To Towson University football fans he is known as Darius Victor. But to his teammates, coaches and friends he is known simply as Vito. The junior running back from Hyattsville, Maryland has made a tremendous impact since he stepped foot on the Towson campus three years ago. I remember other players and coaches saying "wait till you see this freshman running back". The first thought was "how is he going to play with Terrance West here?" My second thought was about the rumors that were flying that if West has another stellar year, he will forego his senior season and make himself eligible for the NFL draft. Coach Ambrose will probably redshirt this talented freshman.

Well, Victor was injured in training camp, and was not ready to go when the season started. Now you figure the Tigers will really redshirt him. That didn't happen. After missing the first two games of the 2013 season, Darius Victor made his debut against North Carolina Central. This was the first time we would see what all the fuss was about. He didn't make anyone wait to see. All he did was rush six times for 45 yards, score two touchdowns and get named CAA Rookie of the Week.

That 2013 season was a magical one that we will all remember. The Tigers made it all the way to the FCS Championship Game and finished 13-3. Darius provided a great alternative to Terrance West, as he rushed 98 times for 629 yards and 7 touchdowns. Look at those numbers again. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry. What makes it even more impressive is that his longest run was only 31 yards.

So going into 2014, West was gone to the Cleveland Browns and Vito was now the man in the backfield. Boy did he take advantage. He set a school record for a sophomore by rushing for 1305 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He did all this even though defenses were putting 8 and 9 men in the box because they knew the Tigers were relying on Darius to carry the offense. In the Tigers 12 games last year, Victor ran for over 100 yards 8 times and over 150 yards 3 times. So after being names CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, he followed it up as a first team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection and was 19^th in the nation in rushing yards per game. But he thinks the best is yet to come.

When talking with Vito last week, the first thing he told me was "there is such a better vibe in the locker room than last year. Our practices are better and our off-season was better." Darius knows better than anyone that if his offensive line isn't working, he isn't going to accumulate the yardage needed to make the Tiger offense go. So far, he is excited by what he sees. "First off we are healthy and last year we weren't. I feel like if we stay healthy on the offensive line, and we will, those guys up front will do a great job."

This year, Marquel Dickerson will fill the role that Victor did in 2013: spelling the number one running back. Darius loves the fact that Dickerson is there with him. " We feed off of each other, if I'm running well he is right there telling me to keep it going, and when he is going well, I love to watch him run. He is a great kid and a great talent and I love that he is here with me. I don't want to let him down, and he doesn't want to let me down."

The Tigers offensive line was battered last year. As coach Ambrose likes to say, by the end of the season he was looking into the stands to see if he could find anyone healthy that could play. Another area where the Tigers were hurt by injuries was fullback. The fullback is very important in this Towson offense and Victor is excited that everyone is back and healthy. " Having everyone back is gonna make a huge difference to how our offense does. I'm really excited by what they are doing."

If Darius Victor continues to improve on the impressive things he has done his first two years, Tiger fans are going to be seeing a lot of exciting things out of this young man.

My final question to Vito, is one I have been wanting to ask him for two years. If you go back to the Tigers national championship game against North Dakota State, the game was tied 7-7 and Towson was driving midway through the second quarter. On second down, the Tigers went off tackle left giving the ball to Victor. There was nothing but open space in front of him. But the field at Frisco stadium was a disaster. As Darius cut, his foot gave out on the awful turf and he fell. I asked him if he ever thought back to that play that could have changed everything. " Yeah I have nightmares about that play and that game. That turf wasn't the best. But our goal is to get back to that game and do better than we did the first time." From your lips to God's ears Vito!
Until next week, GO TIGERS!!!