Notes: Murray comes up big, hits milestone

Posted Nov 12, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Nov 12, 2011 at 04:06 AM

SYRACUSE, N.Y. University of South Florida junior running back Demetris Murray came up big in Friday’s 37-17 win over Syracuse, putting together his best game of the season with leading rusher Darrell Scott sidelined with injuries.

Murray finished with 86 yards and a pair of touchdown runs on a career-high 17 carries, and in the process reached a personal milestone. Early in the fourth quarter, Murray went over 1,000 rushing yards for his career, becoming the 13th player in program history to reach the mark.

Murray was at his best late in the game, running for 53 yards and both of his touchdowns - scoring runs of 2 and 8 yards - in the final 15 minutes. Another impressive statistic was that Murray did not have a rush for a loss in the game.

“I just had to step in and help my team win,” Murray said. “That’s basically what I did, nothing different than if it was anybody else.”

Scott, the team’s leading rusher this season, had missed the bulk of practice time this week while recovering from a concussion and a sprained left wrist during last week’s loss to Rutgers. He dressed for the game and went through pregame drills with the team but did not see any action.

“(Murray’s) been a good player for us all year long. He’s been a steady football player. Really, he’s just a good football player,” offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said. “The thing I worried about was how would Marcus (Shaw) react. We put Marcus in there a couple times, scored a touchdown, hit that thing north and south. Had a play there, second-and-2, and did a nice job and got a first down for us.

“That was a critical thing that I worried about. Fortunately, we didn’t get in a bunch of third and long. We had a few of them, but we didn’t have a bunch where the young backs had to protect with all their blitzing. We were fortunate enough to stay ahead of the chains.”

Shaw finished with 13 rushing yards on two carries, one that went for a 3-yard score, and also caught one pass for nine yards.

BIG DAY FOR B.J.: Junior quarterback B.J. Daniels finished with 254 passing yards and 117 rushing yards against the Orange, marking just the second time in his career he’s finished with at least 250 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game (2009 vs. Louisville).

Daniels, who completed 23 of 34 passes, topped 250 passing yards for the fourth time this season. It was also the second time this season, and seventh time in his career, Daniels topped 100 yards rushing.

Daniels accounted for one touchdown, a 2-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which was his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and 19th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of fifth on USF’s all-time list.

“I thought B.J. Daniels played arguably one of his best games since he has played here,” USF coach Skip Holtz said. “He has done a phenomenal job, not just learning the offense but playing within the system and making good decisions. He stood in the pocket and made some key throws on third down in the second half. He utilized his feet when he needed to. He made some plays. ... He is really starting to become the complete package.”

QUICK STRIKE: Prime field position late in the second quarter helped USF produce its 15th touchdown drive of less than two minutes this season.

A kickoff out of bounds coupled with a personal foul call on Syracuse set the Bulls up at the Orange 45 with 3:52 to play before halftime. Two plays and 25 seconds later, USF was celebrating its second touchdown of the night.

Daniels connected with freshman receiver Andre Davis on a 43-yard pass to start things off, and Daniels scored on a 2-yard run on the next play. The catch for Davis, a former Jefferson High product, was the longest of his career.

PENALTY PROBLEMS: USF continued to have problems with penalties, finishing with 10 for 84 yards at Syracuse, and the most troublesome time was on the Bulls opening possession of the second half.

USF was penalized on the opening kickoff, forcing the drive to start at its own 10, and then flags crippled the drive after the Bulls got into the red zone.

After driving to the Syracuse 13, USF was called for penalties on three consecutive plays — an illegal substitution, a hold that wiped out a Lindsey Lamar 18-yard touchdown run, and another hold that put USF in a first-and-25 situation. The Bulls never recovered and had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Maikon Bonani, one of three field goals from Bonani on the night.

BULLS BITS: Admiral Farragut’s Rayshawn Jenkins, who committed to the Bulls in March, has backed off that pledge and re-opened his recruitment. … USF has scored first in all nine games this season. … Though Holtz had said early in the week a change could be made at punter, junior Justin Brockhaus-Kann continued to handle the duties against Syracuse. Brockhaus-Kann averaged 33.8 yards on four punts with a long of 42 and one being downed inside the 20. … USF has committed at least one turnover in every Big East game this season, a streak kept alive when junior receiver Victor Marc fumbled through the end zone in the third quarter while diving for the goal line. ... With three sacks Friday, USF now has 31 for the season, tied for fourth most in a single-season in program history. Sophomore defensive end Ryne Giddins and sophomore linebacker DeDe Lattimore, who each had a sack against the Orange, are tied for the team lead with 5.5.