When our esteemed leader asked me to do a player profile on Dez, I have to be honest, I expected more stats. On the season, he had 84 carries for 240 yards, a 2.9 YPC average and a season long rush of 20 yards. Of course. there are several notable factors in the situation. In his season debut in the game at Florida State, Dez had 12 carries for 68 yards and a long of 17, which is a 5.7 YPC average. For contrast, the Texan's worst outing was against the Boston College Dudes-er, Eagles, wherein Wortham had four yards on 15 attempts for a straight up ugly 0.3 YPC.
What's even more jarring is that his long run for the game was seven yards, meaning that his yardage total managed to be less than his longest single run. The bad news is that that is a beyond atrocious game. The good news is, take out that game and Dez was comfortably above a 3.0 YPC average, which, while not great, is solid and a good addition to any group of backs. Dez didn't prove to be much of a threat in the pass game (yet), with only 6 receptions for 19 yards. Still, given that running back can be a position that's typically more a stable of guys than, say, quarterback or tight end or receivers, Dez is definitely a welcome piece if his first season is any indication.
You may wonder why I said I expected to see more numbers. That's mainly because I remember how atrocious the run game was last year, and I definitely remember Dez in a positive light. Not to say that the numbers I did find were awful, but I remember, for example, a longer than 20 yard season long and no touchdowns. That wasn't just Dez, though. The entire RB corps was...not ideal. It was a historically bad rushing season, not just for Wake but for the entirety of college football. So if Dez can keep progressing, along with the run blocking, then I think he could have a much more remarkable season next year. Here's to hoping.
--SF