NC State vs. UNC by the numbers: Pack runs for 388 against the Heels

Box Score

(Yds/carry stats are calculated after removing sacks from the equation.)

NC State ran for 362 yards against Wake Forest and 388 against UNC, giving it consecutive 300+ outings for the first time in more than 30 years. That's 750 yards in two games, pushing State's season total to 2,472 (206 per game). It pushed the team's per-carry average to 5.4. The previous six years look like this:

(Table includes only regular season games.)

The comparison between Dave Doeren's offense and Tom O'Brien's offense is not exactly apples-to-apples, it's just amusing to see how insane that 750 yardage total looks in relation to recent history. In four of the last six years, 750 accounts for more than half of State's regular season production.

Four Wolfpack players have had at least 50 carries this season, and three of them averaged 5+ yards per carry. The fourth, Jacoby Brissett, pushed his average north of 4.0 with his performance against Carolina.

Next year we can worry about the team developing a more consistent rushing attack. Right now we can just enjoy this rushing offense for the improvement over recent history that it represents, even if the total has been skewed by the last couple games. It's been skewed by dominant efforts, though. That's progress. That's enormous progress.

Brissett only had to attempt 11 passes on Saturday, and he completed nine of those, three of them for scores. Passing game was working fine, it just wasn't necessary. Reminded me of the 2002 game in Chapel Hill when the Pack essentially put its passing game in a closet and let T.A. McLendon carry the team to a victory. Good times.