Saturday, August 11, 2007

FAMU Henry tries to be the man

Photo: Demitric Henry rushes for a career high 149 yards on 15 carries in overtime win over Norfolk State last year.


By St. Clair Murraine, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Rattlers RB must heal before he goes for lead role

A remote spot where strength coach Jeff Wood takes injured players through a rehab regimen is known by FAMU football players as “Rattler Beach.” It was anything but that Friday morning for sophomore running back Demitric Henry.

Oh, he was basking in the sun, all right - rolling in the grass for more than 150 yards trying to catch a rolling medicine ball. That was after he'd kicked the ball around a bit and went through some calisthenics.

“Ah,” he groaned as he got up to turn around from the halfway point of the rolling drill. “Thought I was going to throw up.”

He went right back to more of the routine that he hopes will help him recover from a strained hamstring. He suffered the injury during the spring game.

Up to that point, Henry was hopeful that this would be the year he finally breaks out of the shadow of his predecessor, Rashard Pompey. Doing that, he said, is one of the reasons that he's developed a strong work ethic.

“This year has to be a better year for coming out of Pompey's shadow,” he said.

Henry was virtually an unknown until the sixth game of the season, when the comparisons between him and Pompey began. The argument might not stop at the comparison with record-setting Pompey if Henry can get back on the field and stay healthy.

“I want to be remembered with the names of Bob Hayes and Willie Galimore; all the greats that came through FAMU,” he said. “It starts now, running out here in the hot sun and getting in the games and doing what I'm supposed to do.”

In his biggest game last season, Henry ran for 149 yards on 15 carries against Norfolk State University in the game that put him into the limelight. He finished the season with 414 yards and two touchdowns on 70 carries.

But before the season was over, he had to fight through injures that slowed his progress in creating his own identity in the backfield.

It shouldn't take too long before Henry is known for his heroics, said coach Rubin Carter, although he isn't sure when Henry will return to full practice.

“Demitric has ability,” Carter said. “We know that (because) we've seen him go out and break some big runs last season. But what we want to see from Demitric now is if he has durability to be able to do it week in and week out and sustain the pounding, running the ball for 20, 25 carries a game and maintain that performance.”

Since practice began Monday, Henry has watched as one running back after another makes a case for knocking him from his perch. It's frustrating, he said, admitting that he knows he won't be a shoo-in when the first fall depth chart is released.

He just wants to get healthy to make his case against the challengers, he said.

“If I can't be out there, I can't perform and I can't show them what I'm ready to do this year,” Henry said. “I'm sitting out there thinking what I would have done. I'm eager. I'm hungry.”

Senior quarterback Albert Chester is just as eager to have Henry and Anthony Edwards, who also is nursing an injury, back in time to play the season opener.

“You've got lightning with (Henry) and you've got thunder with Anthony Edwards, but Henry makes it a lot easier for me,” Chester said. “When he comes in, they (defenses) focus a lot on him. It's always good to see a guy come in and play well early. A lot of it is confidence, and I believe he has that now.”

No comments: