WILSON: Person Of Interest
With the praise continuously heaped upon the NC State passing game, the Wolfpack’s rushing game has been considered an afterthought.
Heading into Saturday’s game versus ACC foe Virginia, State had no runner eclipse the 100-yard mark in any of the team’s three games. Furthermore, the Pack had yet to have a game in which the team collected more than 150 yards on the ground despite the team already scoring five rushing touchdowns.
After Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers, that story has changed.
Ricky Person returned to the Wolfpack’s rotation after missing the last two games due to injury. The Heritage (NC) High School product made the most of his return with a season-high 108 rushing yards on 14 carries for the team’s most productive ground assault of the year thus far.
Reggie Gallaspy Jr., the team’s second-best rusher on the day, got the call to run 14 times, as well, but he only pounded out 47 yards (which included scoring a two-yard touchdown in the third quarter).
Compared to 2017's stats, the offseason loss of Nyheim Hines was expected to shift the pass-to-rush ratio in 2018 much more in favor of passing. Heading into the Virginia game, the Pack’s offense gained 34.4 yards through the air for every 10 yards it picked up on the ground.
Game-by-game, that’s 37.2, 37.0, and 30.2 passing yards per 10 rushing yards versus James Madison, Georgia State, and Marshall, respectively.
It’s indicative of Ryan Finley’s abilities behind center, but it also showcases how stagnant the Pack’s ground game is compared to its aerial attack.
On Saturday, Person showed that he can aid in shifting State’s offensive tendencies closer to a 50/50 split. The numbers, on paper, can indicate that shift -- but one drive in particular against UVa showed such signs.
After the Cavaliers punted the ball away with less than five minutes to go in the first half, the Wolfpack took over on its own 20-yard line. The first play of the drive: a 12-yard rush by Person. State goes to Person on the next play for a 16-yard gain. Staying with the hot player, the Pack goes to Person yet again for 27 yards to put the State offense within five yards of the red zone.
The drive ended with a 14-yard touchdown strike from Finley to Cary Angeline, but the score didn’t come until the sixth play after Person’s 27-yard carry and after the offense gained a total of 11 yards on the five plays between the two aforementioned plays, all rushes by Brady Bodine, Gallaspy, and Finley.
Ricky Person appears to have the potential to become a breakout player for the Wolfpack moving forward. Finley can work magic within the pocket, but in the ACC that can easily become overwhelming. A talent like Person can take the heat off of Finley to make the State offense even greater.
With a potent offense that can attack opposing defenses on the ground and through the air, that’s an offense that can make waves in a stacked Atlantic Division.
Utilizing Person is a step in the right direction.