Miami’s DeeJay ‘Positive Nelly’ Dallas ready to bust out with Cam Harris and ‘Lo’ Lingard 

As the always upbeat running back DeeJay Dallas walked away from a post-practice interview this week, he turned around to reporters and said with a grin, “I told you guys, my name’s not DeeJay no more. My name’s positive Nelly.’’

The University of Miami’s leading rusher, despite his Hurricanes losing their first two games, has lots of reason to be positive.

Dallas, or Positive Nelly if you prefer, had his fourth career 100-yard rushing performance last Saturday at North Carolina, gaining 107 yards on 14 carries for a 7.6-yards-a-carry average. Against Florida in the season opener he had a game-high 131 all-purpose yards, including 94 yards rushing. He also hauled in four catches that game and scored on a 50-yard touchdown run.

Going into the week, Dallas, a junior, was 15th nationally in rushing yards per carry (8.04) and 27th in rushing yards (201).

“You’ve got to have that mentality of me versus you every play,’’ the 5-10, 215-pound Dallas said. “So, when you step in front of me, that’s disrespectful to me, because I feel like I’m superior to you.’’

As Dallas and the Canes (0-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) head into Saturday’s 4 p.m. matchup with FCS competitor Bethune-Cookman (1-0), Dallas said his goals for the team are to “win, be healthy for everybody and everybody come out and contribute.’’

“We’re back home,’’ Dallas said. “We just want to put on a show.’’

Dallas calls himself “thunder’’ to backup tailback Cam’Ron Harris’ “lightning.’’

Harris has 16 carries for 75 yards rushing (4.69-yard average) and one touchdown, with two runs of about 50 yards apiece called back on holding penalties.

“It’s very frustrating,’’ Harris said. “I’m going to keep busting long ones every game.... We bring the joyness to the offense. Once the run game starts clicking, the whole offense is going to click.

“This game, we sucking it up and we’re going to punish Bethune-Cookman.’’

Dallas, one of just ACC running backs averaging more than 100 yards a game, backed up current Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer the past two seasons. Last year he led the Canes in all-purpose yards with 1,260 and was second in rushing with 617 yards, adding a team-high tying six rushing touchdown.

Dallas expects more young players to get action Saturday against the Wildcats, and he welcomes it.

“This is a point where they probably need to get in,’’ Dallas said, and probably will get in. It’ll show us who’s going to ball come December or come November — whenever— if their number is called.”

There’s another running back fans haven’t seen yet this season.

Sophomore Lorenzo Lingard, a five-star talent out of Orange City University High, sustained a knee injury last year after six games, and looks good in practice but is still awaiting action in 2019. He rushed 17 times for 136 yards with two touchdowns last year, averaging 8 yards a carry.

“That’s me and Cam’s boy,’’ Dallas said of Lingard. “We just always tell Lo, ‘Lo, it’s going to come.’ I tell him all the time, ‘It’s going to pop. When your number is called, Bro, you’re going to go ballistic.’ I tell him all the time, ‘Just stay faithful, bro. Just stay faithful.

“And just keep going. Just keep hammering it.’’

This story was originally published September 13, 2019 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Miami’s DeeJay ‘Positive Nelly’ Dallas ready to bust out with Cam Harris and ‘Lo’ Lingard ."