“Jimmy is, to us, one of the heartbeats of this team,” said fellow running back DeeJay Dallas, who scored the game’s first three touchdowns. “That’s my boy and I love him. I told him he was going to get one and he did.”
Said quarterback Jarren Williams, who threw three touchdowns of his own: “He’s an inspiration to all of us. He’s a guy that’s very selfless. He’s all about the team, and he comes out there and he gives his all every day, no matter what the circumstances are. He can have a broken hand, he’s still going to go 120 percent. That guy, he’s just a big part of this team. He gets us all going. So we love Jimmy. We got a lot of love for Jimmy Murphy.”
The Hurricanes gladly accepted an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from the excessive celebration – and potential punishment that comes with it – to take in the moment with Murphy.
“A guy like Jimmy, he deserves it,” said senior defensive tackle Pat Bethel. “I’ll run a gasser for him.”
Better yet, Diaz said that might not be the last we see from Murphy.
“That will not be the last touchdown that he scores this year,” he said.