Hines Hits Turbo to Change Momentum in Win
11/26/2017 11:08:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - Sometimes, at the big dance, it takes patience to wait for your favorite song.
That's how Nyheim Hines—decked out postgame in the red jacket with black lapels he wore to his Garner High School senior prom—felt Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in NC State's final home game of the season, waiting patiently for the dance floor to open wide before he could waltz into the end zone on consecutive offensive plays at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Despite losing a starter on the offensive line earlier in the game, Hines knew things would eventually open up in front of him and he could break loose on a big play. It just so happens that it happened twice.
The first run went for 54 yards and gave the Wolfpack a 19-14 lead. The second one went for 48 yards and gave his team a 27-14 advantage that was insurmountable. The Pack scored once more on a 10-yard run by Jaylen Samuels in the 33-21 victory to finish the regular season with an 8-4 overall mark and 6-2 ACC record.
"You have to be patient with the run," Hines says. "Sometimes, you have to wait until it opens up and then take advantage of it."
Hines, a dual-sport star who has won multiple ACC track championships, waited all week for the opportunity to show off his speed. Last week, following the loss at Wake Forest, Hines entered the team's concussion protocol, meaning he had to go through a series of tests and treatment to be able to play against the Tar Heels, a game he didn't want to miss.
"I would have had to have a broken arm or broken leg not to play in this game," Hines says.
The waiting was interminable. He sat out completely on Monday and Tuesday, spending most of those days sleeping after getting up early for treatment. He didn't work out with the team until Friday's walk-through.
"That's the most I have slept since I was a kid," Hines says.
When he was told he was cleared to play by the trainers, he did a celebratory front-flip, just like he's done after big touchdowns. He got an earful from head coach Dave Doeren about that, but he didn't really care.
"My body told me I was OK," Hines says.
The rest, coming as it did at the end of a long season, was probably good for the diminutive Hines, Doeren says.
"He went through [the concussion protocol] and did everything we asked him," says the coach. "For his legs, it was a good thing. He was just out there watching all week. He got pretty fresh just standing around."
Hines entered the game needed nearly 150 yards to become the second consecutive Wolfpack back to reach 1,000 yards for the season. He passed that mark with his second touchdown run, joining the eight other backs in school history who have gained that many yards in a season. The list includes ACC all-time rusher Ted Brown, who also won a 4x100 meter track championship like Hines and hit the 1,000-yard mark three times, as well as well as Anthony Barbour, Joe McIntosh (twice), Stan Fritts, Matthew Dayes, Tremayne Stevens, T.A. McLendon and Willie Burden.
NC State has now had back-to-back seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher (Dayes). NC State has had a 1,000-yard rusher in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1977 and 1978 campaigns, and it marks only the fourth time ever that NC State has fielded 1,000 yard rushers in consecutive seasons and only the second time ever it was accomplished by two different players.
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He also finished with a career-best 196 rushing yards on 22 carries, the most yards ever by a Wolfpack player against North Carolina.
"Growing up around here, it was just really important for me to play in this game," Hines said. "The training staff did a great job getting me ready to play."
With that, Hines left to go dance the night away in in his red-and-black tuxedo.
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That's how Nyheim Hines—decked out postgame in the red jacket with black lapels he wore to his Garner High School senior prom—felt Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in NC State's final home game of the season, waiting patiently for the dance floor to open wide before he could waltz into the end zone on consecutive offensive plays at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Despite losing a starter on the offensive line earlier in the game, Hines knew things would eventually open up in front of him and he could break loose on a big play. It just so happens that it happened twice.
The first run went for 54 yards and gave the Wolfpack a 19-14 lead. The second one went for 48 yards and gave his team a 27-14 advantage that was insurmountable. The Pack scored once more on a 10-yard run by Jaylen Samuels in the 33-21 victory to finish the regular season with an 8-4 overall mark and 6-2 ACC record.
"You have to be patient with the run," Hines says. "Sometimes, you have to wait until it opens up and then take advantage of it."
Hines, a dual-sport star who has won multiple ACC track championships, waited all week for the opportunity to show off his speed. Last week, following the loss at Wake Forest, Hines entered the team's concussion protocol, meaning he had to go through a series of tests and treatment to be able to play against the Tar Heels, a game he didn't want to miss.
"I would have had to have a broken arm or broken leg not to play in this game," Hines says.
The waiting was interminable. He sat out completely on Monday and Tuesday, spending most of those days sleeping after getting up early for treatment. He didn't work out with the team until Friday's walk-through.
"That's the most I have slept since I was a kid," Hines says.
When he was told he was cleared to play by the trainers, he did a celebratory front-flip, just like he's done after big touchdowns. He got an earful from head coach Dave Doeren about that, but he didn't really care.
"My body told me I was OK," Hines says.
The rest, coming as it did at the end of a long season, was probably good for the diminutive Hines, Doeren says.
"He went through [the concussion protocol] and did everything we asked him," says the coach. "For his legs, it was a good thing. He was just out there watching all week. He got pretty fresh just standing around."
Hines entered the game needed nearly 150 yards to become the second consecutive Wolfpack back to reach 1,000 yards for the season. He passed that mark with his second touchdown run, joining the eight other backs in school history who have gained that many yards in a season. The list includes ACC all-time rusher Ted Brown, who also won a 4x100 meter track championship like Hines and hit the 1,000-yard mark three times, as well as well as Anthony Barbour, Joe McIntosh (twice), Stan Fritts, Matthew Dayes, Tremayne Stevens, T.A. McLendon and Willie Burden.
NC State has now had back-to-back seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher (Dayes). NC State has had a 1,000-yard rusher in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1977 and 1978 campaigns, and it marks only the fourth time ever that NC State has fielded 1,000 yard rushers in consecutive seasons and only the second time ever it was accomplished by two different players.
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He also finished with a career-best 196 rushing yards on 22 carries, the most yards ever by a Wolfpack player against North Carolina.
"Growing up around here, it was just really important for me to play in this game," Hines said. "The training staff did a great job getting me ready to play."
With that, Hines left to go dance the night away in in his red-and-black tuxedo.
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Players Mentioned
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