MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The phone rang off the wall Monday at Torin Kirtsey's place. But few of the calls were for him.

They wanted his roommates. They wanted to sell him a new phone service. They wanted to order a pizza. Sorry, wrong number.

"It's not for me," Kirtsey said. "Nobody's calling."

You'd think Kirtsey would have been a bit more popular. Especially after his Middle Tennessee State football debut.

The Georgia transfer ran a school-record-tying 38 times for a school-record 251 yards in the Blue Raiders' one-point win against Tennessee State.

Next stop: Illinois' Memorial Stadium.

"He's as good a running back as we're going to play all year, maybe the best," Illinois coach Ron Turner said. "Watching film on him reminds me of watching Barry Sanders. He even has the same number (20)."

Isn't Turner forgetting a couple of guys? Ron Dayne comes to C-U in a month. The Illini visit Sedrick Irvin in November. Certainly, Iowa must have somebody decent. And Ohio State has produced a star running back or 12 during the '90s.

No backtracking from the coach. Kirtsey's as good as any.

"He's a legitimate, big-time back," Turner said. "We're going to have our hands full trying to tackle that guy."

That guy wasn't even supposed to be the starter. Kelverrick Green split starting time the last two seasons and left spring practice as No. 1.

Green sprained his ankle during training camp and reinjured it early against Tennessee State. He had two carries for 4 yards before sitting down.

Kirtsey didn't expect to get the ball 38 times in his first game. Not that he complained.

"I like to carry the ball a lot," Kirtsey said. "That was just what we had to do. We ate the clock up."

Middle Tennessee used three quarterbacks in the opener. Starter Judd Moore suffered a separated throwing shoulder and is out for Saturday's game. Second-teamer Jimbo Rozar struggled and was replaced by Wes Counts.

The three quarterbacks combined for 162 yards. The Blue Raiders needed a huge game from Kirtsey and got it.

Kirtsey scored on runs of 1, 7 and 49 yards. His offensive linemen will be happy to know he passes the credit around.

"They gave us a lot of great blocks," Kirtsey said. "We did a great job as a team."

New home

Middle Tennessee State set a record with 27,568 fans at its opener. At Kirtsey's old school, that would have been a decent crowd ... for the spring game.

Kirtsey started his career at Georgia, where football falls just behind peanuts and Jimmy Carter in order of importance.

He spent two years in Athens and had some nice moments. In 1995, Kirtsey started three games and had 636 yards for the season. He ran for 195 against Clemson and 157 against Auburn.

But all was not well on and off the field. On the field, he faced a wave of competition at running back. Check NFL rosters, and you'll see a few former Bulldogs, including Denver star Terrell Davis and Robert Edwards, New England's first-round pick.

"I didn't feel that was the best opportunity for me," Kirtsey said. "I just wanted a place I could play and be more a part of the game plan. We had a lot of running backs at Georgia and everybody's good."

Off the field, Kirtsey had academic troubles.

He needed a new school. Middle Tennessee State, favored by his mother, was the best option.

Back to the big time

Kirtsey's trip into Division I-AA won't last long. Next year, the Blue Raiders move up to I-A.

"It's very exciting to be back playing Division I ball," Kirtsey said.

Crowds will be bigger. The Blue Raiders will give out more scholarships. Trips to Murray State and Eastern Illinois will be replaced by visits to Louisiana State and Auburn.

"It's going to bring more life to Murfreesboro," Kirtsey said.

It won't change Kirtsey's game much. He'll run hard Saturday, and he'll run hard in '99.

"Football is football," Kirtsey said.