The Driving Force Behind NC State's Star Running Back
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Through the first three games in 2024, NC State running back Hollywood Smothers carried the ball just 15 times for 73 yards in the Wolfpack offense. 2025 has been a different story.
Smothers ran the ball 63 times in the first three games, racking up 380 yards, three touchdowns and a plethora of highlight-reel runs. He's exploded onto the scene as one of the nation's best running backs and most recently outplayed Wake Forest's Demond Claiborne, a highly-touted NFL draft prospect at the position.
However, Smothers is different. After he set a new career-high in rushing yards with 164 against the Demon Deacons, he remained resolute in one goal: winning games with the Wolfpack.
The Task at Hand
After Smothers reached 164 yards, his head coach, Dave Doeren, wanted to show his running back some love during the battle with Wake Forest.
"I congratulated him on his career-best day in rushing, and he’s like, 'I don't care about that. We won.' That's what he said," Doeren said after the game. "To have a guy like that that's about the team, again, it’s refreshing. The guys follow people like that."
The coach preached about the team's desire to be coached all throughout the offseason. Smothers often came to the top of his mind when discussing specific players. In every game, his focus isn't individual. It's about success for the team. Smothers bought into the family mindset of the Pack, something not every player does when arriving in Raleigh.
"We’re family here. We believe in each other. We’re going to fight. We might bend but won’t break. We believe in each other. We believe in the men next to us. We’re going to fight. We knew the game wasn’t over," Smothers said after the comeback win over Wake Forest. "We were behind last week. Like I said, we’ve got a lot of grit and belief in each other. We came back and got the job done."
Even Hollywood Needs a Co-Star
The combination of Smothers and sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey has devastated the defenses of the Wolfpack's first three opponents. In the Wake Forest win, the duo combined for 383 yards and Bailey threw for three touchdowns, making up for Smothers' failure to reach the end zone. It was clear in the offseason that first-year offensive coordinator Kurt Roper wanted the running back more involved to help take some pressure off of his sophomore quarterback.
Off the field, the duo developed strong chemistry down the stretch of the 2024 season. Those important reps planted the seed for the dominant performance in the early stages of 2025. Smothers trusts his quarterback.
"He’s one of my close friends. He’s getting better game by game. He’s more comfortable than he was last year. He’s the man. He always had a voice. Now, he’s learning how to use it," Smothers said. "Everybody knows C.J. can play. We’re going to go as far as 11 goes. He’s getting better game by game. We’re good in 11’s hands."
Following the team's win over Virginia, Smothers revealed a nickname for CJ Bailey that has since gone viral. He called the sophomore quarterback 'baby giraffe' when asked about his friend and teammate.
With Bailey and Smothers firing on all cylinders, the sky is the limit for the NC State offense. The improvement is already there compared to a season ago. While the play calling hasn't been perfect at times, there's clearly more trust, in large part due to Smothers' explosive abilities.
Answering the Question
To answer the question posed in the title, here's a quote from Smothers from after the Wake Forest game about the team starting 3-0.
"It’s a blessing, but it’s not our goal: 1-0 every week," he said.
Not every player has such a hunger to win. According to Doeren and every one of Smothers' teammates to speak in the first three weeks, Smothers doesn't have that hunger. He is starving. The running back will get another opportunity Saturday against the Duke Blue Devils to prove he's one of the ACC's top running backs.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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