RALEIGH, N.C. -- Matt Dayes has been determined all season to be North Carolina States first 1,000-yard rusher in more than a decade and get the Wolfpack back to a bowl.Both goals are within reach Saturday against Miami in the teams home finale.The senior is 61 yards away from becoming the programs first runner to gain 1,000 yards in a season since T.A. McLendon did it in 2002. And considering the Wolfpacks offense has run its best when Dayes is moving the chains, hes likely to get a heavy load as N.C. State (5-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) tries to become bowl eligible for the third straight year.Obviously were always trying to establish the line of scrimmage, offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz said. Were just trying to find ways to win football games and move the ball up and down the field. And Matts a very effective way to do that.Dayes, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is the leagues No. 3 rusher at 93.9 yards per game to go with seven scores and a 4.8 yards-per-carry average. More than half of his yards have come after contact, a sign that Dayes isnt afraid to run through tackles.He has seven 100-yard performances in 10 games this year, including last weeks 108-yard day with three touchdowns.Miami (6-4, 3-3) enters this game near the middle of the ACC in rushing defense (140.2) and holding opponents to 3.5 yards per carry, but the Hurricanes rank 13th nationally in scoring defense (19.3 points).That hasnt happened for them in a while, Miami coach Mark Richt said of Dayes run for 1,000, and I know theyre probably trying to knock that out this game. Thatll be a challenge for our guys.Miami has already secured bowl eligibility in its first season under Richt, and has bounced back with from a four-game losing streak with two straight wins.---Some other things to know about Saturdays Miami-N.C. State game:STYLE CLASH? Miami likes to be a quick-hitting offense and N.C. State is fine with a more methodical tempo-controlling approach. The Wolfpack had two touchdown drives of at least 6 minutes against Syracuse last week alone -- while Miami has had only one such drive in the entire season. They will definitely take what you give them, I can definitely say that, Miami defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins said.MOVING AGAIN: Miami has racked up 85 points and 984 yards in the past two games after failing to reach 30 points during its four-game skid. We blocked better, we executed most everything better, and we started a little faster, Richt said. We didnt get behind.KAAYA WATCH: Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya comes into the game with 9,004 career yards, 482 shy of tying Ken Dorsey for No. 1 on the Hurricanes all-time list. And he might need to be very sharp on Saturday, since N.C. State has allowed opponents only 3.0 yards per carry this season. The Hurricanes will test that with perhaps the ACCs best 1-2 rushing punch in Mark Walton and Joe Yearby; theyve combined for 5.7 yards per rush.INTANGIBLES: Richt said having a team thats pursuing bowl eligibility can make it easier to motivate your team. Throw in the fact that its the Wolfpacks Senior Day, and the coach knows his Hurricanes will face a tough test. Theres a lot of motivation thats kind of naturally built into this thing for them, and we have our reasons to be excited too now, Richt said. But two of those reasons right there, I think, play to their advantage.RIVALS, SORT OF: Most ACC teams in opposite divisions dont meet very often, and this is Miamis first visit to Raleigh since the final game of the 2008 regular season. The Hurricanes have played road games in 26 other cities since that trip eight years ago. No current N.C. State player has ever faced Miami.---AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college football at http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Chris Young Jersey . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Rod Carew Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.angelsteamshop.com/Angels-Mike-Trout-Kids-Jersey/ . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. 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DURHAM, N.C. -- Elijah Hood is focused on finishing strong for No. 15 North Carolina.The junior has two straight 100-yard rushing performances entering Thursday nights rivalry game at Duke, a sign he is healthy after missing a game due to an apparent concussion that had followed a slower-than-expected start to the season.Its good to see him running like the (No.) 34 we know, quarterback Mitch Trubisky said.Hood was the Atlantic Coast Conferences No. 3 rusher last year with 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Tar Heels (7-2, 5-1 ACC), averaging 104.5 yards per game. He is a physical runner unafraid of contact. But he got off to a slow start by averaging 61.5 yards through his first six appearances, and also sat out UNCs 34-3 loss to Virginia Tech played in the driving rain of Hurricane Matthew.After a quiet return against Miami, Hood broke out for 107 yards and a score at Virginia, then ran for a season-high 168 yards and three touchdowns last week against Georgia Tech.I feel more explosive I think, just quicker, so that definitely helps when you try to run the ball, Hood said. I felt like I hit the holes a lot quicker this week. Whenever I try to get my momentum moving that much faster, Im able to get more yards just per carry.The Tar Heels are trying to stay with the Hokies atop the leagues Coastal Division, though they need Virginia Tech to lose once to be back in control of their own destiny.The Blue Devils (3-6, 0-5) are flirting with their first winless season in ACC play since 2007 after winning at least six games in four straight bowl seasons. The past two losses have both come by three points, including last weekends 24-21 loss to the Hokies that included having a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.We are 3-6 for a reason, you have to look at why, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. But you dont whine or you dont complain. You just pick the things to work on. You pick the things you believe are going to make a difference.---Some other things to know about Thursdays UNC-Duke game:TRUBISKY IN CHARGE: Trubisky ranks as one of the national leaders in completion percentage, passsing efficiency and average passing yardage for UNC.ddddddddddddHe manages every aspect of their game, Cutcliffe said. Theres not a throw he cant make.QB PRESSURE: The Blue Devils rank among the ACC leaders in sacks (27), so their defensive front will need to get some pressure on Trubisky. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels rank near the bottom of the league with 18 sacks and have had games where they struggled to get pressure on the passer. Theyre facing a quarterback in Daniel Jones who has run for 169 yards in the past two games.SHORT TURNAROUND: The teams had to cram in a weeks worth of game prep along with treatment of nagging injuries into a five-day schedule following last weekends games. Come Thursday, the adrenalines rushing, Duke defensive tackle A.J. Wolf said, Youre playing football, everything feels good.WILSONS STATUS: Shaun Wilson, Dukes No. 2 rusher, is probable with what the school called an upper-body injury. He took a helmet-to-helmet hit against Virginia Tech that led to a targeting call against a defender, though Cutcliffe said afterward he had no concussion-related symptoms. Wilson has run for 449 yards and three touchdowns.VICTORY BELL: The winner gets the Victory Bell, though there was nearly a break with the tradition of the winner spray-painting its shade of blue on the bells cart. UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said earlier this week he conferred with Duke AD Kevin White before putting a permanent design that split the cart with both teams colors and logos. But Cunningham reversed himself after fan outcry, saying in a statement from the school Wednesday that painting would go on as usual for the winning team. After the last game in Durham in 2014, UNC had to pay for about $27,000 in paint-related damages to the visiting locker room and practice field from its celebration.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college football at http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '