He’s Not Stuck on the Snub

Early Wednesday, Texas senior Cedric Benson was a no-show at a news conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

His name placard was in place and so were four of his teammates and Greg Davis, the Longhorns’ offensive coordinator. But Benson, one of college football’s most underrated running backs, was nowhere to be found.

“He overslept,” was one reason making the rounds. “He’s caught in traffic,” was another.

Finally, Benson slid into the conference room. No excuses. No long, involved explanation. The rumors -- both of them -- were true.

So, that being that, he got right to the task at hand in a very straightforward way, just as he has been doing at running back as the focal point of Texas’ offense.

Benson answered questions about Saturday’s Rose Bowl game against Michigan -- but most of his responses had to deal with the perceived lack of respect he has received this year despite ranking among the NCAA all-time leaders in rushing and scoring.

“I really don’t pay too much [attention] to that side of it,” said Benson, who has rushed for 5,470 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career. “I just focus in on getting my job done.”

He then added with a laugh, “Usually when guys get much appreciation, the media has helped them out. Maybe you guys can help me out.”

If production were the sole factor in judging great running backs, Benson would be in an elite class. He’s among only five NCAA Division I-A college backs who have surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons and is among three I-A players to rush for more than 5,000 yards and score more than 400 points in a career.

Benson needs 129 yards against Michigan to move past former USC great Charles White into fourth place on the all-time rushing list.

Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne, Texas’ Ricky Williams and Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett hold down the top three spots. They all were Heisman Trophy winners, as was White.

Benson wasn’t even invited to the award ceremony during his senior season. He had to watch underclassmen Reggie Bush of USC and Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma make the trip to New York.

It bothered him, “but I didn’t base my season on that or base my career on that,” Benson said. “Once I realized that I wasn’t invited I just said, ‘All right, whatever.’ It would have been nice to go, but I didn’t get voted in.”

Benson probably didn’t help himself earlier in the season when, during an interview on ESPN radio, he said that he’d rather win the Heisman Trophy than beat Big 12 Conference rival Oklahoma.

His remark did not set well with Longhorn fans or the national media, some of whom are Heisman voters.

Texas lost to Oklahoma, 12-0, and Benson, despite rushing for 1,764 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, was not a Heisman finalist.

“I’m sure it did hurt me, because afterward there was nothing but negative talk about it,” Benson said earlier this week.

Another reason why the 6-foot 225-pound Benson is often overlooked is his running style. He’s not flashy. He just runs hard every play with a good mixture of balance and speed.

Davis calls Benson a “warrior” who wants the ball 30 times a game, especially in the fourth quarter.

“Cedric is a guy who is always moving forward,” Davis said. “People from other teams, they rave about him because they see those rare, hidden qualities. I don’t think that you appreciate him unless you play against him or with him.”

Benson consistently gains about five yards a carry. He doesn’t break off many long runs to pad his average, and he would rather run over a defender than juke one.

It’s a style he learned at an early age and wears with pride.

“Growing up, I was always taught that it was way more important than breakaways,” said Benson, who grew up in Midland, Texas. “Wear away at the defense and getting first downs, moving the chains. That’s just the way I was raised to play football.”

A two-sport standout in high school, Benson played with the Dodgers’ rookie league club in Vero Beach, Fla., before his freshman and sophomore seasons at Texas. But after two years earning a baseball paycheck, Benson put the sport on hold to concentrate on football before the start of last season.

Benson rushed for 1,360 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2003, and this season he impressed opponents while he was running over them.

“I can’t remember who we were playing, but he was running through people and I said, ‘Man, he’s good,’ and their linebacker said, ‘You’re not lying,’ ” Texas center Jason Glynn said. “For somebody to say that right in the middle of the game, you know that you’ve frustrated them. When people are bouncing off of him and he’s gaining yard after yard after contact, that wears on a defense.”

Not all of Benson’s accomplishments have gone unnoticed. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and earned first-team All-American honors from the Walter Camp Foundation.

Through it all, Benson’s consistency has impressed his teammates. That’s why none of them made a fuss when the senior running back was late Wednesday.

“He’s just done it all for us this season,” Glynn said. “We’re going up against eight men in the box every game with teams trying to stop him. There are always two safeties that we really can’t account for, and he’s been making the yards.

“He’s always been quick, but he’s just been real physical over the last year and half.”

The way Benson sees it, if he’s being overlooked, he can’t feel it. Everywhere he goes, all eyes have been on him since the Heisman Trophy snub.

Although the Longhorns haven’t made a big deal of it, they want to see Benson do well Saturday. He does too.

“It would be nice to end with 350 yards and six touchdowns,” Benson said. “Yeah, something crazy like that.”

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Stepping Up

Texas running back Cedric Benson needs 129 yards to move into fourth place on the NCAA Division I-A career rushing list.

*--* Player, School Years Yards Ron Dayne, Wisconsin 1996-1999 6,397 Ricky Williams, Texas 1995-1998 6,279 Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh 1973-1976 6,082 Charles White, USC 1976-1979 5,598 Travis Prentice, Miami, Ohio 1996-1999 5,596 CEDRIC BENSON, Texas 2001-2004 5,470 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU 1997-2000 5,263 Herschel Walker, Georgia 1980-1982 5,259 Archie Griffin, Ohio State 1972-1975 5,177

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*--* Following Tradition Texas’ single-season rushing leaders: Player, Year Yards Ricky Williams, 1998 2,124 Ricky Williams, 1997 1,893 CEDRIC BENSON, 2004 1,764 Earl Campbell, 1977 1,744 Roosevelt Leaks, 1973 1,415

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