SDSU Running Short of Running Backs : Football: Faulk still hospitalized, Wright’s ankle injured.
Usually, in a one-back offensive set, there are too many running backs and not enough positions. But at San Diego State this week, a school that once had an abundant supply of backs is suddenly calling in reinforcements.
Wayne Pittman, a freshman from Mira Mesa High who was supposed to redshirt this season, is now No. 2 on the depth chart. And Larry Maxey, SDSU’s starting H-back who can’t seem to stay in one position much longer than a couple of weeks, is practicing with the running backs this week and may be used there if an emergency arises Saturday at Texas El Paso.
It all started over the weekend. . . .
Record-setting freshman Marshall Faulk, who suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung Saturday, remained in the hospital Tuesday. And it turns out that senior T.C. Wright, who was behind Faulk on the depth chart, suffered a sprained right ankle Saturday in the fourth quarter of SDSU’s 38-24 victory over New Mexico.
Although SDSU trainer Brian Barry expects Wright to play at Texas El Paso, Wright was unable to practice Tuesday. If his ankle doesn’t improve, that could bump Pittman all the way up to first team.
“Finally, everything was settled in and we were starting to roll,” SDSU running backs coach Dan Underwood said, shaking his head.
Now, the scheme remains the same, only the names change.
Pittman, 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, got his first carry two games ago and has 17 carries for 56 yards this season. He was a standout at Mira Mesa but, while SDSU coaches were shuffling scholarships last winter, the original plan was that he would not join the Aztec football team until January. As a result, he is not even listed in the media guide.
Still, SDSU coaches were immediately impressed with Pittman in fall camp.
“Wayne Pittman was among our top three running backs,” said SDSU Coach Al Luginbill, who added that Pittman is similar to Wright but has more speed. “Until T.C. got completely healthy, he and Marshall did the best in both of our scrimmages. I’m not worried at all about using Wayne Pittman.”
Neither, it seems, is Pittman himself.
“I believe I can run just as well as Marshall,” Pittman said. “I just haven’t been given the chance. . . .
“I’ve gotten opportunities, but not as much as I would have wanted. Now, it’s showtime.
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”
Maxey, a 5-10, 170-pound junior from Morse High, has made the rounds at SDSU. He has gone from safety to H-back to running back to H-back, back to running back and finally, to H-back.
He will start at H-back at UTEP--while being on call as a running back.
Funny how things work. In the fall, Maxey wanted to play running back but was moved to H-back. Now, he wants to play H-back, and he is--but with the prospect of a temporary switch to running back.
“I was kind of pouting in the beginning of the season at H-back because I wanted to play running back,” Maxey said. “I went to H-back, but I did it half-heartedly. . . .
“When it got close to game time, I went to practice one day and said, ‘I’m going to compete 100%. I’m going to concentrate.’ And since then, I’ve been enjoying myself every week.”
Which is more than can be said for Wright or Faulk.
Wright, who had been relegated to backup status, gained 137 yards and had two touchdowns against UTEP last season. Now, with Faulk out and UTEP waiting, he sits and watches practice.
“If we had to play today, he wouldn’t have played a snap,” Luginbill said.
As for Faulk, his attending trauma surgeon at Mercy Hospital said Tuesday morning that he doubts if Faulk will be released today.
“His lung is still leaking air,” Dr. Gene Rumsey said. “I want the air leak to be stopped for 24 hours before he goes home.”
Rumsey said one of the ribs poked a hole in Faulk’s lung.
“It took quite a bit of force to do that,” said Rumsey, who added that Faulk probably will not return to SDSU for at least three weeks. “You see people with that kind of injury more often who have been in auto accidents.
“He took quite a hit.”
The reverberations of which are still shaking the SDSU backfield.
Aztec Notes
The Greater San Diego Sports Assn. announced Tuesday that SDSU and Navy have finally signed contracts to play Sept. 3, 1994 in a September Holiday Classic game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.