Raiders have a stud back in Latavius Murray, but why aren’t they using him?
Latavius Murray is a big back from the University of Central Florida. The guy runs with power and speed and is a hard player to bring down. So I ask the question today, why aren’t the Raiders using him more?
In one carry, Murray broke off 14 yards which was just short of what Darren McFadden had (16) at the time on 7 carries. On the next play, they handed it to Murray again and he broke off 23 yards. That 23 yards run matched the ENTIRE output of the rest of the Raiders up to that point. It was also the longest run by any Raiders running back all season.
The next time Murray touched the ball, he went for five yards which matched the longest run by any other Raiders running back. So, of course they gave him the ball just one more time the rest of the game.
He finished with 43 yards on four carries (10.8 yards per carry) which was 15 yards more than the rest of the team combined. Darren McFadden had 21 yards on 8 carries (2.6 ypc) and Maurice Jones-Drew had 6 yards on 4 carries (1.5 ypc).
Murray admitted it felt good to get a carry, and he also admitted he left a play or two out on the field.
“It felt good to get in there and run the ball,” Murray said. “It always does, so I was definitely pleased. I left some plays out there also. I dropped a pass on a slant. But I was able to get better and I’m ready for work next week. They’ve been wanting to get me in the mix more and that’s all I can ask,” Murray said. “When they do, I have to make sure they give me a reason to put me back in there.
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