Gallaspy Carving Out A Role

Reggie Gallaspy II understands that the season is a process. He is unwilling to look ahead until the task at hand is completed.

With a trip to Florida State looming it would be easy to let the mind wander towards what should be an interesting and telling beginning to the ACC season.

That is not how Gallaspy rolls.

The junior running back is focused on Saturday’s game with Furman and making sure the running game is progressing to where the team feels it should be.

As for the Paladins, Gallaspy knows the history between NC State and Furman.

“They are a good team,” Gallaspy said. “They came in years back, back in the eighties, and beat NC State twice. They are going to come in with a chip on their shoulder. They are coming to beat us. It will be their Super Bowl. They want to do everything they can to come in and beat us.”

In the meantime, he is working to improve the aspects of his individual game to do what he feels will most help the Wolfpack.

“I am pretty good,” Gallaspy said. “A lot of the guys are ready, motivated. We have still got a lot of stuff to clean up. We are not trying to look ahead. We have got to make sure this week is crisp, on and off the field, and make sure we are doing everything right.

“I feel like a lot of my read-keys, I have got to do better in that.  I feel like there were a lot of runs I left out there on the field… just continue to run hard and make sure I keep my reads together.”

There has been some concern from the NC State fan base regarding the play of the running backs.

There has been some moving around on the offensive line following the suspension of Will Richardson and Terronne Prescod's preseason injury.  Guys like Joe Sculthorpe and Justin Witt were pressed into duty, and Gallaspy feels like they made due well through the turmoil.

“We have got a lot of new out there and different rotations in due to a lot of things that is going on with the offensive line,” he said. “Now we have got Will back...and we are shifting guys back around into their comfortable positions so I feel like the run game is going to get back on track.

“They did a good job. For them to just jump in there into a new position and be able to do what they did, it was pretty good. That is what we want, to be able to have guys that can move around when one guy is out -- to be able to play the different positions of the offensive line.”

In the process, the running backs group is working hard to improve its end of the offense.

“Me, Nyheim and Dakwa and the other guys at the running back position are getting everything together,” Gallaspy said. “We are getting our reads together and making sure that we be explosive and make plays.”

The explosive plays that the running back group is looking for will be needed against Florida State and the remainder of the ACC schedule.

Gallaspy is not interested in waiting that long.

“We cannot go out there lackadaisical and let the game stay even,” Gallaspy said of Saturday’s matchup with Furman. “We just have to go out there and be competitive, play like we are playing Florida State, Alabama, USC or any other Division 1 school.”