Oakland Raiders ‘Curious’ About Latavius Murray

Nov 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders like what they’ve seen of running back Latavius Murray, but that’s been precious little.

Lost in the shuffle of another abysmal season for the Oakland Raiders is potential diamond-in-the-rough running back Latavius Murray, who’s averaging a sparkling 11.9 yards per carry, but on just 14 carries this season. While he’s certainly not going to keep up that pace on a per-carry basis, it’s enough to make the Raiders wonder what they have in Murray.

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“I love the way Latavius runs the football,” interim head coach Tony Sparano said, per CSN Bay Area. “I like what I’ve seen, but I’ve seen (14) carries. I want to see more of them. I’m curious, too. I’m curious just like the fans are curious.”

Murray showcased his ability in the team’s sole win of the season on a Thursday night at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Murray ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries. Almost as impressive was the fact that those two were the first rushing touchdowns scored all year against the Chiefs defense.

Still, four carries are four carries.

“It’s hard for me to sit here with a player – I think the world of this kid and his improvement – and think that guy is a workhorse,” Sparano said. “Until I can hand him the ball 15, 18, 20 times and see how he responds. … You have to get him going in that way before I think he can handle that many carries. In college, he carried the ball quite a bit. I’m sure he can handle the workload. He just hasn’t in a while.”

Murray remains a backup to Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden, but expect to see him sprinkled in the game plan more to give the coaching staff a better sense of what they have in the second-year running back.

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