Draughn and White gunning for 1,000 yard mark

It has been 13 years since a North Carolina running back has reached the millennium mark — and Johnny White is getting tired of hearing about it.

“It would mean a lot to us,” White said. “Ever since we’ve got here, we’ve heard about how long it’s been since we’ve had a 1,000-yard rusher.”

For a school that has had 24 rushers reach that mark, the current 13-year stretch qualifies as a drought.
By comparison, the Tar Heels had a 1,000-yard season from at least one player in every season between 1973 and 1984.

White and tailback Shaun Draughn looked unstoppable in last Saturday’s evisceration of East Carolina, finishing with 140 and 137 yards, respectively.

In light of such a streak, it begs the question of whether the football team could possibly give enough carries to each running back to sniff that 1,000-yard plateau.

“They know they’re going to get lots of opportunities, lots of carries,” UNC head coach Butch Davis said.

“Clearly Saturday showed that there is plenty enough work for two running backs, and probably enough for a third one. It was a complete performance by both of them.”

But White, who chews up 6.2 yards per carry, has to average 86 yards per game to hit the millennium mark by the end of the last regular season game.

Draughn, for his part, has to average a more ambitious 99 yards per game, as he has just 214 yards on the season.

With White sitting at 318 yards so far this season, it is fair to say that if he manages to maintain both the top spot on the depth chart and his health, he has a fairly good chance to crack the 1,000-yard mark.

White’s journey into the starting tailback position might explain the urgency with which he has run lately.

In his past two seasons, White has been somewhat of a nomad, shuttling between various offensive and defensive positions after leading the 2007 team in rushing with 399 rushing yards.

Now, White is on target to rush for 954 yards in the regular season alone.

White has even surprised himself with his recent production.

“Sometimes I do surprise myself,” White said. “Sometimes I really don’t realize that I broke tackles. I feel like I was just running, but then when I look back on film, I see them.”

White grabbed the starting job from none other than Draughn, who was the starting running back last season until a shoulder injury sidelined him for the last four games of the season.

Draughn was suspended for the LSU game and now finds himself second on the depth chart.

He is thriving in that spot in much the same way he did in 2008, when he totalled 866 rushing yards despite starting the year as both Greg Little and Ryan Houston’s backup.

“I’m hungry to get in now that I know I will be able to get in,” Draughn said. “It’s a different mentality, I guess.”

Not only has it been 13 years since a North Carolina running back accumulated 1,000 yards, but in reality, none have really threatened it. Draughn’s 866 yards was the closest anyone has come to 1,000 since Jonathan Linton broke the mark in 1997.

A large part of the running game’s consistent success can be attributed to the offensive line, which has improved by leaps and bounds since last season.

“At the end of the day, I feel like the o-line did it all,” Draughn said. “I only feel like I put in that much work. The way they played, I wasn’t surprised at all.”

If the duo can approach the efficiency that it showed in the contest against ECU, the running backs’ shared goal of 1,000 rushing yards apiece might be more than just a pipe dream.

“We just say it is possible for both of us to get it if we keep grinding hard and the o-line keeps doing what they’ve been doing,” White said.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.