Supermassive NC State Football Preview: Run Game

Welcome to year two of Trinity Road Times' Supermassive NC State Football Preview, one of my personal favorite articles I get to write. This is a deep dive into the upcoming NC State football team, divided into four parts: the running game, the passing game, the defensive front, and the secondary. We're starting things with a run game that hit its stride last year around the same time Daylan Smothers got healthy, but now must replace three starters on the line.

Terms to know

Outside Zone: A run play that tries to separate the defense horizontally by capturing the outside shoulder of the first level defenders. Sometimes called a stretch play.

Inside Zone: A run play that tries create vertical separation of the defense with drive blocks.

Gap Scheme: A type of run play that features pullers and a distinct point of attack

Reach: A type of block used in outside zone where the blocker is trying to win the playside shoulder of the defender.

Game (defensive line): Any kind of stunt or spike from a defensive end or on-ball player, which results in a post-snap assignment change within the blocking scheme.

The hope for this year's rushing attack is that it can start a little cleaner. State had a strong ground game each of the last two years, but in both cases, it had to go pretty far over the course of the year before it got the right players running the right plays. By the end of last season, State was running wild on opponents, even ones with good defensive lines, behind the play of its offensive line and freshman running back. Daylan Smothers averaged 7.4 YPC over the final five games. He was dynamite. Can 2025 be more of what we saw at the end of 2024?

The Running Backs 

Running back and tight end are probably the top two positions on NC State’s football team heading into 2025. You can order them however you prefer, but running back’s inclusion on that list is obviously a result of Daylan Smothers, an extremely good player who is very good and plays the game of football very well. 

Smothers was expected to be the third running back after he transferred in from Oklahoma following a low usage freshman season. It was reasonable to question how much he might actually see the field with Kendrick Raphael returning and Jordan Waters expecting a bell cow role, but Smothers proved to be the best back on the team, and he did so with haste. 

By the end of the season, Smothers in the zone scheme was the best part of the whole team. When State allowed that to be the focal point, it became a good offense. When it decided not to do that, it became a bad offense. It was really that simple. This season, Smothers will see a high-usage role, both from his clear status as RB1 and a shift in offensive philosophy toward doing the things you’re good at and away from not doing that.

The sophomore is a glove-like fit in an outside zone-forward scheme (and he's equally good at inside zone). His ability to stretch the defense horizontally, his cut speed, and his breakaway speed are natural components of a back who can be really dangerous in the stretch play. He’s also more technically sound than most people, me included, thought he would be as a freshman. 

Note the variations of the tracks of the running back on the above schematics. The beauty of zone is the lack of a true point of attack. The ball can hit anywhere. That's a positive for the blocking scheme because it's easier for the linemen to be right. It puts more weight on the decision making and reads of the running back. Smothers was more skilled at this than your average freshman. Also note for later in the article that the assignments for the offensive line are identical in this example, but the technique is very different. This will be more visible in the examples.

The thing I like about Smothers, outside of his athletic ability, is that he understands what the plays are supposed to do and plays within the constraints of them. You’d imagine that a freshman back with this level of speed would have to adjust to the idea that he’s not going to beat everyone to the sideline. Smothers didn’t really have that problem. He made good reads all year and executed his role in the play consistently and correctly. When you have a back who does that with this type of physical ability, that’s a dangerous football player. Smothers truly does have a chance to an upper echelon back in America this season. He has the goods.

Below is my favorite run of his from last season. Outside zone is a "stretch-and-puncture play" for the back. That's the mentality it should be ran with, and Smothers demonstrates that well. Mechanically, the play is designed to press the defensive edge and separate the interior of the defense, and the back is reading the leverage from outside in and seeking cutbacks lanes. It's fundamentally a cutback play. Great zone backs must be patient but explosive, threatening the edge and then planting and exploding through the hole.

Tackle over formation puts Peak and Belton together on the left. Smothers' aiming point is the outside hip of Peak. Smothers presses the edge and you can see Belton's defensive end try to long-arm Belton and get outside. Smothers cuts inside of that when he sees it. Correll and Carter have doubled the nose tackle to the linebacker almost perfectly and the back pays it off.

Here's a nice outside zone play from Smothers in the bowl game. The back ran wild on ECU. If only the playcaller cared.

This one features what might have been a miscommunication on the offensive line. Correll and Carter should be double teaming the nose tackle to the linebacker, but I think Carter makes an error as both release. Penetration is allowed on the play side as a result, but Smothers cuts underneath and then breaks a tackle at the second level.

