By Brice Cherry

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Like most of the schools in the Big 12 South, Oklahoma tends to focus its recruiting efforts within its home state and neighboring Texas. After all, there’s enough stockpiled wealth in the area that one is able to pile up a pretty hefty treasure.

But when OU’s recruiters found their way to Las Vegas back in 2005, they hit the jackpot.

DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma’s sophomore tailback and a Las Vegas native, is the type of abnormally gifted player that can bankroll an entire program. Blessed with an embarrassment of athletic riches, Murray has already drawn comparisons to former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson, now an NFL wunderkind with the Minnesota Vikings.

Order up what you’d want in the ideal running back, and you’ll find it in Murray. Speed? Power? Vision? Escapability?

Check, check, check and check.

“He’s got ability, great speed and he’s very elusive,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “He’s got that ability to hit a home run at any time. As much as anything, he’s a powerful guy. He’s bigger and stronger than people think. He’s got great hands, so we can get the ball to him in different ways as a receiver.”

Murray was destined to play running back. As an impressionable youth, he followed the lead of his three older brothers, Kevin, Chris and Shante, all of whom had played the position.

But as tends to be the case with DeMarco, he left everyone and everything behind — including the legacy put forth by his brothers.

“Those guys are who taught me how to play,” Murray said. “A lot of the lessons I learned about playing running back, I learned from them. I guess I picked up (on those lessons) pretty well.”

That’s a fair analysis. By his senior season at Bishop Gorman High School in Vegas, Murray had established himself as one of the top tailbacks in the nation, rushing for 1,947 yards and 27 touchdowns. Highly coveted by a who’s who of college football programs, Murray made his verbal pledge to Oklahoma over such runners-up as USC and Florida, announcing the decision during the nationally televised U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2006.

“I had a great relationship with the Oklahoma coaches, going back to when I was a sophomore in high school,” Murray said. “Coach (Cale) Gundy, Coach (Bob) Stoops, they’ve been great to me and I’ve really learned a lot from them.”

As a redshirt freshman for the Sooners last year, Murray accumulated 764 rushing yards as part of a three-headed platoon with Allen Patrick and Chris Brown and scored 15 touchdowns, tying the OU freshman record previously set by Peterson.

But it wasn’t just Murray’s production that made him special, it was the show he put on in creating that production. If Murray’s runs and kickoff returns were their own prime-time television show in Oklahoma, it might just rank No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings.

There was the power jaunt against Tulsa in which he dragged two would-be tacklers for an extra 10 yards. There was the 65-yard sprint to paydirt against Texas in which he hurdled a fallen Longhorn defender, then returned to earth hardly breaking stride.

Murray said he sees most of those highlights develop long before even the most perceptive observer.

“God blessed me with good vision on the field,” he said. “I’ve always been able to pick up the holes quickly, and know when and where to make the cuts I need to make something big happen.”

The Baylor Bears got their own first-hand viewing of the amazing DeMarco Murray Show last November. Murray rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns, including a monster 25-yard run in which he broke five tackles and knocked off the helmet of Baylor safety Jake La Mar.

He added a spectacular fourth score when he bobbled a second-quarter kickoff return and retreated to retrieve the ball inside his own 10-yard-line, dodged BU’s oncoming Jeremy Williams with a jab-step to the left, then cut back to the right sideline and outran everyone for a 91-yard touchdown.

“He’s a real good back in space,” Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “He’s got a lot of good moves. We’ve got to try to keep him out of that space.

“He’s got a lot of skills. It’s something to go after a guy who had a good game against you last year, but really we’re out to win the game. He can go out and put up more numbers than he did previously, but as long as we’re on top, then it’s a success.”

As dynamic as Murray was as a freshman, he could have been even better. His season ended prematurely in the 11th game of the year against Texas Tech when he suffered a dislocated knee cap and didn’t play again.

“That was very tough, especially when you want to be out there helping your team,” Murray said. “It was hard not playing in the Big 12 championship game and the bowl game. But I’m over it now.”

If it sounds as if the abrupt ending to last season may have provided Murray with a bit of extra motivation heading into this season, think again. Just like on the field, Murray’s focus is fixed on what’s ahead, not what is behind.

“I never worry about what happened last year,” Murray said. “That’s not even in my mind-set. I just want to get better and help my team win, and I think that’s what I’ve been doing.”

bcherry@wacotrib.com

757-5714

DeMarco Murray by the numbers

2008 (4 games)

335 rushing yards

83.8 rushing yards per game

3 rushing TDs

5.7 yards per carry

16.5 yards per catch

24.8 yards per kick return

2007 season totals

764 rushing yards

69.5 rushing yards per game

6.0 yards per carry

13 rushing TDs

29.3 yards per kick return

2 kicks returned for TDs