University Star

Fireworks lit up the night sky and the spotlights shined brighter than ever over Texas State’s first FBS game, but one player notably did not record a rush, yard, catch or touchdown on the stat sheet.

Marcus Curry, senior running back, leads the team with 131 yards Sept. 1 against the University of Houston.

Senior running back Marcus Curry, who had all of Texas State’s touchdowns in their Houston win, was sidelined. Curry missed the Tech game with a strained quad, adding to the laundry list of injuries that have piled up on Curry over his college-playing years.

“It almost broke my heart,” Curry said. “When it first happened, it got to me, but I just had to keep my head up, keep working and do everything I could to get back. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I will be ready for the next game though.”

Injuries have plagued Curry during his time at the United States Naval Academy and Texas State. While at Navy, it was an Achilles that bothered him. A knee injury kept him on the sidelines after transferring to Texas State. Curry made his debut for the Bobcats last season as a redshirt junior.

The current senior split time with sophomore running back Terrence Franks en route to 756 all-purpose yards with four touchdowns.

“(Injuries) have helped with my mental toughness,” Curry said. “Once you are knocked down, you have to fight hard to get back into it. Just to keep striving, never give up and never defeat yourself. It’s the sport—it’s football. It’s not a soft sport.”

Coach Dennis Franchione knows he has the potential for bigger and better things.

“(Curry) could be a complete back,” Franchione said. “It’s easy to see that he can run with the football. Obviously (NFL Scouts) look at more than whether you can carry a football. They look at how the back can block, fake, catch balls, pick up a linebacker on a blitz. He has to do all of those things.”

Curry never had the opportunity to be the feature back in Navy’s triple option formations, where he was the third option from the wing position. Coupled with non-military aspirations and an NFL dream, Curry was convinced to come to San Marcos.

“I could’ve completed my time (at Navy),” Curry said. “I just did not see myself being in the military. I knew that if I went that route, my chances of playing in the NFL were pretty much zero. So, I figured if I left Navy, I could go somewhere else to have an opportunity to live out my dream.”

Making the transfer to Texas State was an easy one for Curry, who was a high school teammate with former Bobcat linebacker Bryan Iwuji at Hebron High School. Iwuji told him about the opportunities he would get as a Bobcat.

“It’s been fun,” Curry said regarding the scheme change. “I can actually play running back and not be the second or third option.”

Curry set career highs where he rushed 14 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the week-one upset of Houston. Seventy-three of his yards came on a single rush to the end zone, helping spark his Bobcats to their first FBS win.

One of Curry’s closest teammates, junior safety Xavier Daniels, marvels at the running back’s ability—banged up or not—and how it helps the rest of his team.

“(Curry) and I are pretty cool,” Daniels said. “He’s a really good running back. He just makes the whole defense better prepared. He gives us a really good look—if we can tackle (Curry), we can tackle anybody. There are not too many backs as big and fast as (Curry).”

If football does not work out for Curry, he would like to be a music producer. The soon-to-be graduate has already gotten a head start by creating his own label, Fyyre Productionz.

“In my spare time, I make a lot of music,” Curry said. “That’s what I want to do. I’ve actually had some of my beats played during pre-game. (Making music) is one of my personal goals.”

Curry is expected to be back against Stephen F. Austin this weekend, taking advantage of the Bobcats’ bye week to get healthy. Maybe then, Curry will finally get a chance to play through a majority of a season injury free. The latest knockdown hasn’t ended his fight yet.

Twitter: @jbrewer32