Who Will Be The Starting Running Back for the NC State Wolfpack?

Correspondent Written on June 17, 2009

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RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 16: Head coach Tom O'Brien of the North Carolina State Wolfpack looks on during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 16, 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Imag

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tom O'Brien and his coaching staff are blessed with the pleasure of having two solid running backs in Jamelle Eugene and Toney Baker.

Either one could very easily start on almost any Divison 1 college football team, and both running backs have carried the load for the Wolfpack at one point in their careers.

In this slideshow, I will give information about each of them individually and include their career statistics.

Toney Baker

Toney Baker is 5' 10", 225 lbs redshirt senior from Jamestown, NC.

He has good speed, field vision, and strength—Baker can see the whole field, juke, and run you over.

As a freshman, he led the team in rushing seven times, which was more than any other player. That year he finished with 546 yards and five touchdowns.

His sophomore season, he rushed for 688 yards, and finished second on the team in total yardage.

Baker was the Wolfpack's leading rusher in five games, including a loss at Clemson during which he gained a career-high 174 yards and broke 13 tackles.

However, in his junior and senior season, he suffered season-ending knee injuries.

Jamelle Eugene

Jamelle Eugene is also 5' 10", and weighs 195 lbs—just a little slimmer than Baker.

He was red-shirted his freshman year, and the following season he only carried the ball 16 times for 59 yards.

As a sophomore, Eugene carried the complete load at running back after the injuries to Toney Baker and Andre Brown.

He had three 100-yard games, including a career-high 159 yards in a win over UNC. Eugene finished with 667 yards on 172 attempts, and five touchdowns.

So Who Will It Be?

The Winner Is: Toney Baker

In my opinion Toney Baker will win the starting position because his skill set is more complete overall then Eugene, also Tom O'Brien has a history of using running backs with more power then speed.

Furthermore, he is more of an up-hill runner compared to Eugene, who uses his speed more than his strength.

Begin Slideshow

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written on June 17, 2009 Preview/Prediction

Bleacher Report has a featured columnist opening for NC State Football.

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Who Will Be The Starting Running Back for the NC State Wolfpack?

Allen Lopp

Toney Baker

Jamelle Eugene

So Who Will It Be?

The Winner Is: Toney Baker

That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...

BCS Bowl Selections: And The Matchups Are...

Pac-10 2009 Season Review: Dishing Out the Awards