Da ' Rel Scott Da ' Rel Scott ( born May 26 , 1988 ) is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Maryland , where he was a starting running back . During the 2008 season , he was the second - leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference , behind Jonathan Dwyer of Georgia Tech . Scott played interscholastic football as a running back and free safety at Plymouth - Whitemarsh High School . He was moderately recruited , but Scout . com thought he was more suited to the position of wide receiver or cornerback at the intercollegiate level . In 2006 , he enrolled at the University of Maryland , where he was moved to wide receiver , but he spent the entire season on redshirt status . The following season , he saw limited action as a reserve running back behind starters Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore . He also played on special teams as a kickoff returner , which was the coaching staff ' s attempt to get him on the field in some capacity because of his speed . In 2008 , Scott took over as Maryland ' s starting running back and spent much of the season as the leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . He was eventually surpassed by Dwyer , although both players were named to the All - ACC first team at the season ' s end . Scott also became the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl most valuable player when he broke the University of Maryland bowl game rushing record , and he finished the season with 1 , 133 rushing yards , the seventh Terrapin player to surpass a thousand yards in a single season . Early life . Scott was born on May 26 , 1988 in Conshohocken , Pennsylvania to Gloria and Lee Scott , Sr . He has two older brothers , Lee Scott , Jr . , who played football as a defensive back at La Salle , and James , who ran track at Saint Joseph ' s . When Da ' Rel Scott was eight years old , his parents had a falling out , which prompted his father to leave the family . Thereafter , Lee Scott , Sr . was no longer involved in raising his sons and would often miss scheduled visits . Da ' Rel Scott said , " He just kept letting me down . Just day by day , I was thinking , ' I need a father figure in my life . ' " In high school , his attitude changed , and he said , " I don ' t need him . " Despite the absence of his biological father , Scott grew up with the support of his mother , two brothers Lee and James , cousin Leroy , family friend and youth football coach Mike Shaw , and high school athletic director Charlie Foster . He attended Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting , Pennsylvania , where he was a four - year letterwinner in football , track , and basketball . In track during his junior year , he won the state championship in the 100 - meter dash with a time of 10 . 56 seconds . In football , Scott was a three - year starter and played as both a tailback and free safety . During his senior year , he rushed for 2 , 523 yards and 38 touchdowns on 232 attempts . As both a junior and senior , he received the Maxwell Award for the conference player of the year . As a senior , " The Times Herald " named him the area player of the year , the Associated Press named him an all - state player , and he was invited to the Big 33 Football Classic all - star game . SuperPrep named him an all - region player . Rivals . com rated him a four - star prospect and assessed him as the 21st - ranked " athlete " recruit in the nation . Scout . com assessed him as a three - star prospect , and wrote of him , " This kid can flat out fly . He runs a sub 10 . 5 100 meters , and a sub 21 . 0 200 meters . Scott needs to get physically bigger to be a college running back ; he may project better as a wide receiver or cornerback . " Scott received scholarship offers from Georgia Tech , Penn State , Virginia , and his ultimate choice , Maryland . In 2006 , he enrolled at the University of Maryland , where he studied kinesiology . College career . 2006 season . Scott sat out the 2006 season as a redshirt . After summer training camp , the coaching staff moved Scott to wide receiver , a position that lacked depth , but head coach Ralph Friedgen said that Scott had some difficulty making the adjustment . He was , however , named the offensive scout team player of the week for his performance in the practices before the Florida State game . 2007 season . During 2007 spring practice , Scott was third on the depth chart , but suffered a left knee injury , which forced him to miss most of camp . During the 2007 season , he played in nine games as a reserve tailback behind Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore and as a kickoff returner . Despite the team ' s abundance of running backs , Friedgen wanted to utilize Scott in some capacity because of his speed , which had been recorded at 4 . 25 seconds in the 40 - yard dash . Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward - Bey said , " On paper it says I ' m faster , but Da ' Rel , he ' s just a different type of animal . " Against Wake Forest , he saw his first action when he return ed four kickoffs for 101 yards . Scott ' s special teams performance in that game sufficiently impressed head coach Friedgen that he said , " I think I ' ve got to try to get him involved within the offense . I think he ' s a guy that can make some plays for us . " The following week , unranked Maryland upset 10th - ranked Rutgers , and Scott made his first career appearance as a tailback . He had three carries for 29 yards . After sitting out the Georgia Tech game because of an ankle injury , he returned four kicks for 68 yards against Virginia , three for 56 yards against Clemson , and two for 40 yards against North Carolina . Against eighth - ranked Boston College , Scott caught a short screen pass from quarterback Chris Turner and ran 57 yards for a touchdown . It was his first career reception and first career touchdown . It was one of just two offensive plays for Scott in that game , and incidentally , he was not intended to be in it . Friedgen said : " When he was in the game , I didn ' t even know he was in the game . I called a screen pass . I looked up , and it was Da ' Rel in there . I figured we were just giving Lance a rest , but I asked [ running backs coach Phil ] Zacharias about it Sunday and he started laughing . I said ' Did you put Da ' Rel in for that screen pass ? ' He said , ' Lance ' s equipment was broken , so he had to go in the game . ' " In the loss to Florida State , Scott rush ed twice for 17 yards and returned four kickoffs for 132 yards . On one return , Scott gained 60 yards and nearly broke away for a touchdown , but Maryland was unable to capitalize on the gain during the subsequent possession . The next week , Maryland secured bowl eligibility by winning its regular season finale against NC State . Scott returned the opening kickoff 36 yards and recorded 89 yards on eight carries to lead the team in rushing . In the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Oregon State , Scott had one carry for no gain and returned two kickoffs for 36 yards . Scott finished the season as the team ' s all - purpose yardage leader with 84 . 2 yards per game and kick return leader with 566 yards , which set a school record for a freshman . Rivals . com named him a freshman All - ACC all - purpose player . 2008 season . After the graduation of running backs Ball and Lattimore , Scott competed with Morgan Green for the starting position . At the conclusion of spring practice , it appeared they would share the duties , as they had complementary running styles : Scott had breakaway speed , while Green was a hard runner for short - yardage gains . However , Green suffered a quadriceps injury that caused him to fall to the third - string position behind true freshman Davin Meggett . During the season , Scott played in 12 of 13 games , including 11 starts , and recorded 1 , 133 rushing yards and eight touchdowns . In the first game of the 2008 season against Delaware , Scott ran for 197 yards in his first career start , which was enough to place sixteenth on the list for school all - time single - game rushing . The following week , underdog Middle Tennessee stunned Maryland , 24 – 14 , but Scott set the game - high for rushing with 123 yards . He tallied his career - first rushing touchdown with a 63 - yard run on the second play of the game . Scott " dominated early " against 23rd - ranked California with 19 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns , but in the third quarter , he suffered a game - ending shoulder injury . His first - half effort helped Maryland take a quick lead and eventually upset California , 35 – 27 . Scott sat out the next game against Eastern Michigan , but returned for the road game at 20th - ranked Clemson . Scott made 23 carries but gained only 39 yards , a mark that was surpassed by receiver Heyward - Bey on one reverse that gained 76 yards to spark a second - half comeback . Head coach Friedgen said : " I told Da ' Rel he needed to run a little more north – south . Clemson has such good team speed . If you go east – west on them , you ' re not going to go very far . I thought he had a couple runs when he tried to bounce it outside . Normally , Da ' Rel can do that . Not against this team . . . I told him this is a game where three yards is a good running play . . . I don ' t know if Da ' Rel has been in a game like this , playing the whole game that way in a tough environment . He came out in the second half and said ' I ' m going to go , coach . ' He patted me on the butt . ' Just get me the ball . ' " Scott tallied the go - ahead touchdown to complete Maryland ' s comeback , 20 – 17 . The following week , Maryland fell to a heavy underdog again when a reeling Virginia team engineered a 31 – 0 shutout . Scott , then the leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) , had 11 carries but was held to just 36 yards . Despite the setback , Scott retained the lead in the ACC with 96 . 4 rushing yards per game . After a bye week , Maryland shutout 21st - ranked Wake Forest , 26 – 0 . Scott had 18 carries for a game - high of 73 yards , threw a nine - yard touchdown pass , and had three fumble s . In the first quarter , Scott fumbled at the Wake Forest 25 - yard line , but was able to recover the ball . Two plays later , he executed a halfback option , where he took the handoff and threw a nine - yard pass to Heyward - Bey for a touchdown . It was Scott ' s first pass attempt and completion . Scott fumbled twice more in the first half , and Wake Forest recovered only to miss a field goal attempt each time . Against NC State , Scott had 23 carries for 163 yards and a 24 - yard touchdown . In the fourth quarter , after the third play of Maryland ' s game - winning drive , Meggett replaced Scott , who had re - injured his shoulder . With the sixth win , Maryland attained bowl eligibility . Scott remained the ACC leading rusher with 102 . 