State had a lot of well-blocked runs last year, but Smothers can make something out of a play where that doesn't happen and the offensive line allows some vertical movement. The one thing that a zone play can't allow is penetration, and Smothers is good at reacting to that and not letting it spoil the whole play when it happens. The other thing the freshman back did well is he actually broke tackles. This was a huge problem for State when the run game was less smothering. He makes guys miss, and that's what takes a seven-yard gain and makes it a seventy-yard gain.

Kamen Smith was late to the A-gap blitz here and Smothers had to cut underneath the penetration. The blitz is nearly able to force the ball back to the unblocked end, but the guy can't tackle Smothers. Zero broken tackles gets Smothers zero yards. One broken tackle gets him six yards. Two broken tackles allow him to show his breakaway speed as he outruns the safety to the endzone.

The numbers certainly agree here. Smothers averaged a broken tackle every 3.56 carries in 2024. He also had 340 breakaway yards (yards gained more than 15 yards downfield). For comparison, Jordan Waters averaged a broken tackle every 6.5 carries and had 182 breakaway yards despite recording more attempts than Smothers. The ability to turn well-blocked plays into explosive plays was the most obvious difference. Smothers had 13 carries of over 15 yards. Waters and Raphael combined for 12. I can't stress enough how much of an impact a couple extra broken tackles makes in the numbers when you're consistently getting the back to unblocked run support.

The question marks at running back come from the lack of proven depth. State has generally avoided the bell cow approach, and that makes sense given the beating this position takes. Guys get banged up here, so distributing that physical toll helps with longevity. The times where Doeren has not done this were times that State either lacked the depth to do it or had one guy who was way too good to take off the field. This season, both may be true. 

It’s important to note here that we’re talking about proven depth defined as reps, not necessarily quality reps. Kendrick Raphael had played a decent amount of football. Jayden Scott has played very little. But Scott is a better running back and likely supplanted Raphael anyway. Raphael lacked cut speed and was inconsistent reading leverage, the requisite skill set to make zone work. He had some physicality that was a plus, but that’s replicable with a player like Scott. Scott just needs to give State something as a low-volume guy. 

The Offensive Line

Anthony Belton got drafted in the second round while Zeke Correll and Tim McKay both exhausted their eligibility, leaving two returning starters from Tujague's second campaign in Raleigh. A step back may be in the cards this year for the offensive line as a result of that, at least in the run blocking department. State was good up front in 2024, particularly in the back half of the year. Three different backs, two of which were kinda bad last year, all averaging over 6 YPC over the final few games didn’t happen by accident. Tujague’s unit moved guys in the run game, and again, this should have been the focal point of the offense. I will leave no parts of this dead horse unbeaten. 

A lot of that success was a product of the left side. State loved to run to the left, and it had three good reasons to do that: Anthony Belton, Anthony Carter, and Zeke Correll. Any zone play to the left would create a Belton/Carter or Carter/Correll double team, and that was a problem for defensive lines. Outside zone to the 3-technique got Anthony Belton throwing a 5-tech outside and Carter and Correll double teaming to the backer. It really worked. Belton and Correll are both gone now, and I don’t think it leaves a hole that may go only partially filled.

This is what you got from Anthony Belton

State runs inside zone. Tennessee reduces its tite front post snap, creating a double team on the defensive tackle with Belton(74) and Carter(75). Belton ejects him into outer space. These double teams were really effective for State.

Watch Belton at left tackle and Carter at left guard double to the backer here. You cannot do it better than this. This is inside zone perfection.

Jacarrius Peak will now slide across to left tackle. Utah State transfer Teague Andersen will fill his spot at right tackle. Anthony Carter is back at left guard. Purdue transfer Jalen Grant is probably your starting center unless true freshman Isaac Sowells can snatch it from him. Right guard could be Kamen Smith or Val Erickson, both of which saw limited time last year. 

I’m a pretty big Jacarrius Peak fan. This is a guy with an outside shot at a first-team season. He’s tremendously physical and has a great motor. He was undersized a bit for a tackle but his strength is impressive. Peak was frequently on the back side of run plays last year. He’ll take on a bigger role this year as he moves to the left side, but Peak is very much cut out for this. When State did run his direction, especially in outside zone, you got to see him really work. He’s good at reach blocking, and his core and arm strength stand out in those blocks when you see his ability to throw defenders outside that he wasn't able to reach. Now, as he adds more weight to his frame and his already physically strong body, this could be a good season for him. 

Peak will win a lot in a physical battle. Against speed and defensive lines that were less read-based and more penetration-based, he was more inconsistent. This was true for the whole line, which is why they were generally good but randomly bad in short yardage. Teams started trying to shoot gaps in 4th and 1 and State would give up penetration. In normal down situations, he's one of the more gifted reach blockers State has had in recent memory, and it's had some good ones.

