Career Marshawn Lynch

College career

Lynch attended the University of California, Berkeley, and played for the California Golden Bears football team. He majored in social welfare.

As a true freshman in 2004, Lynch was the primary backup to senior J. J. Arrington. Lynch carried the ball 71 times for 628 yards with 8 rushing touchdowns and an additional 147 yards on 19 receptions and 2 receiving touchdowns.

In 2005, Arrington graduated and Lynch became the starting running back. Even though he missed two games due to a hand and finger injury, he still amassed 1,246 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns on 196 carries and an additional 125 yards on 15 receptions. In the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, Lynch ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and was named MVP.

Lynch wore jersey No. 24 his freshman year but switched to No. 10, his high school number. This switch placed him in sequence with his cousins Virdell Larkins (No. 9) and Robert Jordan (No. 11), also teammates at Cal.[5]

In the 2006 preseason, Lynch earned a spot on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award, was named 8th best player in the nation by Sports Illustrated, and earned several preseason All-American accolades. In the spring, he joined the Cal Track & Field team, and he competed in the 60-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 6.98 seconds at the 2006 MPSF Championships.[6]

On July 22, 2006, the Cal football program officially launched the campaign for Lynch to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy with the opening of the website Marshawn10.com, featuring Lynch's highlights from the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons.[7] Lynch was named to the 2006 All Pac-10 team First Team.[8] Lynch not only earned various awards, he also scored the game-winning overtime touchdown against Washington. He later called the run his favorite career highlight, after which Lynch spontaneously drove around the football field in an injury cart, pretending to ghost ride.[9]

Lynch was also named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and an AFCA (Coaches') All-America in 2006.

In his final game for Cal, Lynch ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Texas A&M in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 28, 2006.[citation needed] He shared the Co-Offensive Player of the Game award with teammate, quarterback Nate Longshore.[citation needed]

Lynch had a highly successful career at Cal and holds the school record for most 100-yard rushing games at 17.[10]

On January 2, 2007, Lynch announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.[11]

Career statistics

Lynch at the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl.

Statistics up to date as of December 28, 2006. College statistics from CalBears.com[12][13] and ESPN.com.[14]

Year Team GP-GS Carries Yards Average Long TDs

2004 Cal 12-0 71 628 8.8 70 8

2005 Cal 10-9 196 1,246 6.4 52 10

2006 Cal 13-11 223 1,356 6.1 71 11

Totals 35-20 490 3230 6.6 71 29

Year Team GP-GS Receptions Yards Average Long TDs

2004 Cal 12-0 19 147 7.7 29 2

2005 Cal 10-9 15 125 8.3 25 0

2006 Cal 13-11 34 328 9.6 28 4

Totals 35-20 68 600 8.8 29 6

Year Team GP-GS Returns Yards Average Long TDs

2004 Cal 12-0 15 372 24.8 69 0

2005 Cal 10-9 13 271 20.8 34 0

2006 Cal 13-11 5 101 20.2 27 0

Totals 35-20 33 744 22.5 69 0

Professional career

2007 NFL Draft

On April 28, 2007, Lynch was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He agreed with the Bills to a six-year, $18.935 million contract. The deal included a $3 million signing bonus and contained $10.285 million in total guarantees.

Pre-draft measureables

Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic

215 lb* 4.46s* 4.58s* 7.09s* 35.5 in* 20*[15] 14*

(* represents NFL Combine)

Buffalo Bills

Lynch entered the 2007 season as the starter at running back for the Bills. In his first game of the regular season on September 9, he gained 90 yards on 19 carries and scored his first touchdown in a 14–15 loss to the Denver Broncos. His breakout game came on November 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Lynch's success on the ground was instrumental in keeping the touted Cincinnati offense on the sidelines, as he rushed 29 times for 153 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown run. Lynch also completed a touchdown pass to tight end Robert Royal, the first touchdown pass completed by a Bills non-quarterback since 1981.[16]

Lynch injured his ankle the following week against the Miami Dolphins and missed the next three games. He returned to play on December 9 for the Bills' second game against the Dolphins that season, rushing for 107 yards and fumbling for the first time in his NFL career. The game marked the first time the Bills' offense produced two 100-yard rushers since 1996, as Fred Jackson also rushed for 115 yards.[17] Lynch went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark on December 23 against the New York Giants, scoring a touchdown in the 21-38 loss, which resulted in the Giants clinching a playoff berth. This made Lynch the fourth Bills rookie to break the 1,000-yard mark, and the first since Greg Bell in 1984.[18] He finished a successful rookie season with 1,115 total rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

Lynch was expected to be more involved in Buffalo's passing game in 2008, his second season as a pro. The Bills' new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert had stated a number of times that he anticipated Lynch "being in on third down a lot more" this season, citing Lynch's inexperience as a reason he was not very involved in 2007.

2008 season

Lynch

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