RB Hollywood Smothers adds new dimension to NC State’s passing attack

It seemed like a routine screen pass to redshirt freshman running back Hollywood Smothers. He caught the ball three yards from the line of scrimmage and was immediately hit. But instead of going down after getting spun by his right shoulder, Smothers somehow stayed upright to continue up field.  NC State’s elusive running back made three more tacklers miss as he went through the teeth of Syracuse’s defense this past weekend. He ripped a 72-yard reception off a play that looked like it might only pick up a trio of yards in his first game back from injury after missing the previous two.  For Smothers, a two-time North Carolina Offensive Player of the Year in high school, he treated it like any other day on the gridiron.  “Just doing anything to win,” Smothers said this week. “I was taught to never give up until that clock hits zero, so just doing whatever I could do put my team in position to give us a chance.” But while Smothers did his part, eventually setting up a field goal that cut the deficit to one score, his ability to showcase his explosive speed might have created a new dimension within the Wolfpack’s offense.