Neither Has a Case for the Trophy : SDSU-Stanford Game Is No Longer a Heisman Showdown

To look at their teams’ respective media guides, Brad Muster and Todd Santos have something in common. They are Heisman Trophy candidates. It says so in small print, right under their color photos.

Their school sports information departments had big plans for Muster and Santos. Tonight was supposed to be the players’ showcase.

Muster and the Stanford Cardinal versus Santos and the San Diego State Aztecs in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The game was to feature teams in the thick of their conference races, led by two of college football’s most prolific offensive players. Network television put out some preseason feelers. This was to be a perfect opportunity for added national attention.

It all sounded good back in August. Now it just looks kind of silly--another overhyped football game. The Aztecs are 1-5, their worst start since 1980. The Cardinal got its first victory last Saturday after its first 0-4 start in five seasons.

As for Santos and Muster, their Heisman hopes evaporated in five plays on opening day.

For Santos, the end came on the two interceptions he threw in his first series against UCLA. In weeks since, his teammates have noticed he is uncharacteristically nervous, and his coach, Denny Stolz, has questioned the wisdom of the university’s publicity campaign centering on Santos’ Heisman hopes.

For Muster, the end came on the three carries it took him to lose two yards against Washington and aggravate his sprained left ankle. Muster has played in only one game since. He did not even make the trip to San Diego.

The story doesn’t end there. The real similarities between the two players are not found on media guide covers; they are found inside the people themselves--in their feelings, in their actions, in their words.

Muster and Santos are a lot alike. They don’t say much.

“We know this is eating Brad up inside, but he won’t open up,” said Tom Beckett, Stanford assistant director of athletics for football operations. “He keeps so much to himself.”

Another idyllic day on the West’s idyllic college campus. The sun was shining. Students were purposefully crisscrossing campus on their way to class. Joggers, with portable cassette players secured around their waists, were making their way around the track. Stanford was a great place to be. Muster conceded as much.

“Nice flowers, huh?” he said, while taking an unauthorized shortcut through a campus garden. “Just don’t step on any of the big ones.”

The disappointment of the past two months had done little to dull Muster’s sense of humor or that mischievous streak that allows him to number professional wrestling among his favorite sports.

“But it’s not real! It’s not real!” he said in mocking mimicry of the sport’s critics. “How can you watch it?”

Every Sunday, would be his response.

Only these days, he has a little more time than he would prefer for his favorite diversion.

While the Cardinal is in San Diego to play the Aztecs, Muster is spending this weekend back on campus, just as he spent the last. He has played and practiced little in the two months since he sprained his ankle on the first day of preseason practice.

“I was running a perimeter drill the way I normally do,” Muster recalled. “I followed my lead blocker, and he just stopped in front of the guy he was supposed to block because it was a no-contract drill. In order to avoid him, I moved out of the way. I kind of wobbled on my ankle, sort of an inside-outside move. I sprained about everything you could on both sides.”

The prescription was rest. But Muster couldn’t wait. Stanford is a young team, and Muster figured his experience could help make the difference. He is one of the best all-purpose running backs in college football. He is big (6-feet 3-inches, 226 pounds) and he is fast (4.56 seconds for 40 yards). Last season he was named the Pacific 10 Conference offensive player of the year and became only the fifth player in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,000 yards (1,053 yards) and and catch at least 50 passes (61 receptions). The year before, he set a Pac-10 record with 78 receptions.

He played against Washington on Sept. 5 in a 31-21 loss. He thought he was doing the right thing--until the pain became unbearable.

“At Washington, (the medical staff) told me that it was just a question of where I was in the healing process,” Muster said. “They said I couldn’t do any more damage to it. I interpreted that to mean go ahead and play through the pain.

“I couldn’t even run without pain. I figured the pain wasn’t going to get any worse. I went out there on the first couple of plays, and that was it.”

Muster, who came to Stanford from San Marin High School in Marin County, did not try to play again until three weeks later against San Jose State. He gained 87 yards on 27 carries. But the Cardinal still lost, 24-17. Four days later in practice, he jammed his left heel in practice. He hasn’t played since.