6 yards per game . He was deemed questionable before the Virginia Tech game , but did see action . However , the Virginia Tech line held Scott to 11 yards on 10 carries , although he did manage five receptions for 57 yards . Against 17th - ranked North Carolina , Scott recorded 129 rushing yards and a three - yard touchdown run . Maryland entered its penultimate regular season game against Florida State still within reach of the Atlantic Division title , and with it , a berth in the ACC Championship Game . Florida State , however , dashed Maryland ' s title hopes in a 37 – 3 rout in which Scott recorded 82 rushing yards , but fumbled twice . In the fourth quarter , defensive end Everette Brown forced Scott to fumble , which was seen as the end to any potential comeback . Against a tough Boston College line , the Maryland rushing attack faltered , which forced quarterback Chris Turner to resort mostly to the pass . Scott rushed 13 times for a gain of just 19 yards . In the postseason , Maryland accepted an invitation to the Humanitarian Bowl to play the Western Athletic Conference runner - up , Nevada . Before the game , however , head coach Ralph Friedgen caught Scott and six other players breaking curfew . Scott declined to comment to the media about why he had missed curfew , and Friedgen said only that Scott had tried to " help somebody and got put in a bad situation . " Friedgen initially intended to send the offenders back to College Park by bus , but athletic director Deborah Yow convinced him to issue partial - game suspensions instead . Scott was benched until halfway through the third quarter . He said , " I made a bad decision . I felt I had to run with a purpose . " Scott was put into the game on Maryland ' s third possession of the half but did not receive a carry until the following series . On his first attempt , he ran for 14 yards and then ran 11 yards on his second . During the next drive , he broke free on a 49 - yard touchdown run . On the next possession , Scott rushed on all four plays and gained 66 yards and another touchdown . Maryland won , 42 – 35 , and Scott was named the Terrapins ' most valuable player of the game . Nevada head coach Chris Ault said , " He just ran through us like we weren ' t there . They ran the weak - side gap , we knew that was one of their base plays , and he did a great job . He ' s a heck of a back , no question about it . He was breaking tackles , and that ' s not only a difference - maker but a morale - changer . " He ran for 174 yards , which broke the school record for rushing in a bowl game previously set by Lu Gambino in the 1948 Gator Bowl . Scott also became just the seventh Maryland player to surpass the 1 , 000 - yard single - season rushing benchmark . Earlier in the season , Scott set that mark as one of his goals , and he adorned his room with the statistics of the Terrapins who accomplished that feat in the past , such as Chris Downs in 2002 . Scott spent much of the season as the leading rusher in the ACC , but he was eventually surpassed by Jonathan Dwyer of Georgia Tech and finished second in the conference . In early October , Scott was added to the Maxwell Award watch list . The Atlantic Coast Conference named Scott to the All - ACC first team alongside Dwyer . 2009 season . During a practice in April 2009 , Scott and cornerback Nolan Carroll collided , which injured both players . Scott suffered a sprained knee which forced him to sit out the Red – White spring game . He entered summer practice at the top of the depth chart , but Davin Meggett ' s camp performance was impressive enough to earn a share of the number - one position . In its 2009 preseason issue , " Phil Steele ' s " listed Scott as the 23rd - ranked draft eligible college running back , a preseason first - team All - ACC running back , and one of 19 " darkhorse " contenders for the Heisman Trophy . " Athlon Sports " named him to their preseason All - ACC second team . Before the season , he was added to the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award watch lists . In the season opener at 12th - ranked California , Scott recorded 13 carries for 90 yards . He scored the Terrapins ' only touchdown on a 39 - yard rush in the third quarter of the 52 – 13 rout , Maryland ' s worst opening loss since 1892 . The following week , Scott had 17 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown in an overtime win against James Madison . He recorded a 48 - yard touchdown run against Middle Tennessee , but also two fumbles in the first quarter . Scott finished the game with 13 attempts for 117 yards . , but coach Friedgen relied mostly on Meggett after the second turnover . Scott suffered a broken wrist against Clemson , a game that also saw Maryland left tackle Bruce Campbell injured . He sat out the next five games , before he returned in the penultimate game against Florida State , in which he ran 83 yards on 19 attempts and also had two receptions for 21 yards . The performance prompted Scout . com to note , " It ' s almost like this stud running back never missed a game for the Terps … it is impressive to see the junior hard at work and making up for lost time . " In the season finale against Boston College , Maryland opened the game with Scott attempting a pass to wide receiver Torrey Smith on a halfback option play ; it fell incomplete but drew a defensive pass interference call . Scott rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts , and caught three passes for 20 yards . 2010 season . In the winter , Scott competed on the indoor track team and ran a 60 - yard dash in 6 . 87 seconds , and he claimed to have regained the speed he had in high school . During spring football camp , he recorded the fastest 40 - yard dash time among the running backs at 4 . 