![]() Henry’s hometown was even smaller back then, though, closer in size and appearance to a little country town - semi-rural, perhaps - than it was a branch of any big city.Īs is often the case on Friday nights in the nation’s smaller nooks and crannies, the football stadium served as an autumn epicenter. Some describe Yulee these days as a pseudo-suburban mix, a growing bedroom community for Jacksonville. ![]() In carving out a huge state and national reputation, Henry turned around the school’s so-so football program, which hadn’t produced a winning record in at least three seasons before he set foot on campus.īut Henry also elevated the profile of Yulee, a small community - technically known as a census county division - with a current population of less than 29,000, located about a half-hour north of Jacksonville and about a half-hour south of the Georgia state line. “Then they’d just say, ‘My God.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, this is one of those times where the hype is really legit.’” “They’d come up to me after the game and say, ‘We’re Alabama fans and we just wanted to check (Henry) out,’” Ramsay said. Henry had long been rumored to be headed to Alabama, so Yulee’s crowds sometimes featured a couple dozen road-tripping Crimson Tide fans on hand to see if all the buildup could possibly be real. He had one of the greatest work ethics I’ve ever seen, especially as far as never letting it go to his head how good he was.” I was like, ‘Whatever.’ That’s just kind of who he is.”Īdded Taylor Foote, a former teammate at Yulee: “He worked out probably harder than anyone else on our team. We tried to give him a day off once in his senior season, and then all of a sudden, we’re about halfway through practice and he’s out there taking reps. “He never missed one practice in four years,” said Bobby Ramsay, Henry’s former head coach at Yulee. But he was also aided by his passion to improve, a trait that would follow him into college at Alabama and his career with the Titans. Henry’s incredible athletic skills - the big man was timed at under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash - made him nearly unstoppable on the high school level. That’s what happens when you show up for your first freshman football practice at about 6-2 and 215 pounds, then proceed to bulldoze opponents for more than 2,000 rushing yards in each of your first three seasons. The legend of Henry was already firmly established, of course, by the time his senior season rolled around. It was just extraordinary.” The hype is legit “People recognized they were watching history, that really, there was no guarantee they’d ever see someone run for 500 yards again. “I’ve seen some great games, games that ended in 74-73, state championships, but I’ve never had an atmosphere quite like that,” Freeman said. At the same time, stopping the run wasn’t Jackson’s forte, a weakness that Henry - who stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 240 pounds as a senior - looked primed to expose.Īll the ingredients were there for an unforgettable night, one that would eventually see Henry smash his way to a staggering state rushing record - 502 yards in a single contest, gained on 48 carries. That, in turn, meant Henry was unlikely to be pulled early from the contest. Jackson featured a talented offense, which meant the game was likely to stay competitive. 21 game against rival Andrew Jackson High seemed to hold real potential for Henry - the future Titans second-round pick - and his Hornets teammates. On the defensive side of the ball, they rank 24th, giving up 5.7 yards per play.But this Sept. The Titans are putting up 5.4 yards per play on offense, which ranks them 16th in the NFL.The Titans are totaling 106.4 rushing yards per game on offense (16th in the NFL), and they rank 16th defensively with 110.6 rushing yards allowed per game.The Titans are totaling 185.2 passing yards per game offensively this season (26th in NFL), and they are surrendering 227.4 passing yards per game (17th) on the defensive side of the ball.The Jaguars have the NFL’s 30th-ranked pass defense this season, allowing 266.8 yards per game through the air.In terms of defending against the run, the Jaguars are fifth in the league, giving up 86.4 yards per game.He has found paydirt on the ground in four games this year.īet on Derrick Henry and other players at BetMGM.Henry has hit his rushing yards over in three of six opportunities (50.0% of his opportunities).Henry rushes for 0.4 fewer yards per game this season than his average rushing yards prop bet (69.8 yards).He has totaled more than 54.5 rushing yards in six games this season (66.7% of his total appearances).Henry rushes for 69.4 yards per game this season, which outpaces Sunday’s over/under of 54.5 yards.For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. National Football League odds courtesy of BetMGM.
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