Give Matt Dayes The Ball

Shadrach Thornton gets a lot of the attention as the face of the NC State running game, and he deserves that attention.  He has posted the numbers and had the career to garner that attention. But Looming behind the shadow of Thornton lies NC State’s BEST offensive weapon: Matt Dayes.

Dayes had less rushing yards than Thornton last season (Thornton 907/Dayes 573), but Dayes had more all-purpose yards than anyone on the team with 1,278 (8th in the ACC). He also led the Wolfpack  with a total of 13 touchdowns (8 rushing & 5 receiving), which is the 6th highest single season total in NC State history. Hence why he was named NC State’s Offensive MVP.

Last season Dayes did something that NO OTHER player in the NCAA did. He was one of only three players nationally to post more than 300 yards rushing, receiving and in returns. But he was the ONLY player to record those numbers and also collect 5 touchdowns both rushing and receiving. This feat has only been done by 13 other players over the past 10 seasons. Let me drop a few names that he is in company with: Cordarrelle Patterson, Randall Cobb, C.J. Spiller, DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin and Reggie Bush to name a few.

The rising junior has major expectations and dreams for himself and the team.  In speaking with ESPN in March, he didn’t consider last season a “breakout” and laid out these goals for next season.

“Make it to an ACC championship and individually, I would love to have 1,000 rushing yards this season and 1,000 receiving yards — if that’s even possible,” he said. “Those are my personal goals and team goals.” (Via ESPN)

With his drive and his talent, the sky is the limit. Plain and simple. Give Matt Dayes the ball!