NC State Football
Wolferetti: It’s time to see what Delbert Mimms can do at RB
Delbert Mimms only totaled 3 carries against Florida State on Saturday, but with NC State down 1, with just over 9 minutes to play and facing a 2nd and 4, he showed Wolfpack nation what he’s capable of. Mimms broke off a 14-yard run, and put them into FG range, which helped them knock through what ended up being the game-winner.
The sophomore RB stands at 5’11 and weighs in at 215lbs. He’s NC State’s biggest back, yet he really has been stuck behind Jordan Houston and Demie Sumo for most of the season despite averaging 4.7 YPC.
Now, I get it, you have an experienced Houston who runs extremely hard, but so far this season he hasn’t been able to really break out. He’s averaging 4.1 YPC on the year. Meanwhile, Sumo has kind of had most of the hype, and deservedly so. He’s leading the team in rushing with 299 yards and 3 TDs (the only 3 TDs all season on the ground by NC State RBs). However, if he plays vs. Syracuse this Saturday he’ll likely be a bit banged up (He went out of the FSU game with an injury.)
That said, Sumo really struggled versus Clemson, the first real stout defense the Pack has faced this season, carrying the ball 5 times for just 10 yards. Against FSU he was a bit better, carrying it 8 times for 37 yards, but still not really allowing NC State to rely on the run and pound it down the defense’s throat like Dave Doeren would like to do.
So where does NC State go from here?
Well, I believe it’s time to give Delbert Mimms a true look. If you remember, he was my ‘sleeper pick’ in our preseason prediction piece.
Mimms isn’t some home run hitter. He isn’t a guy that’s going to break off 70-yard runs, but Dave Doeren isn’t looking for a guy like that. He’s looking for a ball-control bruiser. A guy that sees a hole and hits that hole with authority. He’s a guy who is going to give you great yards after contact and can help sustain drives.
Demie Sumo may very well be that guy for NC State as the season goes on, but Sumo is a very patient runner. If you watch his footwork, he likes to let the line set up their blocks before he picks his hole. If NC State’s offensive line was a little better, I wouldn’t be writing this piece because I think Sumo would be solving a lot of the Pack’s problems himself. However, the line hasn’t been that great setting up the run. The holes, when they’re there, don’t stay open long enough for a back like Sumo to reach his full potential. Because of that, I think they need a guy like Mimms. The sophomore doesn’t dance, he gets to that first level fast and is able to shed arm tackles because of his size and downhill running style.
Now, I think Houston does these things as well. He doesn’t dance and he hits the hole hard, but he hasn’t been as great at shedding those arm tackles without being slowed up. This is why I think with this team, at this point, it’s time to start working Mimms in.
I know the Sumo faithful won’t like this take, and I’m not saying Mimms needs to be NC State’s featured back, but Mimms passes my eye test. When NC State is taking on a faster defense, I think the move is to not try to beat them with speed or with patience, NC State will lose that battle. I think your best bet on the ground is to beat them with a leg-churning bruiser.
We’ll see how it plays out going forward, but I saw something in the preseason and I saw that same thing this weekend when Mimms took 3 carries for 21 yards. He’s got value for Dave Doeren, and with the offense sputtering as of late, I think it’s time to see what he can do.
NC State Wide Receiver Kevin Concepcion has been named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic.
Here’s what they had to say about KC:
WR Kevin Concepcion, NC State: “KC” easily won ACC Rookie of the Year this season after catching 64 passes for 767 yards, rushing for 297 yards on 7.8 yards per carry and scoring 11 total touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 187-pound slot receiver from Charlotte was a three-star signee who proved he should start right away as a true freshman. Over his last seven games, Concepcion has averaged 117 total yards per game. (The Athletic)
NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson has added 3 more First Team All-American accolades to his list: Sports Illustrated, College Football Network and The Athletic. He already earned the same honors from USA Today, CBS & PFF.
Quarterback: Jayden Daniels, LSU
Running back: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State; Cody Schrader, Missouri
Wide receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Rome Odunze, Washington; Malik Nabers, LSU
Tight end: Brock Bowers, Georgia
Offensive line: Olu Fashanu, Penn State; Zak Zinter, Michigan; Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia; Cooper Beebe, Kansas State; Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Edge: Laiatu Latu, UCLA; Jalen Green, James Madison
Defensive tackle: T’Vondre Sweat, Texas; Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
Linebacker: Jay Higgins, Iowa; Payton Wilson, North Carolina State; Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
Cornerback: Will Johnson, Michigan; Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
Safety: Malaki Starks, Georgia; Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Punter: Tory Taylor, Iowa
Kicker: Graham Nicholson, Miami (Ohio)
Kick returner: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
All-purpose: Travis Hunter, Colorado
2023 First-Team All-American Offense
QB: Bo Nix, Oregon
RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
RB: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
WR: Malik Washington, Virginia
WR: Malik Nabers, LSU
WR: Rome Odunze, Washington
TE: Dallin Holker, Colorado State
FLEX: Troy Franklin, Oregon
OT: Darius Washington, Florida State
OG: Cole Potts, JMU
OC: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
OG: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
OT: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
2023 First-Team All-American Defense
EDGE: Laiatu Latu, UCLA
DT: Patrick Jenkins, Tulane
DT: Braden Fiske, Florida State
EDGE: Jalen Green, JMU
LB: Payton Wilson, NC State
LB: Jason Henderson, ODU
LB: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
CB: Beanie Bishop Jr., West Virginia
CB: Terrion Arnold, Alabama
CB: Ricardo Hallman, Wisconsin
S: Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
S: Tykee Smith, Georgia
FLEX: Jarrian Jones, Florida State
NC State’s Kevin Concepcion Earns Freshman All-American Status from The Athletic
Payton Wilson Earns 3 More 1st Team All-American Honors
NC State DB Cecil Powell Enters the Transfer Portal
NC State’s NET Ranking After Defeating Maryland Eastern Shore
NC State’s Payton Wilson Earns USA Today All-American 1st Team Honors
NC State Bowl Projections After the Close of the Regular Season
Editor in Chief of ‘The Athletic’ takes public shot at Dave Doeren and NIL model. Is this fair?
Thank God Payton Flipped His Commitment from UNC to NC State!
NC State Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson is Being Considered for the Duke Head Coaching Job
Breaking Down NC State’s Assistant Coach Salaries
2024 NC State Commit Trey Parker Finishes 2nd in OTE Dunk Contest
VIDEO BREAKDOWN: Was BYU 3 point barrage unstoppable, or was NC State’s defense to blame? You decide.
VIDEO: Terquavion Smith GOES OFF in G-League Debut with 37 points & 8 Boards
NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal
I am not an intelligent fan, much less a football coach. Hell, I am not even as smart as Wolfretti. But I would like to what criteria, besides not fumbling, that the coaches use to decide who starts and who gets the most plays, on any given day. If nothing else, Mimms should get reps just to prevent Sumo from getting dinged and Houston from getting tired.
Sorry about the typo Joey. I can’t even spell Wolferetti
I think the OL should be mad at themselves for allowing Leary to get hurt. I hope they take it personally. (The whiners that thought it was “targeting” are full of excrement. Clean hard hit just as he was in the motion of throwing should not have been a penalty).
Chambers, Mimms, Pennix all offer additional options on offense. Despite our great defense, we will need to score bunches of points to beat Cuse.
I’m good with having another option when we need to get some short gains and muscle out some yardage. Still need the OL to improve but also having the threat of Chambers keeping the ball will keep the defenders thinking.
We also need to get Pennix back and use Toudle more as our TE’s have not been involved enough.