33 seconds . Head coach Ralph Friedgen praised Scott for the strength and size he added in the offseason , and offensive coordinator James Franklin described Scott as a " complete back " . Before the season , Scott was added to the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award watch lists . Maryland entered the 2010 season with Scott and Meggett sharing time as the number - one running back . Head coach Friedgen said , " At this point in time , I would say Scott and Meggett are 1A and 1B . " In the season opener against Navy , Scott recorded 58 yards on ten carries , which included five touches on the opening drive for 36 yards and a five - yard touchdown run . The following week against Division I FCS , Scott , Meggett , and redshirt freshman running back D . J . Adams all averaged over five yards per carry in the 62 – 3 rout . Scott amassed eight carries for 42 yards and three receptions for 31 yards . Maryland ' s rushing attack struggled in the 31 – 17 loss to West Virginia , and Scott had four carries for six yards and three catches for 26 yards . Against Florida International , he gained 103 yards and scored two touchdowns on 15 carries . Scott scored on a 56 - yard run and a nine - yard run in which he broke three arm tackles . Duke held Scott to 26 yards in the first half , but in the third quarter , he caught a short pass from quarterback Danny O ' Brien and ran down the sideline for a 71 - yard touchdown . O ' Brien said he repeatedly checked down through his available receivers and Scott was his final option . Scott finished with 14 carries for 50 yards . At Clemson , Scott threw a four - yard touchdown pass to quarterback Danny O ' Brien on a trick play for Maryland ' s only score in a 31 – 7 loss . He had four rushing attempts for 18 yards . During that game , Scott became the tenth player in school history to amass 3 , 000 all - purpose yards . At Boston College , Scott rushed nine times for 19 yards and caught one pass for four yards . He also filled in for injured kickoff returner Torrey Smith and had one return for 25 yards . Against Wake Forest , he had eleven carries for 50 yards and one reception for ten yards . At Miami , Scott rushed nine times for 30 yards and had a 12 - yard reception . At Virginia , he carried the ball 11 times for 55 yards and had two catches for eight yards including a two - yard reception for a touchdown . Against 25th - ranked Florida State , Scott rushed ten times for 87 yards and caught two passes for eight yards . Scott was held to negative ten rushing yards on four touches by 23rd - ranked North Carolina State in his final home game on Senior Night , but Maryland still won , 38 – 31 . In the Military Bowl against East Carolina , Scott rushed for a career - high 200 yards on 13 carries , including two touchdowns on 61 - and 91 - yard runs , and was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . He broke the school record for rushing in a bowl game that he previously set in 2008 . His performance was described as " utterly electrifying " , and left his " stock among draft - eligible running backs soaring with NFL scouts " . His 15 . 4 yards per carry was the best single - game performance in school history . Scott ended the 2010 season with 708 rushing yards on 122 attempts and five touchdowns . He finished his college career with 2 , 401 rushing yards on 430 attempts and 17 touchdowns , and 3 , 509 all - purpose yards . Scott ranked seventh in school history in career rushing yards and second in career yards per carry with an average of 5 . 58 . Scott was invited to play in the East – West Shrine Game on January 22 , 2011 in Orlando . He also participated in the Senior Bowl , and " The New York Times " praised him for his practice leading up to the game . In the Senior Bowl , Scott recorded five carries for 15 yards , including a touchdown on a one - yard run . Professional career . New York Giants . The New York Giants selected Scott with the 221st overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft . Giants general manager Jerry Reese said , " We took a flyer on the guy because he is big and fast … We hope this guy develops into a Willie Parker , one of those kinds of things . " At the NFL Combine , Scott ran the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 34 seconds , the fastest time recorded by any of the participating running backs . Scott secured a spot on the active roster behind Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs with a strong preseason performance . In the game against the Chicago Bears , he had one carry for a 97 - yard touchdown . Against the New England Patriots , Scott took a snap on a fake punt , which he ran 65 yards for a touchdown . He made his regular season debut in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins , but recorded no statistics . Scott only recorded five carries for 15 yards in 11 games played . He was a member of the Super Bowl XLVI champion team that defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 21 – 17 . On October 20 , 2012 , Scott was placed on season - ending injured reserve due to a knee injury . Personal life . Scott motivates himself for games by channeling the anger at his father ' s abandonment . He said , " I am always going to have anger because of how he did me . It is always going to be there . It is not going away . No way at all . " While basketball player Michael Jordan was Scott ' s childhood sports idol , he says Jordan was not the inspiration for his jersey number of 23 . Scott chose it as a combination of his older brothers ' high school numbers : James wore number 20 , and Lee , Jr . wore number 3 . Scott said , " They were my father . "