How Gainwell became new star
When he did what no other Memphis running back before him had done, when he became the first NCAA college football player since 1997 to eclipse 200 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing in a single game, when he crossed the goal line for a third time Saturday night, Kenneth Gainwell didn't celebrate because he just made history.
He celebrated like he does after every touchdown he scores.
“I think back to when my brother was in the hospital. He had a stroke,” Gainwell said. “Those moments, it just all comes out of me. That emotion, it just all comes out of me at one time.”
Gainwell let this slip after the Tigers' win over Tulane on Saturday, once he cemented his status as Memphis football's newest star running back.
Which is, before we go any further, the overarching story surrounding this one.
The Tigers had the nation's second-leading rusher (Darrell Henderson), another NFL bound tailback (Tony Pollard) and a potential NFL
Inside, 2B
Memphis coach Mike Norvell talked about the health of senior running back Patrick Taylor. Norvell said Taylor has a "real option" to return Saturday. draft pick (Patrick Taylor) all in one backfield last year, while a player who this year is second in the country in all-purpose yards even though he doesn't return kicks and punts (Gainwell) took a redshirt year. It's preposterous to consider now, and proof of what coach Mike Norvell's offense has become at Memphis.
But this comment, during a postgame press conference, was the first real glimpse Gainwell had allowed into how and why this is happening for him this season.
'They always think about their brother'
So why is a 5-foot-11, 191-pound redshirt freshman from Yazoo City, Mississippi, who picked Memphis over Ole Miss, putting together a season for the record books?
The answer begins with Curtis Gainwell Jr. because he wanted to play college football, too.
When he enrolled at Southern Miss on an academic scholarship for the 2013-14 school year, he tried to walk on to the football team. But those plans ended while lifting weights on Sept. 3, 2013.
The doctor said “he had a bleed to the brain,” Curtis Gainwell Sr. said.
It was a major stroke that eventually required four brain surgeries. It took away mobility in Gainwell Jr.'s right hand. It took away his ability to play sports anymore.
Kenneth Gainwell was in the eighth grade when it all happened, when he realized football dreams can be taken away for inexplicable reasons, just like that.
He and his younger brother, Kory, who's a senior at Yazoo County High School this year, “kind of put that on their shoulders,” Curtis Gainwell Sr. said, “like when they play ball, they always think about their brother.”
“Every time he steps out on the field or at practice, that's why he says he practices and plays so hard,” Yazoo County football coach Robert Dobbs said. “He realizes everybody don't always get that opportunity.”
'Memphis is the place I need to be'
So how did Gainwell end up here? The answer helps explain why he's so
out with their defense. Offensively, veteran forward Solomon Hill hit one of the day's few home runs, Jenkins said.
"There were a lot of surprises out there," Jenkins said.
There were some laughs, too, especially around the play of some of the team's international players.
"It was a lot of fun, actually," Valanciunas said. "That was the first time I played softball, actually. So I was pretty terrible.”
Jenkins implemented a no sliding rule to prevent any injuries. Valanciunas, who is recovering from a sore foot, played in the game, as did Melton.
The game did not spark any twosport dreams for the Grizzlies.
"I'm not very good at catching the ball," rookie forward Brandon Clarke said. "It was still fun, though, bonding with the coaches and my teammates.”
Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Davidwcobb.