DUNN ALL THAT; PORTLAND STATE BACK PROVES HE CAN CARRY THE LOAD.Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer Charles Dunn smiles at his Portland State teammates in the huddle, counting these as his favorite moments. When the Vikings are winning and he gets the call to run the ball again, there's nothing better. This weekend, Dunn might find something else to cause smiles. Although just a junior, the Muir graduate has 4,044 yards and needs 135 today against Cal State Northridge to become the team's all-time rusher (he's already fourth all time in the Big Sky Conference). He also needs 313 yards in the final two games to set the school's season rushing record. ``It hasn't hit me yet,'' Dunn said. ``It's kind of neat. It's exciting and shocking to see I'm so close. I've gone out there and played football. Go out and enjoy.'' That's all he ever wanted to do. At Muir, he was a backup to Sean Haslip but excelled on defense and got recruited as a cornerback cor·ner·back also corner back n. Football Either of two defensive halfbacks stationed a short distance behind the linebackers and relatively near the sidelines. Noun 1. . He wanted to run, but schools were skeptical because he was 5-foot-8. Portland State took a chance and is glad it did. Behind Dunn, the Vikings are ranked 17th in the ESPN/USA Today Division I-AA poll. ``Probably his best attribute is he hits the holes extremely hard,'' running backs coach Brian Harris Brian Harris may refer to:
(2) A shortcut for identifying a recipient in an e-mail address book. ) knows his line, so he knows where the hole's going to be.'' Dunn is coming off consecutive 213-yard weeks. In the past three games, he has 96 rushes for 611 yards. Often, he has less than 70 yards rushing in the first half before coming on as the opposing defense tires. The Vikings are second in the Big Sky and have beaten first-place Montana. A victory today pulls Portland State into a first-place tie. ``His work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work is unmatched,'' said Harris, who played with Dunn before becoming his coach. ``He's always out there working hard. He does all the right things. He's always working hard. He's a good example for the young guys coming in. He didn't get there on talent.'' No, Dunn gets there on effort as well as inner motivation. He said he remembers the players who get hurt, like Denver's Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis (born October 28, 1972 in San Diego, California) is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. , who don't have the opportunity to play. Perhaps that's whyDunn has played a bad shoulder, which he says is improving after he bruised bruise v. bruised, bruis·ing, bruis·es v.tr. 1. a. To injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of (part of the body) without breaking the skin, as by a blow. b. a joint when a lineman Lineman or linesman may refer to:
``He gets a lot of attention around the league and it's well deserved,'' Harris said. ``He knows he's good and wants to be better.'' LOCAL WATCH Area players facing area teams this week: Charles Dunn, RB, Portland State (Muir) Brian Montesanto, DL, Arizona Arizona (âr'əzō`nə), state in the southwestern United States. It is bordered by Utah (N), New Mexico (E), Mexico (S), and, across the Colorado R., Nevada and California (W). State (Royal) CAPTION(S): photo, box PHOTO Portland State's Charles Dunncould become the school's all-time leading rusher with 135 yards today against CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge . Courtesy of Portland State BOX: Local Watch (see text) |
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