Peak is quite solid overall and one of the better players on the whole team. He’s just now becoming an upperclassman too. His power is undeniable, and I just want to see more consistency in his dominance, just a continuation of his development and technique honing. See below.

Peak(65) is free releasing to the backside linebacker here. I've also circled Correll, who is doubling the nose tackle to the mike backer. Peak's technique here is bad. His base is way too wide when he reaches the linebacker. Tujague talks a lot about always maintaining a functional base. This near split is not that. You can compare it directly to Correll's feet width and then look at how successful each block was. The ball ends up backside B gap and Peak loses to the linebacker, who ends up making the play and maybe saving a touchdown.

If Peak can take another step along with Anthony Carter, who took a major leap last year, State should have something cooking on the left side. Carter was one of the most improved players on last year’s team. He was also good in zone (I’m picking up on a theme here). The senior guard is a nice development story. He's already appeared on a couple preseason all-league lists, and it's earned praise.

Carter isn't necessarily a mauler, but he plays with reliably good technique. Take pad level for example. All offensive line coaches have their ways of messaging pad level. Kyle Flood at Texas talks about the screws of the helmet below the defender’s screws. Tujague talks about the crown of the helmet below the hairline. Carter demonstrates this. His pad level is consistently good. He does a good job of keeping his base as he drives guys. He also has pretty reliable timing and decision making in double teams. He may not be a highlight reel machine of pancakes, but he's a great connector piece on the line.

State's running crack sweep here, and Carter is down blocking the 3 tech (90). Carter has decent pad level here and good hands. He gets his hands inside and makes contact with two feet on the ground, and he's able to lift 90 and deliver a good initial strike. Maybe the base could tighten a bit, but it's a good rep.

Here's outside zone. Carter gets a bit of a mismatch with the linebacker showing in the B gap. Watch how far he moves him. In outside zone, if you can't win the outside shoulder, you need to be driving that guy horizontally. He moves this dude past the defensive end. I think Carter's at his best when he's squaring up a guy and driving him.

Moving down the line, we start to see some new faces. State is likely starting Jalen Grant at center, although true freshman Isaac Sowells may push him. Zeke Correll was pretty underappreciated last year, particularly as a run blocker. I’ll be shocked if State can replace Correll’s production. It’s no surprise, but he was advanced from a technique standpoint coming from an offensive line factory like Notre Dame. State got a plug-and-play stud there. It does not have that on this roster. 

Purdue was mostly an outside zone and counter team. Grant can run, which is generally a prerequisite for a useful interior lineman in a zone scheme. I also like the pad level he plays with, but his technique at contact can be inconsistent and he generally needs to create more displacement at the first level, especially if State is going to be an inside zone team as well.

Outside zone is more about separating the defense horizontally, and it does seem like Purdue taught the reach block technique a little differently than Tujague does. I'll be curious to see how he looks in these plays, where his double team will be a critical component. Another note on that is that he has a tendency to aggressively climb to linebackers, which led to some double teams that split without securing the first level defender. That isn't necessarily always his fault. Usually the uncovered lineman in the double team is making a read and he's reacting to that. You can't break and double team without securing the first-level player though, lest you allow that defensive lineman to get vertical into the backfield.

When you talk about vertical displacement, you're looking at inside zone, and the center is critical because the play is aimed at the A gap. This is where you want to see Grant generate more force. You want to see him displace defenders more.

This was a less common inside zone play from Purdue. Grant (75) kind of swings his left arm away from his body and gets poor hand placement as a result. He gets stood up and the tackle is able to control his body and win playing what looks to me like a gap-and-a-half technique.

I do like that Grant has played a lot of football. Sowells is an exciting prospect but has not stepped foot on a college field. There is almost no way that doesn't lead to growing pains. Grant has been around and he generally handles games from the defensive line well. The game seems slow for him and he's not one to blow assignments, but generally speaking, State needs to see him displace guys more and hold blocks longer in the run game.

Right guard is a place where State needs to improve, and there is not a clear answer for doing so. Kamen Smith and Val Erickson both saw limited reps there last year. Neither was good, but it was also their first time on a college football field. Kamen Smith’s physicals are really impressive at 6’5 332. He’s massive. So is Val Erickson. Both have potential at guard, but both need to get better. 

Erickson played a good bit in the Clemson game and Smith saw time against Stanford, then both started in the bowl game. Easily, both need to show more of a ability to react to games from the defensive line. They were consistently late to that stuff, but that's freshman behavior and not really something that concerns you long-term provided development happens. Erickson has some power as a run blocker. There were counter plays toward him where he showed you what kind of physicality he could potentially bring in down blocks. I know for a fact that Tujague is high on both of these guys. They didn’t see the field as freshmen for no reason. One is your likely starter at guard. There is physical potential here but it's a large question mark.

