Column: N.C. State lineman Ikem Ekwonu is college football’s ‘Pancake King’

When North Carolina State offensive linemen “pancake” defenders in games, they are awarded bottles of maple syrup.

The most telling thing about 6-foot-2, 320-pound left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, or number to be precise, is 154. That’s the amount of times the sure-fire NFL first-round draftee has left opponents staring at the sky in just two seasons.

And he’s asking for a recount.

“Honestly, I feel like I have a little more,” Ekwonu said.

If Ekwonu plays in the Holiday Bowl on Tuesday against UCLA, San Diego will get a front-row seat to one of the most dominant players in college football. He’s weighing whether to declare for the NFL Draft and the recently popular decision to skip a bowl game.

Seeing him on the field would be a holiday bonus for fans, without question.

College football road grader Orlando Pace, for whom the pancake block was created to offer a measurable statistic and boost Heisman Trophy hopes, recorded 80 in his final season. Compare the pace of Ekwonu with the NFL Hall of Famer out of Ohio State and it becomes clear they’ve attacked defenses with the same flattening vigor.

None of that, though, is what makes Ekwonu one of the most intriguing characters in the game. The affable player’s life is fascinating, far beyond the breakfast table.

Start with his fearless involvement in musical theater as a kid. He landed roles in “The Jungle Book” and “The Aristocrats,” along with the lead as Pongo in “101 Dalmatians.”

“I felt like I did pretty well,” Ekwonu said. “When I was like 10 or 11, I had a nice little falsetto.”

The first acting gig, in a hamming-it-up way, came even earlier. During Pop Warner football, the future lineman dreamed of being a plus-sized running back. His fancy feet earned him the nickname “Ickey,” after former Bengals running back Ickey Woods.

The name stuck.

And, Ekwonu argued, his “Ickey Shuffle” — the quirky dance Woods uncorked after every touchdown — remains top notch.

“My skills on that are pretty good, since I’ve done it for so long,” he said. “I pretty much have it down pat.”

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Stages, big and small, fail to intimidate Ekwonu.

The summer before his senior year of high school, Ekwonu dressed up and sold a knife brand named Cutco door-to-door. He estimated clearing about $2,000.

“I was so dedicated to it,” he said. “I made the script they gave us my own. I’d small talk and my pitch got pretty smooth. The parents loved it, because I’d put on a suit and tie when I showed up.

“It was nice having that change in my pocket.”

Challenges? Bring ’em on.

“My first car ever was a Corolla,” Ekwonu said. “It was tight. When I was sore after (high school) games, I used to cramp getting out of the car.”

Ekwonu uses a cocktail of pain, passion and everyday life to fuel a game that has pro scouts salivating. The man named the ACC’s top blocker is not just big. He’s not just naturally gifted. He’s not just technically sounds.

He’s angry.

“Whether it’s academic stress, personal stress, I turn it into anger almost,” he said. “I let it all out on the field. It’s hard to describe it, really. It’s more of a mindset. You have to want to dominate people.”

Ekwonu is part Jekyll, part on-field Hyde.

“He’s one of those guys that puts his helmet on and changes,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren told the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. “He wants to finish people.”

Most experts from CBS Sports, ESPN, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus project Ekwonu to be a Top 5 draft pick. If Ekwonu plays in the Holiday Bowl, though, his days as college’s most proficient line cook will include one more flip of the spatula.

Which begs the obvious questions: What do you do with all those syrup bottles?

“We sign them and keep in the O-line room,” he explained. “We need to figure out as an offensive line about what we should do with them. Donate them or something.

“But the cafeteria and meeting are on the same floor. Sometimes I walk into the meeting room with pancakes or waffles and use the syrup there. I’m working on a butter-flavored bottle right now.”

The N.C. State football Twitter account recently labeled Ekwonu Mr. Pancake.

“It’s kind of inside joke, I guess — the Pancake King or whatever,” he said. “I don’t mind it.”

The NFL money that awaits would provide the offensive lineman a chance to invest. Okwonu laughed at a suggestion about finding a company in the pancake-making business.

The player who dabbles in investing and cryptocurrency approved.

“That would be good,” he said. “I can be on the board (of directors). I don’t know if IHOP sells stock, though.”

Now, he’s cooking.

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Wolfpack hunts Rivers connection

If North Carolina State beats UCLA in Tuesday’s Holiday Bowl at Petco Park, this year’s team will join former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in program lore.

The Wolfpack (9-3) need a victory to become the second in history to reach double-digit victories. North Carolina State and Rivers finished 11-3 in 2002, capped by a 28-6 Gator Bowl win against Notre Dame.

Rivers, who threw two touchdowns, was named the game’s MVP.