The NC State football team boasts a dominant one-two punch at the running back position this year, with powerful junior Shadrach Thornton and sophomore speedster Matt Dayes leading the Pack’s offensive charge.
The arrival of head coach Dave Doeren last year brought a new system to State’s offense. Although the Pack only managed to win three games over the course of last season, it did find its two running backs for the future in Thornton and Dayes.
The two backs combined for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013. This was more than half of State’s rushing offense and more than half of its rushing touchdowns. Dayes and Thornton’s importance has carried over early in the new season and is something Wolfpack fans hope will continue.
The pair provides something of a “thunder and lightning” combination. Thornton is the power of the two. He has carried the ball a total of 24 times this season and tallied 159 yards on the ground, while his downhill running style also has allowed him to average 6.6 yards per carry. Known for picking up the tough yardage, the talented Georgia native has shown his ability to break off the big gains as well, scampering for a team long 27-yard run so far this season. Thornton has continued his production from last year and is on pace to be the Pack’s leading rusher at the seasons end.
“I just run with my life on my shoulders,” Thornton said. “It does something when you can physically take the will out of the defensive team.”
Thornton’s partner in crime, Dayes, has shown he is an all-purpose back — racking up 113 yards on the ground and 102 yards through the air. The dual-threat sophomore has scored three touchdowns so far this season, one being on the ground and two through the air. With Dayes bringing a different dimension to the offense out of the backfield, the Wolfpack can spread the field to give its playmakers—like freshman wide receiver Bo Hines—more room to operate.
“Me being able to play receiver helps us all [running backs] get on the field,” Dayes said. “It’s a good thing for us.”
While Thornton has continued the pace that he started last year, Dayes has seen his role increase tremendously. Dayes only received 63 carries last year compared to Thornton’s 165, but this year he has become more involved. The sophomore from Weston, Florida also returns kickoffs for State and has shown the potential to be a threat in the return game.
This season, the offensive backfield seems to be more balanced than in the past, with Thornton getting 24 carries and Dayes’ 19. This has allowed the two backs to stay fresh in order to do what they both do best when they are in the game. In Saturday’s game against Old Dominion, the two backs combined for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to lead the Pack in its come from behind win.
“Putting the ball in the end zone and putting the nail in the coffin is big for us,” Thornton said.
Thornton and Dayes are on pace to combine for more than 1,600 yards rushing on offense; a feat that Pack fans haven’t seen out of a backfield since 2008, when running backs Andre Brown and Jamelle Eugene teamed up with quarterback Russell Wilson to break the 1,600-yard mark. These numbers are well within the reach of the dynamic duo.
“With our offense we can score on anybody,” Dayes said. “We just can’t beat ourselves.”
The Pack faces off against the South Florida Bulls on Saturday and hopes to continue its rushing prowess. The Bulls gave up more than 100 yards on the ground against the Maryland Terrapins last week and State will look to do the same to them this week. Thornton and Dayes must get touches for the Pack to find success.
