Demps reveals another side to his game
Sunday, September 19, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
Deep inside the belly of Neyland Stadium early Saturday evening, Gators running back Jeff Demps shuffled over to a metal chair outside the Gators locker room.
Demps was sweaty. He was tired. Mostly, he was sore.
"I'll be all right,'' he said.
In Florida's 31-17 win over Tennessee, Demps rushed a career-high 26 times for 73 yards. The 26 carries were seven more than Demps had in the first two games, when he averaged 12.5 yards per carry and broke each game open with a long touchdown run in the second half.
He never broke off a long one against the Volunteers, but he picked up enough yards when it mattered to help the Gators improve to 3-0 on the young season.
At 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, Demps is built more for speed than power. But don't be fooled, he showed he can gain tough yards between the tackles in the second half Saturday.
After gaining just 17 yards on 11 carries before halftime, Demps picked up 56 yards on 15 rushes as the Gators' offense slowly starting taking control.
In his three seasons, Demps now has 222 carries, which if you do the math, means he had more than 10 percent of his career carries in Saturday's game.
Asked if he can be a 20-carry back regularly, Demps said: "I think I can. It's going to be a little tougher, but I think I can do it.''
If Emmanuel Moody's bruised thigh had not swolen up in practice and limited him on Saturday, Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio would not have called Demps' number so often.
But as the Gators continue to build their offensive identity, they now know Demps has multiple identities: game-breaker and 26-carry back if needed.
