Coming Home, Part II: Louis Murphy Is LSU "Mr. Two Bits"
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — So, the story goes that Florida senior Louis Murphy went to his head coach, Urban Meyer, during the 2008 Southeastern Conference Championship Game against unbeaten and top-ranked Alabama with an impassioned plea to get the ball.
That a wide receiver would lobby for action on his own behalf is hardly unusual, but Murphy's eloquence in doing so has turned the moment into something of a (pardon the pun) Urban legend.
Louis Murphy in 2008
"Hey Coach!" Murphy is said to have said. "I don't know if you can beat Nick Saban, but I know I can beat my man all night."
Bada-bing.
Murphy didn't beat his man all night, but the senior did lead his team in catches that game, hauling in four Tim Tebow passes for a team-best 86 yards and the Gators came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the Crimson Tide 31-20 to capture the eighth conference crown in school history and advance to the college football national championship game.
A month later, Florida defeated Oklahoma 24-14 for the program's third national title and second in three seasons. And now, a decade later, members of that 2008 squad will reunite at Spurrier/Florida Field this weekend to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that team, as well as Tebow's induction into the Florida Football Ring of Honor, when the No. 22 Gators (4-1, 2-1) face fifth-ranked LSU (5-0, 2-0) Saturday afternoon.
Murphy will kick it all off as the game's honorary "Mr. Two Bits."
"What an honor. I never thought I'd be asked, especially after seeing some of the other guys who have done it," said Murphy, who will follow in the "Two Bits" football footsteps of such luminaries as Danny Wuerffel, Errict Rhett, Chris Doering, Cris Collinsworth, Wes Chandler and, of course, Steve Spurrier. "Those are big shoes to fill."
Most of the 77 passes Louis Murphy caught during his four UF seasons were thrown by Tim Tebow, who enter the Florida Football Ring of Honor between the first and second quarters of Saturday night's game against LSU.
Murphy is used to challenges. As a senior, he co-captained the Gators — along with Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, James Smith and Phil Trautwein — and was second on the team in receptions with 38 for 655 yards and seven touchdowns.
Seeing so many of his former teammates this weekend figures to get some emotions churning.
"It'll be a bunch of different feelings. Just happy, joyful and memorable to see everybody and get caught up and find out where everybody is now," he said. "We accomplished something special with that group of men. It'll be sentimental for me and, I'm sure, for a lot of guys. But it also be an honor just to be back."
After his senior season, Murphy was a fourth-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders and began an eight-season NFL odyssey that tallied 170 receptions for 2,443 yards and 11 touchdowns for five different teams.
A standout at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood High, Murphy has not played since the 2017 season, but remains in training and isn't ready to retire just yet. The NFL season is less than a month old and receivers will get injured. That means phone calls will come.
Along with a chance to lobby some more.
"I'll be honest, I don't remember what I said, but I do know I went to Coach that game and asked for the ball," Murphy said with a laugh, refusing to rule anything out. "But if that's the legend, let's go with it."
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