Darius Marshall
Encyclopedia
Darius Marshall was an American football
running back
for the Marshall Thundering Herd
.
in 2005, after rushing for 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns at Baldwin High School. He earned his consecutive all-state selection in 2006 by rushing for 2,153 yards and 28 touchdowns. Marshall totaled 74 touchdowns in his prep career and was rated one of the Top 50 players in Georgia.
Marshall was being recruited by Marshall University
, Indiana University
, University of Maryland
, and Michigan State University
. Marshall eventually signed with Marshall.
with three rushes for 14 yards and five receptions for 17 yards. Marshall saw his first major action in the 48-23 loss to West Virginia
, where he rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and returned the opening kickoff 77 yards. In the 48-25 loss to New Hampshire
, Marshall only totaled 29 yards on 7 carries. In the 40-14 loss to Cincinnati
, he recorded 63 yards on seven carries and a reception for 11 yards. In the 24-21 loss to Memphis
, Marshall scored his first collegiate rushing touchdown and totaled a season-high 90 yards on 15 carries. In the 38-31 loss to Tulsa, Marshall rushed 13 times for 63 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards. In the loss to Southern Miss, he rushed 14 times for 62 yards and a touchdown and had a reception for 13 yards. In the first victory of the season, 34-21 over Rice
, Marshall totaled 39 yards on 16 carries. Marshall missed most of the loss to UCF, but bounced back in the ECU
victory with 67 yards on 12 carries. In the following loss to Houston
, Marshall recorded 12 carries for 66 yards. He finished out the season with 60 yards on 9 carries, a 91-yard kick return touchdown, and a 32-yard reception in the 46-39 victory over UAB.
Darius Marshall finished his true freshman season of 2007 with 631 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in only 123 carries in nine starts. He also caught 14 passes for 119 yards and returned 19 kicks for 556 yards and a touchdown. He led the team with 1,306 all-purpose yards and 108.8 per game en route to being named to the Conference USA
All-Freshman Team.
, Marshall totaled 50 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. In the 17-16 victory over Memphis
, Marshall rushed for a career-high 140 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. In the following 34-27 victory over Southern Miss, he recorded 112 yards on 30 carries for a touchdown. The game marked the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games by Marshall in his career.
In the 27-3 loss to West Virginia
in the Friends of Coal Bowl
, Marshall totaled 45 yards on 16 carries and a career-high 203 return yards on only 4 kick returns, including a 75 yard return. Marshall finished the rivalry game with a career-high 262 total yards of offense. In the 33-10 loss to Cincinnati
, Marshall rushed 14 times for 19 yards, a reception for 10 yards, and 5 kick returns for 92 yards. In the following 23-21 loss to UAB, Marshall rushed 9 times for 35 yards, had two receptions for 14 yards, and had 3 kick returns for 80 yards.
Marshall bounced back in the following 37-23 win over Houston
, totaling 15 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown and 63 yards on three kick returns - 165 total yards. He then totaled 123 yards on 20 carries and 88 yards on two kick returns for a total of 201 yards in the next loss to ECU
. Marshall then had a season-high 142 yards rushing on 16 carries, to go along with 63 yards on 3 kick returns, in the 30-14 loss to Central Florida
. The game marked his second straight 200-yard all-purpose game and his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game. Marshall's 100-yard rushing streak continued in the loss to Rice
, in which he gained 118 yards rushing on 24 carries. He also recorded 62 yards on 4 kick returns for a total of 180 yards all-purpose yards. His 100-yard rushing game streak ended at four games against Tulsa
- finishing with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Darius Marshall finished his sophomore campaign with 224 rushes for 1,099 yards and 5 touchdowns, 16 receptions for 98 yards, and 30 kick returns for 790 yards - a total of 1,987 all-purpose yards (165.2 yards per game).
college football
writer Joe Schad
reported that Marshall would forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft
. Marshall departs with the seventh-best career rushing total (2,857 yards) in Thundering Herd history. Despite having 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns in his junior season, Marshall was projected to be a late round pick.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall Thundering Herd
The Marshall Thundering Herd are the intercollegiate athletic teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in Conference USA, which are members of the NCAA Division I...
.
Early life
Darius Marshall was an all-state selection in GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 2005, after rushing for 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns at Baldwin High School. He earned his consecutive all-state selection in 2006 by rushing for 2,153 yards and 28 touchdowns. Marshall totaled 74 touchdowns in his prep career and was rated one of the Top 50 players in Georgia.
Marshall was being recruited by Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
, Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, and Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. Marshall eventually signed with Marshall.
