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http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/print_story.php?story_id=128374908484384800
Portland State football teammates have given running back Cory McCaffrey the nickname "The Great White Hope."
"I guess it's probably because you don't see too many white running backs at the college level," McCaffrey says of the moniker first given to boxer James Jeffries when he fought African-American heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in 1910. "I guess that's the little joke."
The country almost did not get to see McCaffrey at running back, either.
At Sisters High, McCaffrey was the most prolific runner in Oregon high school history. Over three seasons, he rushed for 8,460 yards. The total broke the state record by more than 3,000 yards. His senior year, McCaffrey rushed for a single-season state record 2,925 yards and 46 six touchdowns.
"In high school, there was a lot of hype with the records," McCaffrey says.
That hype meant very little when it came to scholarship offers from big schools. It did not mean much at Portland State, either.
Once he got to PSU, McCaffrey was promptly moved to slot receiver in the run-and-shoot offense. As a true freshman in 2008, he played in five games, catching two passes. As a sophomore, he again played in only five games. That season he caught one pass.
Clearly, being in the slot did not utilize the gifts McCaffrey had showcased in high school.
"I have an ability to see the field in ways that other people might not be able to," McCaffrey says. "I don't know if I'm more athletic per se than this person or that person. But I just have a certain vision that enables me to see things differently."
After Nigel Burton replaced Jerry Glanville as PSU head coach before the 2010 season, the Vikings moved McCaffrey back to tailback. The team was loaded at receiver and thin at running back. The coaching staff also recognized what McCaffrey could bring to the table in the backfield.
"Really, it was a numbers issue in the spring," Burton says, "and we knew that (running back) was what he wanted to do and we knew that was a position we needed. He's the kind of back who can provide a home run. That's what we wanted in this offense. It was a great fit, and it was a win-win.
Another factor in Burton's decision was that the Vikings would not completely lose McCaffrey as a target on pass plays. Burton pointed to McCaffrey's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as one of the 5-9, 180 pound junior's strengths.
McCaffrey could not have been happier to make the switch. He also could not have made a quicker adjustment, both physically and mentally.
"I love it," he says. "Being back in the backfield feels natural and normal. It comes easier for me. It took me two plays until I was like, ‘OK, this is what I'm used to doing.' There was no adjustment at all."
Starting quarterback Connor Kavanaugh believes McCaffrey's rushing will provide a boost to the Portland State passing game.
"When you've got a good run game, it definitely helps your passing game," Kavanaugh says.
The run game was lacking in the Vikings' 54-9 opening-night loss at Arizona State on Saturday, as the Pac-10 foe won the battle in the trenches. While Kavanaugh was able to pass for 146 yards, the Vikings put up only 54 yards on the ground. McCaffrey was held to 12 yards on 11 carries.
Calling it a disappointing performance for McCaffrey would be an understatement.
"Everyone was expecting a lot more," he says. "We were expecting to surprise people."
McCaffrey also hoped to show some NCAA Division I schools that he was worth the scholarship they did not offer him.
"Especially in the games against (Division I teams), it's kind of a chance to prove to the bigger schools what they missed out on," he says.
McCaffrey will have another big-time opportunity in two weeks, when the Vikings travel to Eugene to face an Oregon Ducks team that blew out New Mexico 72-0 on Saturday.
Despite the slow start against Arizona State, the Vikings are still confident in McCaffrey's potential as PSU prepares to play at UC Davis at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Both Burton and Kavanaugh use the same maxim when they talk about McCaffrey: "The sky is the limit."
"I've never been around a running back who has the kind of vision and the kind of 'quicks' he has," Kavanaugh says. "The guy is unreal. He's a competitor and an awesome athlete, and he's smart."
During his remaining two seasons at Portland State, one question will face McCaffrey nearly every day: Can he be as good at running back in college as he was in high school?
He sits with the question for several moments.
"I may be able to do that in a different way," he says. "With (Portland State), it's going to be more of a team collaboration thing. The level of competition in college is so different. There's really just no way to say."
