The night belonged to Charles Woodson; there was no mistaking that.
On a night that was heavy on the pomp and circumstance surrounding the future Hall of Famer's final game at O.co Coliseum – including a postgame speech at midfield, Latavius Murray quietly managed to insert himself into the night's narrative.
With 9:30 remaining in the second quarter and the Raiders facing a 1st and 11, Murray took a handoff from Derek Carr and rushed over right guard for a gain of three, giving him 1,000 yards on the season.
With the run, Murray became the first Raider to reach the benchmark since Darren McFadden in 2010, and the quiet run over right guard was indicative of his season – quietly productive and without much fanfare.
Heading into the Thursday's game, Murray led the AFC with 956 rushing yards and was named to a Pro Bowl alternate Tuesday evening, but his achievement seemed almost lost in the shuffle in Tuesday's 23-20 overtime win over the San Diego Chargers.
Murray finished the game with 19 rushes for 79 yards, including his sixth touchdown of the season, and provided a reliable option on the ground, just as he has all season.
"I'm so happy for Latavius," left tackle Donald Penn said postgame. "He's worked so hard. He deserves it."
2015 has served as Murray's first year as the feature back for the Raiders, and the third-year man has definitely made the most of his opportunity – at game's end he had racked up 1,035 total rushing yards, including his aforementioned six touchdowns.
"Obviously, it means a lot," Murray said about hitting 1,000 yards. "It shows the way we've been able to run the ball at times, so I'm pretty satisfied hitting that mark."
As quietly impressive as the Central Florida-product has been this year, Penn thinks that even greener pastures are ahead for the physical running back the more experiences he gets.
"He's learning," Penn said. "We're all learning together. This is our first year playing together, and playing under this new offense. We're all learning. We're just trying to get better and better every week, and that's one thing that guy's doing, he's getting better and better every week and it's showing. That's why he's the leading rusher in the AFC."
On a night that was filled with excitement and unforgettable moments from the onset, Murray made sure that his name and achievements were included in what was a thrilling game at O.co Coliseum.
"We got a lot of grit," Murray said. "We know how to finish. We keep fighting, so that says a lot about our character and a lot about what we're capable of."
And this Raiders team is capable of quite a lot, particularly when the "Tay Train," gets rolling.
"It gives us a lot to look forward to, a lot to build on," added Penn, "It's a great thing. We have something special going on and I wish we had a couple of more games to go to show everybody. We're [the offensive line] the engine and he's driving the car."
