Regardless of knee injury, Murray has proven he can go All Day
Published: 11/29/2010 11:19 PM
Last Modified: 11/29/2010 11:19 PM
Remember in July when Bob Stoops said he’d like to see some Adrian Peterson-type productivity out of DeMarco Murray?
Here’s the exact quote from Big 12 media days in Irving, Texas:
“We’re hoping in the line of similar to a guy like Adrian Peterson, that kind of opportunity to run the ball or have his hands on the ball that number of times is what we’re hoping for,” Stoops said. “You know, so we’ll see. He needs support. But I really believe our offensive line has a chance to be better than what people think. If that happens, DeMarco has a chance to have a really good year, and I believe he will.”
Most everyone sneered, smirked, chuckled or rolled their eyes. But look at these numbers:
You recall Peterson’s freshman year. The year he mostly stayed healthy, the year he supplanted LaDanian Tomlinson as the planet’s best running back? The year he set NCAA freshman records with 339 carries and 1,925 yards?
Peterson’s stats that year: 343 touches (26.4 per game), 1,937 all-purpose yards.
Murray’s stats this year: 314 touches (26.2 per game), 1,837 all-purpose yards.
I’d say Peterson’s freshman year and Murray’s senior year are, in Stoops’ words, “similar”.
Make no mistake. Murray is no Peterson. Nobody is, unless some bioengineering whack-job in a laboratory somewhere is mixing the DNA of Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Nathan Peterson and a turbocharged 18-wheeler.
But Murray is a special talent, and Stoops nailed it when he said four months ago that Murray would be able to handle a Peterson-type workload.
Murray is beat up going into this week’s Big 12 championship game against Nebraska. He took a helmet on the left knee Saturday at Oklahoma State. The knee hyperextended, and Murray missed the fourth quarter. The extent of his injury still isn’t known. Stoops said after practice Monday that Murray was “much improved from (Sunday)” and is “looking positive right now.”
Murray deserves to catch a break. Because of injuries in 2007 and 2008, he has played in only one bowl game — last year against Stanford. But that was hardly vintage Murray. He finished that game with 20 carries for just 27 yards (he also caught three passes for 40 yards). Sooner fans are rooting for him to go out with a bang this year, for him to put up big numbers over the next two games and set OU’s all-purpose yardage and touchdown marks so far out of sight it’ll take another 40 years for someone to break them.
If Murray doesn’t play, OU’s offense will turn to senior Mossis Madu. He’s had some fumbling problems this year, but it’s not for a lack of running hard. Madu is a talented back. He had 114 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri in the Big 12 championship game two years ago in Kansas City — after Murray was lost on the opening kickoff. Clearly, Madu can get it done.
Even so, Murray and his near-All Day toughness would be sorely missed.
— John E. Hoover
Written by
John E. Hoover
Sports Columnist
