Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Freshman makes impact in Javs' crowded backfield

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Friday, October 1, 1999

Freshman makes impact in Javs' crowded backfield
Foster's injury opens door for Houston Sharpstown product to shine for Texas A&M-Kingsville
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

KINGSVILLE - Darrell White wasn't sure about much when he arrived in Kingsville in August.
   Fresh out of high school, White spent his last schoolboy season at Houston Sharpstown playing quarterback for the Apollos, but was immediately added to Texas A&M-Kingsville's corps of running backs.
   With the return of tailback Derrick Foster and the addition of several junior college transfers, White was left to wonder whether actually playing was a realistic prospect.
   He wasn't left wondering long.
   Four games into the season, White has already made one start for A&M-Kingsville and leads the Javelinas in rushing with 177 yards.
   With A&M-Kingsville beginning its Lone Star Conference South Division schedule Saturday against Tarleton State in Stephenville, White appears to have secured a spot in the Javelinas' rotation of running backs.
   "When I first got here, I heard the team had a bunch of backs and didn't think I'd get any playing time," said White, who passed for 1,288 yards and rushed for 649 as a senior at Sharpstown. "I thought playing time wasn't gonna be much, probably just in blowout games. Sometimes I thought I wasn't going to get to play at all."
   After carrying just three times in the Javelinas' season opener, White exploded for 118 yards against McNeese State in place of an injured Foster.
   "I didn't really think about (the performance). I went in there for one play and never came out," White said.
   With Foster still hobbled with a sprained knee, White earned the start against East Central two weeks ago and had 32 yards rushing against Sam Houston last Saturday.
   A&M-Kingsville fullback Mack Pittman said White's greatest attribute is his athletic ability.
   "He's an amazing kid to come to a school with tradition like Kingsville and be able to step up the way he has," Pittman said of White, who played running back his sophomore and junior year for the Apollos. "He needs to lower his shoulders more when he runs and he needs to get stronger, but he has some great ability. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he can block and reverse field when he's running. Darrell can do all the things coaches want a running back to do, and he's just a freshman."
   Javelinas' offensive lineman Nick O'Brien said not many players have the opportunity afforded to White.
   "He turned it up and just tore it up," O'Brien said. "I don't think he made a whole lot mistakes. For a true freshman to come in and show what he's made of that fast is pretty good.
   "This doesn't happen for everybody. It's tough competition because there's a lot of real good backs. Just to make it on the field is an accomplishment in itself."



Staff writer Javier Becerra can be reached at 886-3734 or by email at becerraj@caller.com

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