March 31, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - For UCF junior tailback Brynn Harvey, watching close friend and fellow back Latavius Murray run to Most Valuable Player awards in the Conference USA title game and Liberty Bowl last season was equal parts inspirational and crushing.
Uplifting because Murray made it all the way back from a devastating knee injury and returned with even better explosion and cutting ability, helping him become one of the central figures on UCF's most successful team ever. Harvey, who suffered a torn ACL last spring and missed all last season, had a perfect example that not all was lost with his injury and that he could come back better than ever.
But it was also crushing at times because, well, that was supposed to be Harvey out there gashing defenses with his tough running and dynamic vision in the hole. After all, it was Harvey who was coming off a 2009 season in which he had just run for 1,109 yards and 14 TDs. And it was Harvey who was the first-team All-Conference preseason pick last fall, but that never materialized because of the extent of his injury.
And even after Harvey worked tirelessly - often coming in to morning and nightly rehabilitation sessions sandwiched around the usual practice schedule - his midseason comeback last season was nixed partly because of the blossoming growth of Murray and the steady running of Ronnie Weaver early in the season.
For Harvey, a humble, mild-mannered sort, he took the setbacks in stride quietly. But deep down it bothered him greatly to not be a part of a special UCF team that climbed to No. 20 in the national rankings, won a second C-USA crown in four seasons and captured the school's first-ever bowl victory.
``It was really hard and I knew that it was going to be tough. Not just the rehab, but also having to sit back and watch my teammates win the conference championship and the Liberty Bowl,'' Harvey said, shaking his head at the memories. ``It was kind of sad not being out there with my teammates, but I had to pay my dues. Most importantly I'm back on the field again and trying to get all the way back.''
Harvey is back with a bulky brace and a slight hitch in his step now, but his return is an inspiration to his teammates because of his low-key, workman-like attitude. He's currently running with the second unit behind Murray, but the two of them spend plenty of time talking running, blocking and returning from knee injuries. Because of what they've been through their friendship is tighter than ever.
``It was unfortunate when he went down last year. I knew having just come back from my knee injury what that was like and I was trying to just be encouraging to him,'' Murray said. ``I tried to tell him that it would get better, but it would take time. I tried to show him that if he worked hard that he would get himself back to where he was before.''
Murray and Harvey now have visions of hopefully playing together next season in a two-back set that should give C-USA defensive coordinators nightmares all offseason. UCF offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe has yet to tinker with getting the two backs on the field together next season, but they think it's just a matter of time because of the possibilities it would present for a UCF offense looking for more home run plays.
With Murray at 221 pounds and Harvey at 206 pounds, both have the toughness and bulk to be blockers for one another. And Murray, who ran for a touchdown and caught another in the C-USA title game, has made tremendous strides this spring in being able to catch the ball out of the backfield.
``We haven't really talked about (two-back sets) yet, but I feel like we're putting in the work and showing what we can do to make that an option,'' Harvey said. ``I've got a feeling there will come a point where it will come to try and get us both on the field together.''
Added Murray: ``I'm sure some time down the road that it'll be brought up. I'd love that because we could be really good together.''
For now though, the mission is to get Harvey back to his 2009 form. UCF head coach George O'Leary has been anxious to analyze all of Harvey's carries this spring to see if there's a mental hurdle that the back has to clear and whether or not he is still favoring his rehabilitated knee.
``I really want to see where Brynn is coming back off the injury. Is he coming back where he left before the injury or is he going to need some polishing up?'' O'Leary said. ``He's healthy and 100-percent, but he hasn't been hit yet. He's going to need to get a bunch of reps because he missed a whole year.''
Harvey is the first to admit that he's far from being back to where he was two seasons ago. More than a couple of times this spring he's thought back to last spring when a simple dive play to the left turned into ``no pain like I've ever felt before; I knew something was wrong.'' But with plenty of hard work and the inspiration provided by Murray's successful return, Harvey is confident that he can be a workhorse back for the Knights again.
``The play I got hurt on last spring was a dive play to the left and every time that I run to the left now, I'm thinking, `Back at this again; don't let it happen to my knee again,''' Harvey said half-jokingly. ``I'm just trying to keep my feet moving and avoid getting hurt again. ... It's not where I want it to be yet, but it's almost back. I'm working hard to try and get back to that same feeling that I had a couple of years ago. I'm still going to rehab and do all of the little things that it takes to come back from a knee injury like this.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.