Freshman season (2007)
Darius Marshall began his freshman season in the 31-3 loss to MiamiMiami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
with three rushes for 14 yards and five receptions for 17 yards. Marshall saw his first major action in the 48-23 loss to West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
, where he rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and returned the opening kickoff 77 yards. In the 48-25 loss to New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
, Marshall only totaled 29 yards on 7 carries. In the 40-14 loss to Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
, he recorded 63 yards on seven carries and a reception for 11 yards. In the 24-21 loss to Memphis
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
, Marshall scored his first collegiate rushing touchdown and totaled a season-high 90 yards on 15 carries. In the 38-31 loss to Tulsa, Marshall rushed 13 times for 63 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards. In the loss to Southern Miss, he rushed 14 times for 62 yards and a touchdown and had a reception for 13 yards. In the first victory of the season, 34-21 over Rice
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, Marshall totaled 39 yards on 16 carries. Marshall missed most of the loss to UCF, but bounced back in the ECU
East Carolina Pirates
The East Carolina Pirates are the intercollegiate sports teams representing East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams sponsored by the university compete in NCAA Division I as a member of Conference USA...
victory with 67 yards on 12 carries. In the following loss to Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, Marshall recorded 12 carries for 66 yards. He finished out the season with 60 yards on 9 carries, a 91-yard kick return touchdown, and a 32-yard reception in the 46-39 victory over UAB.
Darius Marshall finished his true freshman season of 2007 with 631 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in only 123 carries in nine starts. He also caught 14 passes for 119 yards and returned 19 kicks for 556 yards and a touchdown. He led the team with 1,306 all-purpose yards and 108.8 per game en route to being named to the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
All-Freshman Team.
Sophomore season (2008)
In 2008, Darius Marshall entered the season as the Thundering Herd's starting running back as a sophomore. In the 35-10 season-opening victory over Illinois State, Marshall rushed 20 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. The game marked the sophomore's first career 100-yard rushing game. In the 51-14 loss to the #11 Wisconsin BadgersWisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
, Marshall totaled 50 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. In the 17-16 victory over Memphis
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
, Marshall rushed for a career-high 140 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. In the following 34-27 victory over Southern Miss, he recorded 112 yards on 30 carries for a touchdown. The game marked the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games by Marshall in his career.
In the 27-3 loss to West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
in the Friends of Coal Bowl
Friends of Coal Bowl
The Friends of Coal Bowl is an annual college football game played between the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the Marshall University Thundering Herd. The game is sponsored by the Friends of Coal, a coal industry trade group...
, Marshall totaled 45 yards on 16 carries and a career-high 203 return yards on only 4 kick returns, including a 75 yard return. Marshall finished the rivalry game with a career-high 262 total yards of offense. In the 33-10 loss to Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
, Marshall rushed 14 times for 19 yards, a reception for 10 yards, and 5 kick returns for 92 yards. In the following 23-21 loss to UAB, Marshall rushed 9 times for 35 yards, had two receptions for 14 yards, and had 3 kick returns for 80 yards.
Marshall bounced back in the following 37-23 win over Houston
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
, totaling 15 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown and 63 yards on three kick returns - 165 total yards. He then totaled 123 yards on 20 carries and 88 yards on two kick returns for a total of 201 yards in the next loss to ECU
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
. Marshall then had a season-high 142 yards rushing on 16 carries, to go along with 63 yards on 3 kick returns, in the 30-14 loss to Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
. The game marked his second straight 200-yard all-purpose game and his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game. Marshall's 100-yard rushing streak continued in the loss to Rice
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, in which he gained 118 yards rushing on 24 carries. He also recorded 62 yards on 4 kick returns for a total of 180 yards all-purpose yards. His 100-yard rushing game streak ended at four games against Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
- finishing with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Darius Marshall finished his sophomore campaign with 224 rushes for 1,099 yards and 5 touchdowns, 16 receptions for 98 yards, and 30 kick returns for 790 yards - a total of 1,987 all-purpose yards (165.2 yards per game).
College statistics
| Rushing | Fumbles | Receiving | ||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | Att | Yards | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LOST | Rec | Yards | Y/R | TD | LNG |
| 2007 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top... |
Marshall | 12 | 123 | 631 | 5.1 | 34 | 3 | 14 | 119 | 8.5 | 0 | 32 | ||
| 2008 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2... |
Marshall 2008 Marshall Thundering Herd football team The 2008 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Marshall competed as a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home... |
12 | 224 | 1,099 | 4.9 | 61 | 5 | 16 | 98 | 6.1 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 2009 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the... |
Marshall 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team The 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2009 season. Marshall competed as a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home... |
10 | 227 | 1,131 | 5.0 | 80 | 11 | 12 | 27 | 2.3 | 0 | 7 | ||
| Total | 34 | 574 | 2,861 | 5.0 | 80 | 19 | 42 | 244 | 5.8 | 0 | 32 |
NFL Draft
On January 11, 2010, ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
writer Joe Schad
Joe Schad
Joe Schad joined ESPN in 2005 after a career as a sports writer. Schad currently works as ESPN's National College Football Reporter and appears on shows such as: Sportscenter, , GameDay, First Take, ESPNEWS and College Football Overdrive. Schad has provided a weekly college football news and...
reported that Marshall would forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. Marshall departs with the seventh-best career rushing total (2,857 yards) in Thundering Herd history. Despite having 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns in his junior season, Marshall was projected to be a late round pick.