Two of the most productive running backs in the nation suit up for North Carolina college football teams.
Barton College’s Jordan Terrell and Appalachian State’s Nate Noel lead their respective divisions in rushing yards-per-game after three weeks of action.
Terrell has averaged 194.0 yards for Division II Barton (3-0), while Noel is averaging 140.0 yards a game to lead Division I FBS.
Terrell also leads the nation — all divisions — in total rushing yards (582) and is tied for the national lead — all divisions — in yards-per-game with one player from a Division III.
Jordan Terrell: ‘Big-time’ Bulldog
Terrell rushed for a season-high 256 yards on 26 attempts to lead the Bulldogs past UVA Wise 28-24 in its South Atlantic Conference opener Saturday. He saved one of his best runs for last.
Barton had let a 21-0 lead slip away and trailed 24-21 late in the fourth quarter. The junior from Ramseur, who played at Eastern Randolph High, took a handoff from quarterback Jaquan Lynch over the left side and dashed 63 yards for what would be the game-winner. No one really came close to laying a hand on him.
“You need your big-time players to make big-time plays when you absolutely have to have them,” Barton head coach Chip Hester told the Wilson Times after the game. “And we absolutely had to have it. We had everything going wrong. I thought he stepped up in a big way and then that offensive line; we got good movement up front and he did the rest and he was not gonna get caught on that one.”
Terrell may not get caught on the Division II rushing leaderboard for the rest of the season as long as he stays healthy.
The next closest player to Terrell in D2 rushing yardsage is Gage Porter of Southern Nazarene, who has 495. Across all divisions, the player closest to Terrell is Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, but his 521 yards have come in four contests (the Irish played Navy in week “0”).
That Terrell is tied on the national leaderboard across all divisions for yards-per-game is a bit misleading. The other player sharing the spot is Josh Rogers of Division III Berry, but his 194 yards all came in his one game appearance.
Obviously, Terrell has the best rushing numbers from a statistical category across North Carolina. Next in line in total yards is App State’s Noel, who now has 420 yards on the season.
.
Nate Noel: ‘Stronger, faster, more durable’
The junior from Miami, Fla., bullied East Carolina’s defense for 193 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. That came after a 127-yard, two-TD showing against North Carolina the week before.
Noel has recorded 100-yard rushing efforts in his last four outings — the first App State player to achieve that feat since Darrynton Evans in 2018.
Noel’s touchdown came on a 68-yard run that tied the game 7-7 in the opening quarter. (See Twitter video embedded at right).
“It’s the best feeling in the world, really, just watching my O-line open up the holes and when I get out there the receivers are blocking down field already,” Noel said. “It’s really just make one man miss or something like that. I love it.”
Noel may have come into the season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
“Everyone has forgotten about him in the Sun Belt Conference,” App State coach Shawn Clark said during Monday’s teleconference. “He wasn’t picked a preseason all conference player, but he led the league in rushing in 2021. He’s really taken it upon himself and how he’s changed his body in the off-season. He gained 15 pounds and has gotten stronger and faster and more durable. All the fruits of his labor are showing off right now.”
Western Carolina’s Desmond Reid, Elon’s Jalen Hampton and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton round out the top five running backs from the Old North State in total rushing yards thus far. Mars Hill’s Jon Gullette has averaged 156.5 yards across the Lions’ first two games. Catawba’s Leroy Bracey Jr. has a 123-yards-per-game average.
UNC’s Hampton leads the state with six rushing touchdowns. Duke’s Jordan Waters and Barton quarterback Jaquan Lynch each have five rushing scores.
.
Fabulous 14 Running Backs: Total Yards
| NAME (SCHOOL) | DIVISION | GM | ATT | YDS | TD | Y/GAME | Y/CARRY |
| Jordan Terrell (Barton) | D2 | 3 | 67 | 582 | 4 | 194.0 | 8.7 |
| Nate Noel (Appalachian State) | FBS | 3 | 76 | 420 | 3 | 140.0 | 5.5 |
| Desmond Reid (Western Carolina) | FCS | 3 | 67 | 358 | 3 | 119.3 | 5.3 |
| Jalen Hampton (Elon) | FCS | 3 | 49 | 319 | 1 | 106.3 | 6.5 |
| Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) | FBS | 3 | 55 | 317 | 6 | 105.7 | 5.8 |
| Jon Gullette (Mars Hill) | D2 | 2 | 48 | 313 | 1 | 156.5 | 6.5 |
| Narii Gaither (Gardner-Webb) | FCS | 3 | 46 | 294 | 1 | 98.0 | 6.4 |
| Zechariah Adams-Duckson (ECSU) | D2 | 3 | 48 | 289 | 0 | 96.3 | 6.0 |
| Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) | FBS | 3 | 50 | 269 | 1 | 89.7 | 5.4 |
| Leroy Bracey Jr. (Catawba) | D2 | 2 | 38 | 246 | 1 | 123.0 | 6.5 |
| Jordan Waters (Duke) | FBS | 3 | 32 | 240 | 5 | 80.0 | 7.5 |
| Keyshaun Pete (Methodist) | D3 | 3 | 55 | 236 | 4 | 78.7 | 4.3 |
| Mari Adams (Davidson) | FCS | 3 | 51 | 235 | 1 | 78.3 | 4.6 |
| NaQuari Rogers (Campbell) | FCS | 3 | 33 | 223 | 3 | 74.3 | 6.8 |
.
Fabulous 14 Running Backs: Yards Per Game
| NAME (SCHOOL) | Y/GAME |
| Jordan Terrell (Barton) | 194.0 |
| Jon Gullette (Mars Hill) | 156.5 |
| Nate Noel (Appalachian State) | 140.0 |
| Leroy Bracey Jr. (Catawba) | 123.0 |
| Desmond Reid (Western Carolina) | 119.3 |
| Jalen Hampton (Elon) | 106.3 |
| Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) | 105.7 |
| Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) | 101.0 |
| Narii Gaither (Gardner-Webb) | 98.0 |
| Zechariah Adams-Duckson (ECSU) | 96.3 |
| Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest) | 89.7 |
| Zayvion Turner-Knox (Lenoir-Rhyne) | 88.5 |
| Jacob Newman (Johnson C. Smith) | 82.0 |
| Jordan Waters (Duke) | 80.0 |
.
Fabulous 14 Running Backs: Touchdowns
| NAME (SCHOOL) | TD |
| Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) | 6 |
| Jordan Waters (Duke) | 5 |
| Jaquan Lynch (Barton) | 5 |
| Jordan Terrell (Barton) | 4 |
| Keyshaun Pete (Methodist) | 4 |
| Nate Noel (Appalachian State) | 3 |
| Desmond Reid (Western Carolina) | 3 |
| NaQuari Rogers (Campbell) | 3 |
| Joseph Brown Jr. (Guilford) | 3 |
| Latrell Collier (NC Central) | 3 |
| Riley Leonard (Duke) | 3 |
| Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne) | 3 |
| Mason Sheron (Davidson) | 3 |
| Brennan Armstrong (NC State) | 3 |
| Noah Bell (Wingate) | 3 |
| Davius Richard (NC Central) | 3 |
| Lamagea McDowell (Campbell) | 3 |
.
