Over the last decade, NC State has had no shortage of talented running backs. From Shadrach Thornton and Matthew Dayes to Nyheim Hines and Reggie Gallaspy Jr. to the all-purpose Jaylen Samuels, it has been six years since the Wolfpack didn’t have a running back with at least 1,000 total yards.
Expect that to change this year — in a good way.
For the first time in a long time, NC State has a three-headed monster at running back. Sophomore Ricky Person Jr. and freshmen Zonovan Knight and Jordan Houston lead a Wolfpack ground game that should be the crux of an offense that lost its starting quarterback and two All-ACC First Team wide receivers to the NFL.
With Person expected to take over the bruising, between-the-tackles role from Gallaspy, Knight and Houston are more versatile. At 6-foot, 197 pounds, Knight is quick enough to catch passes out of the backfield and break off a big run while still big and strong enough to handle short-yardage work. Houston, the smallest and fastest of the bunch, is a bolt of electricity when he shoots out of the backfield, always a threat to catch a swing pass and take it to the house.
“Jordan and Zonovan, they give our offense some juice to potentially create some explosive plays in the run game and even in the passing game,” said co-offensive coordinator Des Kitchings. “Those guys catch the ball well.”
Despite the potential dynamite backfield duo of Knight and Houston, it is still Person who is expected to be the workhorse on the ground. The allure of Knight and Houston’s big-play ability is strong, but Person is the guy the Wolfpack are going to rely on to churn out yardage and convert for first downs.
“We talk a lot about the efficiency of running the ball,” Kitchings said. “Don’t think you’ll create the big play every time. Understand that a four-, three-yard run on second and two, we get two yards, that’s great, that’s a first down.”
Heading into spring practice and fall camp, the idea of who would be backing up Person and how the workload at running back would be distributed was still a mystery. But after Person continued to impress and a few minor injuries paved the way for Knight and Houston to show off their talent, the mystery was quickly solved.
“We’re all doing great at practice,” Knight said. “Everybody looks pretty good out there.”
Knight and Houston are expected to take on the role of third-down back, stepping in next to quarterback Matt McKay on passing downs to either pick up and block a blitzing defensive back or run a route out of the backfield to pick up a first down.
“I’ve been working on my hands during the offseason,” Knight said. “With me [and] Jordan, getting us in the open field, if we’re open, there will be some great plays we’ll be able to make.”
In an effort to keep the best skill-position players on the field at all times, regardless of position, Kitchings and co-offensive coordinator George McDonald have even toyed with lining Houston up as a slot receiver in various formations.
“I’ll do anything my coach needs me to do,” Houston said. “Sometimes I line up at receiver; I run a lot of routes out of the backfield, so I think that allows me to show my versatility.”
Losing three starting offensive linemen from last season’s team would be a concern for most teams. But for an NC State team that churns out good offensive linemen like it does quarterbacks, the guys running behind it don’t think there will be an issue.
“I believe in my line 100 percent,” Houston said. “In order to run behind them, I have to trust them, and with what they’ve shown me so far in practice, I trust them 100 percent.”
While the trio of Person, Knight and Houston may not consist of any household names, the three-man group is confident that come Saturday, in front of a sold-out Carter-Finley crowd against rival East Carolina, the world will see a pack of wolves running wild in Raleigh.
“We’re going to be great,” Houston said. “We all compete every day in practice, just making each other better. There’s no telling how great we can be.”
Freshman running back Zonovan Knight runs the ball during the Kay Yow Spring Game on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
