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DeMyron Martin back sooner than expected

DeMyron Martin, SMU’s first-team running back, will play Saturday at UT-El Paso.
Martin wasn’t expected to return from the dislocated bone and small fracture in his right foot that he suffered against North Texas on Sept. 9 until next week.

“He came to us on Monday, and said ‘I want to play,’” said coach Phil Bennett, who had said Martin wouldn't play against UTEP.

Martin didn't practice Tuesday, but he got a handful of carries Wednesday and more Thursday before leaving early because of a class conflict.

“He looked good, no pain,” Bennett said. "There's a reason he's our first-team back."
Martin’s return means SMU has all of its running backs available. Johnnie Fitzgerald and Fred Turner were healthy enough to play last week at Tulane, though Bennett chose not to use them.

Martin, a sophomore, was SMU’s leading rusher last season, gaining 854 yards and scoring seven touchdowns.
He is not expected to start Saturday, and the amount of carries he gets will depend on how he feels.

I doubt he's back at 100% but I'm pretty sure that the Training Staff knows best and knows how well Martin has progressed since his injury.

I'm also pretty sure it's a Bennett mind game too. Bennett has known about this all week, and let's it out on the day before the game? UTEP coaches will be very busy adjusting defensive packages for Martin. At the very worst, he could be a good decoy. UTEP coaches know he is not 100%, but the guessing will begin!
GO MUSTANGS!!!

One doesn't see this as a major issue for UTEP. We have had a successful running attack with multiple backs. Martin has been limited this season and not overwhelming in his limited appearances. Yes, he was strong last year but UTEP has to prepare for this year. Our major weapon on offense has been our passing attack and Willis' ability to make things happen. One would expect UTEP to continue its current defensive plan. Now if Martin is really back, and strong, it could make a difference in the tempo of the game and take some pressure off Willis. We will know in the first quarter how things will shake out.

Hopefully if Martin is back and strong, we can line up with 2 tight ends on the 2 yard line rather than 4 wide receivers, and try to run it in.

Martin looked very good against UNT for the 1 quarter he got to play. He was our leading rusher and running at will on that d-fense until his foot gave out.

Lets just hope he isn't rushing back and goign to end up down again for a long time.

In reading the medical hardship rules, Martin can play in 3 games as long as they are in the first half of the season (6th game is in the first half) and if the injury occured in the first 3 games (it occured in the 2nd game) he could receive a medical hardship. Thus, using him in this game will either show us that he is ready to come back for the rest of the year and contribute, or he should sit out the rest of the year and take a medical hardship. If they waited until next week for him to come back and he was not fully healed and reinjured, he would no longer be eligible for the hardship since he would have played in the 2nd half of the season. This seems to be a very smart move by SMU in determining the remainder of his year. Hopefully is is healed enough to contribute the rest of the way.

That fits what I was told by a coach.

One, I hope that he is fully healed and he helps us Beat UTEP.

Two, If he is not well, get that Red Shirt on.

mrydel wrote:In reading the medical hardship rules, Martin can play in 3 games as long as they are in the first half of the season (6th game is in the first half) and if the injury occured in the first 3 games (it occured in the 2nd game) he could receive a medical hardship. Thus, using him in this game will either show us that he is ready to come back for the rest of the year and contribute, or he should sit out the rest of the year and take a medical hardship. If they waited until next week for him to come back and he was not fully healed and reinjured, he would no longer be eligible for the hardship since he would have played in the 2nd half of the season. This seems to be a very smart move by SMU in determining the remainder of his year. Hopefully is is healed enough to contribute the rest of the way.

I don't think you can get a medical hardship after you take a redshirt year, ordinarily.

Yes you can. First the above situation needs to happen and then you petition the NCAA for it.

SMU has received them in the past but it is not a guarantee.

GoRedGoBlue wrote:

mrydel wrote:In reading the medical hardship rules, Martin can play in 3 games as long as they are in the first half of the season (6th game is in the first half) and if the injury occured in the first 3 games (it occured in the 2nd game) he could receive a medical hardship. Thus, using him in this game will either show us that he is ready to come back for the rest of the year and contribute, or he should sit out the rest of the year and take a medical hardship. If they waited until next week for him to come back and he was not fully healed and reinjured, he would no longer be eligible for the hardship since he would have played in the 2nd half of the season. This seems to be a very smart move by SMU in determining the remainder of his year. Hopefully is is healed enough to contribute the rest of the way.

I don't think you can get a medical hardship after you take a redshirt year, ordinarily.

A medical hardship is a medical hardship no matter what. It does not relate to a redshirt.

from today's blog:

There seems to be some debate about this as some suggest we should be redshirting Martin. I disagree. Completely. If Demyron Martin can play without risking injury, he needs to play. DeMyron Martin is SMU's best back. Against Tulane, SMU had 98 rushing yards on 38 carries; QB Justin Willis accounted for 2/3 of that. SMU has scored only one rushing touchdown with a running back.

I will remind that there are seven games left. Four of those seven are at home. As it stands now, SMU will be favored in three of them (Marshall, UAB and Rice). SMU is 1-0 in conference. After this week, four of the next six will be at home. No matter what happens Saturday, SMU will be no worse than .500. If SMU were 0-5 instead of 3-2, I might agree. However, SMU is absolutely in this thing. Martin is the best back=Martin plays.

GoRedGoBlue wrote:I don't think you can get a medical hardship after you take a redshirt year, ordinarily.

Ramon Flanigan

If you're Coach Bennett, why do you even announce this information now?

If I was in his place, and I thought I might be getting back my top RB, I'd be inclined to close practices to the media, instruct the assistants and players not to say a thing to anyone -- and then spring Martin on UTEP unannounced. I know that doesn't fly in the NFL, where coaches are required to reveal injury information (for the gamblers). But there's no such rule in college, is there? So why would you announce this at all? I daresay that if UTEP is preparing for Dorsey and Mapps and Fitzgerald and Turner and then looks up and sees Martin coming .... that would be a major adjustment from what they prepared for.

Whatever -- glad No. 8 is back!

The common mistake, and I make it as often as anyone, is the misreference to the situation as a "medical redshirt". A redshirt is burned with one play in a game. It can not be restored. A medical hardship is allowed within the guidelines I listed above. Two completly different animals that all too often are thought to be under the same rules.