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Plant's Murray Focused On Returning To Field

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By KATHERINE SMITH

ksmith@tampatrib.com

Published: October 18, 2008

Updated: 10/18/2008 12:11 am

TAMPA - Aaron Murray is used to hearing the roar of a crowd. Friday morning, he heard it from his teammates.

Just before the team began film review of Thursday night's victory against Hillsborough, the Plant quarterback, broken leg and all, ambled into the locker room on crutches, surprising his teammates with his appearance.

"There were about 20 guys in the locker room at the time, and when Aaron came in, everyone started applauding," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "That was a pretty cool deal."

Barely 12 hours after he broke his left leg and dislocated his ankle, which likely has ended his senior season, Murray went about his business as usual. Just as he has the past two seasons, Murray grabbed a seat front and center while Weiner broke down the Hillsborough game film.

When the play Murray was injured on appeared on the screen, the room grew ominously quiet. Near the end of the second quarter, Murray completed a 10-yard pass when he was tackled cleanly by Hillsborough's Victor Bynum, causing a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula. Weiner quickly fast forwarded to the next play, when backup quarterback Phillip Ely took over.

"We knew it was coming, and we knew where it was on the film," fellow team captain Austin Clark said. "It just stinks because that guy is our leader and the best football player I've seen. To see him go down like that, it just stinks."

Murray is not the only one healing. His team needed to heal, too, and that's why Weiner began the film study with a speech about the importance of staying focused.

Murray will have surgery next week, either Wednesday or Thursday, he said. He will have screws and a plate inserted to hold the bone in place. Only then will doctors know the extent of the damage, including any ligament damage.

Ever the competitor, just after he was carted off the field with his left leg in an air cast, Murray was adamant about returning to the game.

"When I was getting carted off, I was thinking I'll be back in the second half," he said. "But when I got to the locker room, the doctor started messing with it and it kept clicking in and out and I knew that was not good."

Before the injury, Murray had thrown for three touchdowns and rushed for another, a pretty typical night. Already this season, he had set a state record for most passing yards in a half (385) and tied a state record for most passing touchdowns in a half (8). Last season, his first as a full-time starter, he set a state record with 51 passing touchdowns.

Now he will spend his time preparing Ely and doing all he can to get back on the field.

"I'll keep praying we get far in the playoffs, because I will be back in six to eight weeks," said Murray, who has committed to the University of Georgia. "I recover fast, so hopefully God blesses me and I can recover fast with this one. I'm just going to keep praying."

In the meantime, his team is figuring out a way to move on. Weiner told the players he felt like he'd been hit by a freight train, but reiterated there's a lot of season left.

"There's still a tremendous story to be told about this football team," Weiner said. "Some of the pages are blank, but we still have a great story to tell."

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860.

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