Philadelphia James Starks never heard of the player whose record he broke Sunday.
That's not surprising, because Travis "The Roadrunner" Williams set the record for most rushing yards by a Green Bay Packers rookie in the postseason on Dec. 23, 1967.
That was more than 18 years before Starks was born.
Williams rushed for 88 yards on 18 carries at County Stadium in Milwaukee that day as the Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams, 28-7.
Starks blew past Williams' record by 35 yards at Lincoln Financial Field, and his huge day - 123 yards on 23 carries (5.3) average - helped the Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-16, in an NFC wild-card playoff game.
"I really take my hat off to everybody on this team because it is not just what I did," a beaming Starks said in the Packers' locker room. "The offensive line and the receivers did a great job to make this happen. People got body on body and really gave me the holes to run through."
Starks' total was a season-high for the Packers and it was only the second time the team had a back go over 100 yards; Brandon Jackson had 115 against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 10.
"It was huge," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Starks' production. "The way James was running the ball tonight was maybe one of the most important factors in this win.
"He ran great, and I was so happy for him. He's a great kid and he has really grown a lot in the last couple weeks. He was big tonight."
For Starks, a sixth-round draft choice from Buffalo, the game was the exclamation mark in a season punctuated by ups and downs.
He started on the physically unable to perform list and wasn't activated until Nov. 9. Four weeks later, he rushed for 73 yards in his NFL debut in a 34-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
But after gaining just 8 yards in six carries the next week in a 7-3 loss to Detroit, Starks was inactive the next two weeks and admitted he needed to clean up his practice habits.
He returned to action in the regular-season finale against Chicago last week and gained 20 yards in five carries.
Still, it would have been hard for anyone to have predicted the damage he would inflict upon the Eagles. He entered the game on the Packers' second possession and rumbled for 27 yards on his first carry.
After that, the Eagles' defense saw a steady diet of Starks left, Starks right and Starks up the middle. He was so effective that Jackson, the team's leading rusher, got just three carries (10 yards).
"James was a difference-maker for us, just the way he was running the ball," said coach Mike McCarthy. "He's a gifted athlete. He's a longer-levered individual and he falls forward. I just love running backs that fall forward, especially when they're 6 feet 2."
Starks said he had no indication in the week leading up to the game that he would be featured so prominently in the game plan. McCarthy said he kept giving Starks the ball because the running back had the "hot hand."
"It just happened, I guess," Starks said. "I was just going to practice not knowing what was going on. I've got to be ready regardless of the situation."
He also caught two passes for 9 yards and returned one kickoff for 20.
The Eagles said they weren't caught off-guard by Starks, who had just 21 carries for 101 yards in the regular season.
"They're a good running team," said linebacker Jamar Chaney. "We didn't downplay that at all (last) week. We knew they were going to come in and run the ball."
Starks said he learned from the two games he was inactive.
"I'm a motivated person," he said. "When I'm not playing or getting carries, I'm just going to work hard. I want to play. I love this game."
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