The biggest portal addition for State comes at right tackle with Teague Andersen, who will obviously start without much competition. Andersen is good, and I think he’ll see similar usage to Peak last year. The Pack will want to run left a lot again, putting Andersen on the backside of a lot of zone plays. I think he could stand to be a little more physical, but he’s a pretty high-end addition. Andersen is also a really good pass protector, and we’ll have more on that in the passing game article. 

Overall, it’s hard to see State matching what it had on the line last year with both Anthony Belton and Zeke Correll departing. Those were your two best run blockers, but the group should still be solid. The left side should still be good, and Tujague has proven something as a developmental coach. These are ultimately people, not excel spreadsheets, so it’s hard to project exactly what kind of step someone like Grant or Smith could take. With a great running back like Smothers though, you’ve got something here. 

Outside of the line, the Pack was desperate for a real tight end to use in the run game. Justin Joly is an elite football player, but he’s not a great run blocker. The Matt McCabe experiment wasn’t super successful, and the Dante Daniels experiment wasn’t significantly better. Enter Cody Hardy, my personal favorite portal addition this offseason. 

Hardy is the kind of guy you want on your football team. He’s the kind of guy that makes things work, will never get any credit for it, and doesn’t really care. The Elon transfer just loves to block people. It’s like he takes personal offense to the idea of upright football players around him and compulsively needs to destroy them. He defines physicality. 

Hardy’s just a fighter. I like this zone rep where he's trying to cut off the back side. He gets stood up on the initial strike but recovers and ends up reaching the backside end anyway. 

Hardy is the tight end at the top of the screen here. He actually takes a pretty good strike from the defensive end, but he absorbs it and wins the play-side shoulder anyway. He's a fighter.

Hardy understands his role and plays it with everything he has. Below, he’s the wrapper in a G/H counter play and ends up taking on a run blitz and making a duke-football-player-sized hole in the ground. He may have some technique things to adjust. For example, Tujague always talks about accelerating through contact as a puller, and Hardy has a tendency to try and catch defenders. I know Tujague is not the tight ends coach, but the principles apply within the play.

Hardy is the lead blocker here, known as the wrapper on a counter play like this. He buries this poor linebacker.

His pad level is consistently excellent. That’s something that really stands out on film. 

Hardy is 87, the last man on the play side. He's down blocking here in a G/R counter play. This is a great look at his pad level and physicality. He knows where Elon's bodies are buried, because they're all just past of the line of scrimmage where a run play has occurred.

The Scheme

A big point of discussion as State changes offensive coordinators is how the run scheme will change. State did not need to be that creative in its run scheme last year. It was good enough that it could line up, run zone, and be effective. Beyond that, it had some shortcomings with no remedies. Bailey really struggled in read option concepts and gap scheme runs were largely off the table. The lack of a quality blocking tight end hurt. 

A simple G/H counter play that a solid blocking tight end opens up

G/H counter was ineffective for that reason, and G/T counter wasn’t super usable because Bailey could not read the backside end effectively. If you're going to pull the guard and the tackle, you have to hold that backside end somehow. Run out of 10 personnel, the quarterback has to be able to do that. Robert Anae’s solution was a G/R counter play with Bailey, which was also stupid. Bailey was not a good runner. Yes, he could translocate himself quickly on an open field. He was physically capable of running fast. But the technical parts of reading a run play were (understandably) absent. 

One thing that could change this year is the removal of that obstacle, should Roper want to run some gap scheme concepts. Hardy creates the potential for counter and power concepts with the tackle helping protect the backside. That also should cut down on QB runs, which have tremendous value creating numbers advantages in the box, but only if they can be executed. 

The possibility for a more diverse run scheme might exist, but the base play should still be from the zone family. Peak and Carter are good here, and Daylan Smothers is so good at running it. The hope is that Roper can better manage the balance between being creative/diverse and leveraging the plays your team is good at.

The ability to run counter again also opens more play action and RPO opportunities. Many teams key read guards, and pulling a guard can trigger the flow and make play action a higher potential venture. This, of course, is less true if you're never pulling guards in the actual run game.

Parting Thoughts

State's running game should have some pop again. Smothers has a real chance to be an A-grade running back on a national scale. The run scheme should have more layers this year, and the left side of the line should be strong again. If State can figure out the interior, this could be a high-level ground attack. If it can't, I can see a world where it's inconsistent, still having a high explosive play rate but also a higher than ideal negative play rate.