“Now it’s really bothering me in the front of my ankle,” Muster said. “I wasn’t getting too much of that against San Jose State. I could run straight ahead. That’s why I played. If I can run straight ahead, that’s good enough because I don’t really have to worry too much about avoiding people. I’ll just run through them.”

Muster allowed himself a smile.

In the waning moments of San Diego State’s 52-10 loss to Wyoming two weeks ago, standing just as he did in the 47-14 loss to UCLA, Santos was on the sideline--alone.

“When things are not going so hot, I kind of like to be by myself, to think things out,” Santos said. “The losing has been real hard for me. I really don’t like it.”

A loss tonight and the Aztecs will have lost as many games this season as Santos did in three seasons as the quarterback on Selma High School’s team. What has made it worse is that he has found himself at the center of two of his team’s most bitter defeats.

Santos was penalized for intentionally throwing the ball out of bounds in a 25-20 loss to Oregon Sept. 26. The penalty ended the Aztecs’ last drive and left Santos angry and confused. Then last Saturday, in a Western Athletic Conference game against Texas El Paso, he was sacked and he fumbled. Two plays later, UTEP scored the winning touchdown in a 34-33 victory.

“Todd knew better than that,” SDSU Coach Denny Stolz said. “He knew he should have tucked the ball away. He knew that helped cost us a chance to win the ballgame. No one feels worse about it than Todd.”

Maybe that is because Santos has tried to take it upon himself to lead the Aztecs out of their slump. Santos is not a boisterous team leader. He has tried to pick his teammates up by his actions and his few chosen words. As a gesture of their faith, his teammates elected him as one of two offensive captains last week.

“This season has been really disappointing, especially coming off a WAC championship team,” Santos said. “My senior year has not worked out like I would have hoped. I feel like I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to make things go right.”

That feeling has filtered down to his teammates. Sometimes, it has come through Santos’ words, but more often it has come through his actions.

The quarterback is the leader, the steadying influence on a team. The other players look to him to show the way. Sometimes they have been surprised by what they have found.

“I talked to him before the Wyoming game,” said Alfred Jackson, a junior wide receiver. “I asked him, ‘How do you feel, Todd?’ He said, ‘I’m kind of nervous.’ I figured that’s all right, he should be, it’s a big game. Then last week against UTEP, I shook his hand, and he was sweating.

“I don’t know what it is. It’s been hard for Todd. He really takes losing personally.”

The Stanford offense was running through its game plan for the Aztecs. Muster was just running. Carefully. Up and down half the practice field, testing his ankle. He took a few of his long, powerful strides one way, turned and jogged back.

He had tried to practice the day before, but one play told him his ankle was not ready. So he would sit out another game. And jog some more.

“I don’t want any more setbacks,” he said. “I’m not helping myself, and I’m not helping the team by trying to play hurt.

“I’m not writing off the season. I feel better each day. I just want to get better. If it takes a couple more games, it takes a couple of more game. I look at what I did at Washington; that was a mistake.”

Muster continues to jog, ride a stationary bicycle, lift weights, do sit-ups and push-ups, anything to try to keep in shape.

“We’re not doing anything to push him,” said Jack Elway, Stanford coach. “Brad will be back when he knows he is ready.”

But what has become so frustrating is that Muster just doesn’t know when that will be.

“I’ve never seen Brad so down,” said Barry McKeever, Stanford’s redshirt junior linebacker from San Pasqual High School. “He feels a lot of of responsibility for the way the team is going. Brad is the kind of player who can make things happen. You put him on the field and you know he is there.

“But it’s not his fault. He can’t put too much pressure on himself to come back.”

Muster spent much of practice Wednesday just watching and advising.

“I go to the meetings; I go to practice. But nobody is watching me do anything. Nobody is expecting me to do anything,” Muster said. “I watch the other guys practice and wonder what I would do if I was out there. I spend a lot of time thinking to myself. It’s really almost like I’m daydreaming out there.”

