On Saturday, Matt Dayes will take the field as NC State’s starting running back.  Like every other player in college football, he has been itching for game week to finally arrive.  When Saturday comes, every player will put on their headphones and get their mind right for the game.  While a lot of players listen to music to get them hyped up to play, Dayes takes a different approach to his pregame playlist.

“I just put my headphones on and get in the zone.  I listen to a lot of Gospel music,” said Dayes. “It keeps me calm.  It keeps me from not being jittery.”

Some players listen to the same songs or have a specific routine that they carry out before each and every game.  Dayes’ Gospel music pregame playlist is something that has been engrained into his routine for four years now.

“It’s something I’ve been doing since my Senior year in high school and I think it helped me out big time,” said Dayes. “I love to listen to Kirk Franklin.  I just love all kinds of Gospel music.  It keeps me calm and confident.”