When freshman Mike Demps fielded Josh Brown's kickoff six yards deep into the end zone in second-quarter action Saturday, most fans probably thought he would take a knee.
Demps said he even thought about downing the ball. Then his instincts took over, and he scored 100 yards later for the Red's first touchdown of the annual Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium.
"I got the ball and turned around and there was a nice wedge," said Demps, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound speedster from Fort Worth, Texas.
"Nobody broke through the wedge so I figured I would take a chance. I was kind of hungry for a kickoff return. I've been praying for that return all week."
Once Demps decided to bring the ball out, it didn't take him long to show off his skills. He made a couple guys miss, then turned on the after burners to put some distance between him and the pursuers and coasted into the end zone from 40 yards out.
What made Demps' return extraordinary was that his left hamstring was about 65 percent and he favored it noticeably. During the run, he said his hamstring starting balling up like it was going to pull, so he shut his speed down at the 40-yard line and coasted in.
Defensive Backs Coach George Darlington, who also works with the special teams, said he has been impressed with Demps' ability this spring.
"Demps, if he can get healthy and get strength in his leg, has a chance to be an impact player," Darlington said. "Right now it's hard to say that when he ran the ball back for a touchdown. He's nowhere near where we think he will be if he can strengthen his bad leg."
During the regular season, Demps said he probably wouldn't have taken the ball out of the end zone, but before the Spring Game, NU coaches told the kick returners to take some chances they normally wouldn't take to try to get some big plays.
With top return man Joe Walker still recovering from knee surgery and Kenny Cheatham having graduated, the coaches used the spring to try to find someone to go in place of Walker.
Demps, freshman DeJuan Groce and sophomore Keyou Craver all have seen action returning kickoffs and punts. Prior to the spring, none had done that in games. Craver said the inexperience was evident Saturday with all the bobbles and fumbles.
"I think our special teams will be a big threat," said Craver, who had three kickoff returns for 67 yards and two punt returns for 37 yards. "We have a lot of athletic players. We feel whenever we have the ball in our hands big things could happen. That's the attitude you have to have."
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