Najeh Davenport

DAVENPORT’S CAREER BESTS:

Rushing
Carries – 13 (vs. Ohio State, 1999; at Rutgers, 2000)
Yards – 92 (vs. East Tennessee State, 1998; at Cincinnati, 1998)
TD – 2 (vs. East Tennessee State, 1998; vs. Boston College, 1998)
Long- 66 (at Cincinnati, 1998)
Receiving
Receptions – 4 (vs. Florida State, 2000)
Yards – 60 (vs. Florida State, 2000)
TD – 1 (vs. Florida State, 2000)
Long- 32 (at Pittsburgh, 2001)

2001 (SENIOR): An outstanding triple-threat at fullback who provided Miami with one of college football’s finest “big backs”…possessed a startling combination of size and speed…was a consistent threat as a receiver throughout his career…developed into a devastating blocker in his senior season…rushed 23 times for 54 yards and three touchdowns in 2001…averaged 13.6 yards per reception in 2001, catching 14 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns…one of the team’s most respected leaders, he earned the team’s Unsung Hero Award this season in recognition of his sacrifices and willingness to put team success ahead of individual goals…widely regarded as one of college football’s most versatile running backs…caught a 28-yard touchdown pass in Miami’s season-opening 33-7 win at Penn State…had three receptions for 60 yards, including a season-long 32-yard catch, in the 43-22 win at Pittsburgh…had two catches for 20 yards in a 45-3 win over West Virginia…caught two passes for 24 yards in the 18-9 win at Boston College…had two catches for 33 yards and one touchdown in the 65-7 win over Washington…caught two passes for 18 yards in the 26-24 win over Virginia Tech…scored rushing touchdowns against Rutgers, Syracuse and Washington…was a key lead blocker for tailback Clinton Portis, who rushed for 1,200 yards this season…also provided excellent protection as a blocker for quarterback Ken Dorsey, helping the Miami offense average 250.2 yards passing per game…missed the Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska after suffering a break of the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during a pre-Christmas practice…overcame several injuries in his career…gave the Hurricanes’ offensive backfield another dimension with his combination of size and power… stout performer in the weight room with a 325-pound bench and 305-pound clean…timed at 4.39 in the 40 with a vertical leap of 33 inches.

2000 (JUNIOR): Recipient of Miami’s Jessie Armstead Comeback Player of the Year Award after recovering from a knee injury to return to a prominent role on the team…rushed for 308 yards and four touchdowns while rotating between tailback and fullback for most of the season…averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 10 games…his four rushing TDs ranked second on the team and he was a major factor in the resurgence of the Miami rushing attack over the season’s final eight games…showed versatility as a receiver out of the backfield with 15 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown…ranked fourth on the team in receptions…revived the Miami offense in the Washington game with strong running in the second quarter as the Hurricanes came back from a big early deficit…rushed for 55 yards on just eight carries, scoring one touchdown, in the defeat at Washington…rushed for 75 yards on 13 carries and caught three passes for 27 yards in Miami’s 64-6 rout of Rutgers…caught a 22-yard touchdown pass to get Miami on the board in the 27-24 victory over top-ranked Florida State…was a devastating receiver against FSU, catching four passes for 60 yards against the Seminoles…rushed for 57 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown at Temple…added a rushing touchdown and four receptions for 32 yards against Louisiana Tech…bolted 50 yards for a touchdown in UM’s 41-21 rout of then-No. 2 ranked Virginia Tech…his TD run gave Miami an insurmountable 28-0 lead over the Hokies in the third quarter…rushed six times for 17 yards and a touchdown, in addition to catching one pass for a two-yard score, in Miami’s 37-20 win over Florida in the Nokia Sugar Bowl…Davenport’s amazing touchdown catch in the Sugar Bowl made national headlines.

1999 (SOPHOMORE): Played in the Kickoff Classic at The Meadowlands in New Jersey against Ohio State…suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the game after carrying the ball 13 times for 81 yards…missed the remainder of the season recovering from the injury…returned to action for preseason workouts prior to the 2000 season.

1998 (FRESHMAN): Rushed for 387 yards and six touchdowns on the season…rushing total ranked ninth on UM’s all-time freshman list…became the third Hurricane freshman in as many years to crack the top 10 list, joining Edgerrin James and James Jackson…averaged 7.0 yards per carry to lead all UM backs…rushed for a career-high 92 yards in successive games vs. East Tennessee State and Cincinnati to start the season…had 11 rushes of 10 yards or better on the season…broke off a career-long 66-yard run at Cincinnati to set up Miami’s final touchdown in a 38-12 victory…averaged 11.5 yards per carry in the game and accounted for 114 yards of total offense with a 22-yard reception…rushed for 68 yards on nine carries against UCLA…started the Hurricanes’ comeback from a 17-point second-half deficit vs. the Bruins with a 23-yard touchdown scamper to pull UM to within 38-28 with 18 seconds left in the third-quarter…had multiple touchdown games against ETSU and Boston College…saw action in 10 games…did not play in the 27-20 overtime loss to Virginia Tech…set a BIG EAST record with 208 kickoff return yards on seven returns at Syracuse…averaged 26.6 yards per return, returning 12 kickoffs for 319 yards.

1997 (REDSHIRT): Worked with the UM scout team.

HIGH SCHOOL: Central…rushed for 1,098 yards and 15 touchdowns in just five games his senior year…Miami Herald All-Dade selection…preseason Reebok All-American…rushed for 200 yards or more four times his senior season…played in prestigious Florida-Georgia All-Star game…tallied 622 yards and seven touchdowns on 100 carries his junior year…selected to All-Dade County track team…named Butch Davis football camp MVP…coached by Roger Coffey.

PERSONAL: Born 2/8/79…graduated with a degree in theatre in May, 2001…currently attending graduate school at UM…full name is Najeh Trenadious Monte Davenport…chose Miami over Florida State and Florida…son of Carolyn Howard.

DAVENPORT’S CAREER STATISTICS