Senior Jarrett Payton shines in his first start, scoring Miami's only offensive touchdown.
By BOB HARIG
Published October 12, 2003
TALLAHASSEE - The mud splashed inside the shield on his face mask, making it impossible to see. The water soaked his shoes, making his feet feel as heavy as the defenders draped on his back.
And this is what it is all about, thought Jarrett Payton. This is what all the work was for when life dealt him some serious blows. This, finally, was fun.
A 22-year-old fifth-year senior for Miami, Payton got his first start Saturday in the 22-14 victory over Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium.
And his late father would have been proud.
Payton rushed for a career-high 97 yards on 26 carries and scored UM's only offensive touchdown on a 14-yard screen pass. The steady rain did not keep him from looking into the clouds, pointing to the sky. He knew his dad was watching.
Walter Payton, who starred for the NFL's Chicago Bears and earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Jarrett as his presenter, died four years ago of bile duct cancer. At the time, Jarrett was branching out on his own, a freshman at UM.
"He's with me all the time," said Payton, who wears the same No. 34 as his father and wore his dad's Bears jersey to bed on Friday night. "This makes me appreciate so much more what he did.
"Coach Sol (UM running backs coach Don Soldinger) always talks about Superman. There's always a guy with a big "S' on his chest. My Superman is my dad. I leaned on him (Saturday). And this helps me respect him so much more for what he did. He did this for 13 years and only missed one game. You realize how huge that is. It's a hard game."
Payton got his chance because UM's starting tailback, Frank Gore, was lost for the season with a knee injury Oct. 2 against West Virginia. But Payton has dealt with his own pain.
He played some as a freshman in 1999 despite the death of his father at age 45. But during the spring after his freshman year, he needed 22 stitches in his foot when he cut it on coral while scuba diving. That and a sprained ankle led to a redshirt season in 2000.
Then, expecting to be a contributor in 2001, Payton and two of his teammates were involved in an I-95 accident in which his car flipped. Payton was lucky to walk away, but the injuries led to internal bleeding in his lower back, which plagued him for two seasons.
And, of course, there was a depth chart full of stars in the backfield, including Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee and Gore.
"Everything happens for a reason," Payton said.
"It's true. Things happen and you don't know why they happen. You have to endure them. It turned out this way and you've got to run with it."
"Jarrett believes in himself," coach Larry Coker said. "When he's had opportunities he's done well with it. For him to have a day like he had was huge for his confidence and huge for our football team."
Payton was a workhorse in the rain, asked to churn out some ugly yards in miserable conditions. It was far from easy. Payton does not have the speed of Gore nor the physical gifts of McGahee.
It was on a third-and-6 play early in the second quarter that the Seminoles seemingly forgot about him. Quarterback Brock Berlin threw Payton a screen pass, the exact play the Hurricanes used with McGahee last year that went for a long gain against FSU.
"I thought they were going to key on it," Payton said of the play that gave UM a 12-0 lead. "I thought, "Dang, I ain't going to get nowhere.' I turned and looked and I was wide open. I thought maybe they didn't think I had the ball. Nobody was running at me and I'm going toward the end zone. I'm like, "What's going on.' It was a good thing."
Payton wore a big grin, his father's Bears jersey draped over his shoulder while talking after the game.
His mother, Connie, had given it to him, and Payton wore it into the stadium Saturday for inspiration.
Asked if he wore it under his jersey during the game, Payton responded with mock horror.
"This is real," he said. "I could put it on eBay and be able to chill for a couple of years. But my mom would kill me."