He has plenty to think about. A fifth-year senior who could have earned his degree before the season, Muster had a chance to enter the National Football League draft last April. Several teams considered him a high first-round selection. Instead, he decided to remain at Stanford.

“People say it I was being unselfish, but really I was doing what was best for my future,” Muster said. “The primary reason I came back was to play football and increase my stock as far as the draft is concerned. I also had an opportunity to get more schooling. If I could do those two things, this year would work out great. I’ve done fine in school. As for football . . . “

Muster left the sentence unfinished, just as so much about his future in the NFL draft is unknown. So far, what he has heard is that teams have not been scared off by the injury. With his size, speed and receiving ability, he offers versatility as a running back. He might even be considered as a tight end.

“He does everything you want from a total back,” said Dick Steinberg, the New England Patriots’ director of player personnel. “This is a good year for running backs, but not for backs like him. Not too many come around like Muster. He is a sure-fire, can’t-miss guy.

“We know what he has done in the past, and as long as his injury is not a chronic thing, he will go in the top dozen players.”

Said Tony Razzano, director of college scouting for the San Francisco 49ers: “He really hasn’t dropped that many levels. He has done nothing to hurt his grade, in our opinion.”

Stanford had a plan to promote Muster for the Heisman Trophy. Among the ideas were media conference calls, videotaped highlights, weekly statistical updates, even a midseason color brochure. Total cost: between $5,000 and $8,000.

All of that has been shelved. Interview requests have trailed off to a trickle.

“I got hurt so early, it pretty much stopped before it got started,” Muster said.

SDSU had similar plans for Santos. Much of it is on hold, waiting to see if Santos’ quest for the NCAA Division I-A career passing yardage record revives media interest.

Santos has 9,070 yards and needs to average 258.9 yards per game in the Aztecs’ final six games to break the record of 10,623 set by Kevin Sweeney at Fresno State. Santos averaged 262.8 yards in the first six games.

“You never hear Todd talk about it, but no matter what he says, the record has to be in the back of his mind,” said Kevin Wells, the Aztecs’ junior center. “He has been really nervous in a couple of games.”

Not all Santos’ teammates are so concerned.

“He is the same old Todd,” said Reggie Blaylock, senior offensive guard. “Todd has this way of smiling, and I look for it before the first play. Every time I’ve looked, it’s been there. It’s my way of knowing everything is OK.”

Media interest in Santos has similarly waned as the Aztecs have struggled. He is a quiet player who shuns attention, and he often leaves practice by a locker-room back door.

“At first there were a lot of press hanging around asking a lot of questions,” Santos said. “But since that has kind of slipped away, it has been a lot easier for me. It’s kind of nice to get away from that.”

Looking back, Stolz said it was a mistake to push Santos as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

“I’m a realist when it comes to those things,” Stolz said. “The 11,000 yards was something Todd could achieve. I have no problem with that. But the Heisman Trophy was something else. Todd was almost embarrassed by all the attention.”

It certainly looks overblown now. Just like the preseason line on tonight’s game: Muster and Santos, with a few Heisman votes on the line.

Maybe Muster saw it most clearly.

“Looking at it realistically, every school has their ‘Heisman Trophy candidate,’ ” Muster said. “At the begining of the season, you’re all lumped together.”

That was why Santos and Muster were linked. Now there is another reason. Both have known the disappointment of unrealized expectations.

“There are ups and downs in every life,” Muster said. “I take this for what it is: a little down spot. I was real annoyed at the beginning. But I’ve learned to accept what has happened. I can’t really feel sorry for myself. There will be good times after this.”

And a lot of leftover media guides.

Aztec Notes Wide receiver Patrick Rowe (sprained ankle) and tailback Paul Hewitt (sprained shoulder) will be available to play, said John Rosenthal, SDSU sports information director. . . . Stanford fullback Charlie Young (thigh bruise) is doubtful, and free safety Bruce Richardson (pinched nerve) is probable. . . . Redshirt freshman Brian Johnson will make his second start at quarterback for the Cardinal after he led them to a 44-7 victory at Washington State. Johnson is the third quarterback to start for Stanford.