How many running backs from North Carolina college teams will hit the magical 1,000-yard rushing plateau this season? One has already made it, and a couple more are on the doorstep.
Barton College’s Jordan Terrell continues to lead our statewide stat sheet in rushing yards, much as he has all season. The junior from Ramseur (Eastern Randolph HS) heads into the Bulldogs’ season finale on Saturday afternoon against Limestone with 1,193 yards on 198 carries (an average of 132.6 yards per game and 6.0 yards per attempt).
Terrell hit the 1,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season. He now has 4,948 career rushing yards, needing just half a football field more to reach 5,000. His seven rushing TDs this season gives him 40 for his career.
Terrell is tied for second in NCAA Division II in rushing yards with Jay Harris of Northwest Missouri State. The top D2 rusher is Gage Porter of Southern Nazarene (1,412 yards).
Lenoir-Rhyne’s Dwayne McGee, who plays in the same conference as Terrell, has 967 rushing yards on the season, ninth best in D2. The Bears conclude their regular season at home against Catawba on Saturday. A win would put Lenoir-Rhyne in next week’s South Atlantic Conference championship game, so McGee could put 1,000 yards in the distant rearview, possibly passing Terrell for the season lead among statewide D2 backs.
UNC’s Omarion Hampton needs just 77 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. The Tar Heels host Campbell on Saturday, then will play Duke, Clemson and NC State to round out the season. Hampton ranks ninth in FBS in rushing yards.
Western Carolina’s Desmond Reid is the top FCS back in the state. Despite battling injuries the past few weeks — his status for Saturday’s game against Wofford has not been announced — Reid has 857 rushing yards thus far.
Chancellor Lee-Parker from Brevard leads the Division III rushing pack. He has 796 yards on the ground. The Tornados have two more games in the regular season, though both will come against top-flight conference opponents.
Davidson has a two-headed rushing monster. Mari Adams (710 yards) and Mason Sheron (637) have rushed the Wildcats 5-0 in Pioneer Football League play. Adams, Reid and North Carolina Central quarterback Davius Richard lead the state in rushing touchdowns with 12 apiece.
Here are all the North Carolina running backs with at least 500 rushing yards this season. Stats courtesy NCAA.com.
Leader Rushers In North Carolina
| RUSHING LEADERS | DIVISION | GM | ATT | YDS | TD | Y/GAME | Y/CARRY |
| Jordan Terrell (Barton) | D2 | 9 | 198 | 1193 | 7 | 132.6 | 6.0 |
| Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) | D2 | 8 | 135 | 967 | 9 | 120.9 | 7.2 |
| Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) | FBS | 8 | 160 | 923 | 10 | 115.4 | 5.8 |
| Desmond Reid (Western Carolina) | FCS | 7 | 117 | 857 | 12 | 122.4 | 7.3 |
| Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) | D3 | 8 | 124 | 796 | 9 | 99.5 | 6.4 |
| Mari Adams (Davidson) | FCS | 8 | 127 | 710 | 12 | 88.8 | 5.6 |
| Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) | D3 | 7 | 126 | 700 | 8 | 100.0 | 5.6 |
| Jon Gullette (Mars Hill) | D2 | 8 | 148 | 696 | 2 | 87.0 | 4.7 |
| Zechariah Adams-Duckson (ECSU) | D2 | 9 | 147 | 696 | 0 | 77.3 | 4.7 |
| Jalen Hampton (Elon) | FCS | 8 | 137 | 674 | 5 | 84.3 | 4.9 |
| Nate Noel (Appalachian State) | FBS | 7 | 127 | 660 | 4 | 94.3 | 5.2 |
| Mason Sheron (Davidson) | FCS | 8 | 102 | 637 | 10 | 79.6 | 6.2 |
| Sincere Baines (UNC Pembroke) | D2 | 8 | 84 | 619 | 6 | 77.4 | 7.4 |
| Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) | FBS | 9 | 129 | 574 | 5 | 63.8 | 4.4 |
| Sidney Gibbs (Shaw) | D2 | 9 | 116 | 572 | 5 | 63.6 | 4.9 |
| Jordan Waters (Duke) | FBS | 9 | 101 | 564 | 10 | 62.7 | 5.6 |
| Keyshaun Pete (Methodist) | D3 | 8 | 144 | 547 | 5 | 68.4 | 3.8 |
| Latrell Collier (NC Central) | FCS | 8 | 108 | 507 | 6 | 63.4 | 4.7 |
