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Football: Fenroy Featured on Yahoo Sports Web Page MORE: 
 Tyrell Fenroy should wrap up his fourth 1,000 yard season this week. Click the photo above to see him in action.
One of the most exclusive fraternities in college sports is about to welcome a new member. Maybe the achievement will earn Louisiana-Lafayette running back Tyrell Fenroy some overdue recognition. Fenroy isn’t a household name outside the state of Louisiana – heck, he’s not even that well-known inside his home state – yet he’s about to become just the seventh player in major-college history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. He heads into Saturday’s game with Florida International needing only 30 yards to join a club that features three first-round picks and one Heisman winner. "Right now I don’t know how I’m going to react," Fenroy said. "I don’t know what’s going to go through my head when it happens. I’ll probably be shocked at first. The main thing is I want to come out of the game with a victory. I don’t want to come out with a loss when that happens." If Fenroy doesn’t seem at ease in the spotlight, he has plenty of reason. Although he is about to join a club that features such big-name players as Tony Dorsett, Ron Dayne and Cedric Benson, Fenroy has spent most of his career quietly going about his business while constantly bucking conventional wisdom. After receiving scant attention from recruiters out of high school at Laplace (La.) St. Charles Catholic, Fenroy surprised everyone – including himself – by earning ample playing time as a true freshman. He has emerged as a model of consistency. He rushed for 1,053 yards as a freshman, 1,197 as a sophomore and 1,021 last year while always deflecting the credit to his linemen. "He doesn’t get involved in all that publicity," said Fenroy’s mother, Ann Fenroy. "He’s very quiet. He doesn’t get caught up in all of that. I’m glad he doesn’t." Even Fenroy’s career plans reflect his businesslike approach. If the NFL doesn’t come calling, the criminal justice major would like to work as a state trooper. "It’s kind of similar to football as far as the rush you get when you get a call from dispatch and go to a domestic violence charge or a high-speed chase," Fenroy said. "It’s (like) that charge you get from playing football, as far as doing the right thing, protecting people and being part of a team." The guy who wants to make sure nobody outruns the law has done a heck of a job outrunning defenses. Fenroy has run for a Sun Belt Conference-record 4,241 career yards to lead all NCAA active players. He is 317 yards from passing former LSU star Kevin Faulk as the top career rusher of any player from a Louisiana school. While it’s tempting to downplay Fenroy’s production because he rarely faces big-time competition, he also has capitalized on most of his opportunities against big-name opponents. Fenroy rushed for 113 yards on just 14 carries last season against Tennessee. Although Illinois limited him to 20 yards on 14 attempts this season, Fenroy ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries against Kansas State a couple of weeks later. "This is going to be the seventh running back in the history of college football who’s going to be able to go over 1,000 all four years,” Kansas State coach Ron Prince said. "That’s unbelievable. That’s phenomenal. THE 4×1,000 CLUB
Louisiana-Lafayette running back Tyrell Fenroy is 30 yards away from becoming just the seventh major-college player to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. Here’s a look at how Fenroy compares to the six players already on the list; the players are listed chronologically.
AMOS LAWRENCE, NORTH CAROLINA (1977-80)
1,211; 1,043; 1,019; 1,118. Total: 4,391.  Lawrence in actionTYRELL FENROY, LA.-LAFAYETTE (2005-present)
1,053; 1,197; 1,021; 970. Total: 4,241. Fenroy in action"He was as strong as we thought. He was as fast as we thought. He has a quarterback (Michael Desormeaux) who’s a very dangerous run-pass threat, a great offensive line and a commitment from the coaching staff to run the football. With all those things said, he’s one of the very best we’ve seen."
Fenroy relies on a physical running style. He is listed at 5 feet 10 and 205 pounds, but he has figured out ways to bounce off defenders much taller and heavier. He has proved particularly adept at that this season. Fenroy had rushed for a total of 674 yards in a three-game stretch – including a school-record 297 yards against rival Louisiana-Monroe – before gaining 92 yards against North Texas in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ last game. "He’s not very big of stature by any means, but he’s a very physical ballcarrier," Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie said. "He’s hard to bring down." Fenroy’s running style shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with his background. That same approach helped Fenroy rush for 4,320 yards and 72 touchdowns in high school. And he showed a similar tenacity away from the football field. "Even when he played basketball in eighth grade, he’d run down the court like he was playing football, knocking people down," Ann Fenroy said. "That was always his passion." College recruiters seemed more concerned about Fenroy’s relative lack of size and speed than his production in high school. St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica spent a dozen years as an assistant at Tulane, yet he couldn’t persuade any colleges to take a chance on Fenroy. "I was trying to tell them that this kid could play for a lot of people," Monica said. "They (Louisiana-Lafayette) were the only ones who took our word that he’d be a good player." Fenroy has spent the past four years rewarding Louisiana-Lafayette’s faith. He has developed a reputation as a fast finisher. He typically saves his best performances for the month of November. He closed his freshman season by rushing for at least 100 yards in each of his last four games. He ran for 468 yards in the final three games of his sophomore season, and he reached the century mark in each of his last four games a year ago. Closing with a rush helped Fenroy reach the 1,000-yard mark in his final game of the season each of the past two years. This season, he should have reason to celebrate much earlier. Fenroy ranks fifth in the nation in rushing (138.6 ypg) and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry. His increased production ought to help him clinch his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ eighth game of the season. "The biggest difference is he’s gotten a step faster, and when he’s broken some of those runs, he’s turned them into long ones," Louisiana-Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle said. "There’s no question he really worked hard last spring. "He’s always worked hard, but he just worked harder on his speed and quickness during the spring and summer. I think that’s helped him. A guy that runs as fast as he runs is not going to get a lot faster in that length of time, but I think he got a step faster." Fenroy has played so well that he’d have every reason to wonder what he might have accomplished at a more prestigious program, but he has resisted the urge to feel that way. He’s too focused on the immediate future to worry about what might have been. "I don’t think about that," Fenroy said. "I couldn’t see myself anywhere but here. When I think about where I am now, I’m excited and really happy." Actually he could see himself somewhere else – New Orleans. Fenroy, a New Orleans native, wants to end his college career by helping his team win the Sun Belt title. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3) is undefeated in Sun Belt competition and is seeking the New Orleans Bowl invitation that automatically goes to the league champion. Fenroy shows much more interest in playing his first bowl than joining the 1,000-yard club for the fourth time. The way he’s performing, he has a legitimate chance to reach both goals. "Tyrell Fenroy has been a class act since Day One," Bustle said. "He deserves the opportunity to be among the elite names in the NCAA." This week, that opportunity finally arrives.
Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.
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