Murray? MURRAY!
Okay, it's not "Do you believe in miracles?", but I'll always remember the ESPN play call of Demetris Murray scoring USF's first touchdown in their first win over Miami. There's so much difference in the way each word was spoken. "Murray" went from a question to an answer, from boredom to excitement, from an identification to an exclamation.
So let's meet the man:
#21 RB Demetris Murray
Redshirt Junior, 6'0" 215 lbs.
Stats In 2010: Sharing time with Moise Plancher, Murray toted the rock 120 times for 542 yards, and four touchdowns. Also caught 11 passes for 153 yards and two TDs. Had two 100-yard games, against Western Kentucky and against Louisville, aided in the latter game by a 67-yard run.
Current Position On Depth Chart: Starting running back.
How He Came To USF: From a high school in the state of Georgia, which is increasingly becoming a recruiting ground for USF. Five starters -- Murray, Reshard Cliett, Cory Grissom, Patrick Hampton, and DeDe Lattimore -- hail from the Peach State. And lest you think USF's recruiters are just making short drives across the border, Murray hails from the city of Buford, which is northeast of Atlanta.
Recruiting Rankings: ESPN's recruitniks were sure impressed with Murray, calling him the #22 running back prospect nationally, and the "best running back no one has heard of... an absolute load... a junior LT." Rivals rated him three stars and #49 among running backs. Scout also gave him three stars. Maryland, Mississippi, Indiana, Wake Forest, Southern Miss and UCF were among the other schools that recruited him.
Projected Playing Time In 2011: That sort of depends on how good Darrell Scott is. If Scott plays like the five-star recruit he was, and puts a stranglehold on the #1 running back position like no one has since Andre Hall, Murray might find himself a change-of-pace back. The more likely scenario is that Murray and Scott will be 1A and 1B as Murray and Plancher were last season. Either way, Murray is a quality back who will get his share of carries.