leaves Wolfpack Program The Pack suffered its first offseason attri- tion when redshirt freshman wide receiver Daeshawn Stephens left the team after the conclusion of the regular season. Stephens did not play an active role on offense this year, with just five snaps dur- ing a week three win over Furman, but did play on special teams. The former Durham (N.C.) Hillside product caught 71 passes for 989 yards and 17 scores as a senior in high school and was rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com. Stephens had fallen behind fellow class of 2016 signees Kelvin Harmon, who was second-team All-ACC as a sophomore, and redshirt freshman C.J. Riley, who caught nine passes for 142 yards this season. True freshman Emeka Emezie also flashed as a rookie this year with 12 receptions for 137 yards and a score. NC State Set To Play Arizona State In Bowl Game NC State learned Dec. 3 that it had been invited to play Arizona State in the Hyun- dai Sun Bowl at 3 p.m. Dec. 29 in El Paso, Senior H-back Jaylen Samuels was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN