Latavius Murray


Latavius Rashard Murray is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft, with whom he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015. Murray also played for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills.

Early life

Murray was born in Titusville, Florida, and attended Onondaga Central High School in Onondaga, New York, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. In football, Murray was a three-time All-league and All-Central New York selection. As a sophomore, he was a third-team All-state honoree following a 1,609-yard, 14-touchdown season. Murray was first-team as a junior, rushing for 2,030 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was first-team again as a senior and was named the 2007 Gatorade Football Player of the Year in the state of New York, rushing for 2,194 yards with 28 touchdowns on offense, while also recording 78 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions on defense. Murray also was named as the Class D Player of the Year and First-team All-State by the NYSSWA.
Regarded as a three-star recruit, Murray was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the state of New York by Rivals.com, No. 6 according to Scout.com. He chose UCF over scholarship offers from Boston College, Maryland, and Syracuse, among others.

College career

Murray played college football at the University of Central Florida.
Murray made his collegiate debut against South Carolina State and rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns. As a freshman, he finished with 46 carries for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Murray tore his ACL during the offseason after his freshman year while playing basketball.
After redshirting in 2009, Murray returned to the Knights' backfield in 2010. On November 20 against Tulane, he had his best game of the season, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later against SMU, he finished with 94 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards and first collegiate receiving touchdown. In his redshirt sophomore season, Murray was named Conference USA Championship MVP and also was named AutoZone Liberty Bowl MVP for his performance against Georgia in which he rushed for 104 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown. Murray finished the 2010 season with 111 carries for 637 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with five receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Murray started his junior season rushing for 36 yards and two touchdowns against Charleston Southern. In the next game against Boston College, Murray had 72 rushing yards and a touchdown. He was mostly held in check up to the end of the regular season. On November 19 against East Carolina, Murray had 87 rushing yards and a touchdown. In the last game of the season against UTEP, he had a season-high 233 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns. Following the end of the season, Murray was selected as the team's MVP and offensive player of the year.
As a senior, Murray was an All-C-USA First-team selection and was named to Phil Steele's All-C-USA First-team. He was named to the College Football Performance Awards All-Purpose Trophy Watch List and was also selected to the College Football Performance Awards Special Teams Watch List. Murray was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List. On August 30, 2012, he started the season with 108 rushing yards and a touchdown against Akron. On October 20, he started a four-game stretch where he recorded 192 yards and two touchdowns, 156 yards and three touchdowns, 155 yards and two touchdowns, and 117 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in those games. Murray finished the season with 198 carries for 1,106 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 27 receptions for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
Murray finished his collegiate career with 453 carries for 2,424 yards and 37 touchdowns to go along with 50 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Murray was regarded as a sixth to seventh round selection according to CBSSports.com.
Murray was not invited to the NFL Combine, but garnered much attention with an impressive performance at Central Florida's Pro Day. He weighed in at 6-foot-2 5/8 and 223 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 and 4.38 seconds, registered a 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 36-inch vertical jump, and ran 4.36 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.81 seconds in the 3-cone.

Oakland Raiders

2013 season

Murray was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 181st overall pick in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was the 15th running back to be selected in that year's draft. On June 6, 2013, Raiders signed Murray to a four-year, $2.26 million contract with $106,200 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $106,200.
On August 27, 2013, Murray was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, ending his rookie season before it even started.

2014 season

After being third on the depth chart for the first half of the season behind veterans Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, the Raiders turned to Murray in Week 11 to provide a spark after ineffectiveness by McFadden and Jones-Drew all year. He responded by totaling 59 yards on seven carries during the 13–6 road loss to the San Diego Chargers.
On November 20, 2014, Murray had with four carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns, marking his first career touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. It also marked the first rushing touchdown the Chiefs defense allowed all season, and Murray's 90-yard touchdown marked the longest rush for the Raiders that year. His solid performance contributed to the Raiders' first victory of the season. After having success on his first three attempts, Murray suffered a concussion on his fourth carry and was taken out of the game.
Murray returned from injury in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers and recorded 23 carries for 76 yards during the 24–13 victory. In the next game against the Chiefs, he earned his first NFL start and had 12 carries for 59 yards during the 31–13 road loss. The following week against the Buffalo Bills, Murray had his second consecutive start and rushed 16 times for 86 yards in the narrow 26–24 victory.
Murray finished the 2014 season with 82 carries for 424 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 17 receptions for 143 yards in 15 games and three starts.

2015 season

Murray entered the season as the Raiders' number one tailback and was expected by the Raiders to receive most of the carries after the retirement of Maurice Jones-Drew and the departure of Darren McFadden. As expected, Murray began the season as the Raiders' starting running back and had 11 carries for 44 yards to go along with seven receptions for 36 yards during the season-opening 33–13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, he rushed 15 times for 65 yards and his first touchdown of the season during the 37–33 victory. The following week against the Cleveland Browns, Murray ran for a season-high 139 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the 27–20 victory.
During a Week 7 37–29 road victory over the Chargers, Murray rushed 15 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the New York Jets, he had 20 carries for 113 yards during the 34–20 victory. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Murray recorded 17 carries for 96 yards in the 38–35 road loss.
During a Week 14 34–20 loss to the Chiefs, Murray had 20 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. Three weeks later against the Chargers on Christmas Eve, he became the first Raider to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark since Darren McFadden did so in 2010. Murray finished the 23–20 overtime victory with 19 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown to go along with five receptions for 38 yards.
Murray finished the 2015 season with 266 carries for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 41 receptions for 232 yards in 16 games and starts.

2016 season

Murray began the season with a rushing touchdown in three straight games against the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Tennessee Titans. During a Week 7 33–16 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he rushed 18 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks later against the Denver Broncos, Murray had 20 carries for 114 yards and three touchdowns to go along with a 13-yard reception in the 30–20 victory.
During a Week 12 35–32 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Murray recorded 19 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown to go along with three receptions for 43 yards. In the next game against the Bills, he had 20 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three receptions for 23 yards during the 38–24 victory. The following week against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, Murray rushed 22 times for 103 yards and a touchdown in the 21–13 road loss.
Murray finished the 2016 season with 195 carries for 788 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns to go along with 33 receptions for 264 yards in 14 games and 12 starts. The Raiders finished second in the AFC West with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #5-seed. Murray made his playoff debut in the Wild Card Round against the Houston Texans, recording 12 carries for 39 yards and his first postseason touchdown to go along with a 12-yard reception during the 27–14 road loss.

Minnesota Vikings

2017 season

On March 16, 2017, Murray signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. In his opening statement to Vikings fans, Murray stated on his Instagram account: "There wasn't a thought in my mind to try and wear or ask for the No. 28. I have too much respect for Adrian Peterson and so much respect for what he's done and what he means to this organization." During his first press conference as a Viking, Murray announced that he would be wearing #25 in honor of his best friend, who had died in 2016. On March 22, it was revealed that Murray underwent ankle surgery.
During the season-opening 29–19 victory over the Saints on Monday Night Football, Murray had two carries for six yards in his Vikings debut, ultimately being out-shined by rookie Dalvin Cook. However, Cook tore his ACL three weeks later in a 14–7 loss to the Detroit Lions, creating an opportunity for Murray.
During a Week 5 20–17 road victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, Murray earned his first start of the season and finished with 12 carries for 31 yards and two receptions for 12 yards. Two weeks later against the Baltimore Ravens, he recorded 18 carries for 117 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 24–16 victory.
During a Week 10 38–30 road victory over the Washington Redskins, Murray rushed 17 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Los Angeles Rams, he had 15 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns during the 24–7 victory. The following week against the Lions on Thanksgiving, Murray recorded 20 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown in the 30–23 road victory.
During a Week 15 34–7 victory over the Bengals, Murray had 20 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown to go along with a 28-yard reception. In the regular season finale against the Bears, he recorded 20 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns during the 23–10 victory.
Murray finished the 2017 season with 216 carries for 842 yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 103 yards in 16 games and 11 starts. The Vikings finished atop the NFC North with a 13–3 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #2-seed. During the 29–24 victory over the Saints in the Divisional Round, Murray recorded 19 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown to go along with two receptions for 17 yards. In the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was limited to six carries for 18 yards and two receptions for 11 yards during the 38–7 loss.