One Bullet Not Enough for Aztecs

An offshore breeze was whipping up the waves and billowing spinnakers on a warm and tranquil Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Browsers shopped for T-shirts and trinkets, business staples along A1A.

Suddenly, the peace was shattered.

A convertible pulled around a corner and screeched to a stop with a police cruiser in pursuit. An officer reached into the car and pulled out first one, then two and then three weapons.

Ah, four young women had been having fun, fun, fun until the coppers took their squirt guns away.

Later Saturday, a few miles south at the Orange Bowl, a bunch of young men from a beach town a continent away were also looking forward to having fun, fun, fun.

This lasted until their weapons were taken away.

All except one.

Marshall Faulk.

And he did not have fun, fun, fun.

The Miami Hurricanes, completing their fervent campaign to retain their No. 1 national ranking with a perfect 11-0 regular-season record, defeated Faulk and his San Diego State teammates, 39-12.

Faulk, the one SDSU weapon that fired, fired again and then fired some more, was not in a mood to have any fun at all. This was in spite of the fact that Faulk rushed for 154 yards to become the first freshman to lead the NCAA in either rushing or scoring . . . and he did both.

“It feels kind of good,” he said, “but I just don’t feel happy. I can’t celebrate, so it’s no fun. You have to have it all or you don’t have it at all.”

Offensively, SDSU did not have it all. Indeed, it had little of what it had two weeks ago in that 52-52 tie against Brigham Young. The Aztecs lamented blowing a 28-point lead in that game. Against the nasty Hurricanes, they never, ever, had any semblance of a lead. They struggled so hard to stay close and then maybe get close and then it was hopeless.

Miami, you see, totally defused the bomb, SDSU’s weapon of choice against BYU. The Aztecs scored on plays of 75, 79 and 80 yards against BYU. They got one touchdown against Miami on a 24-yard pass from David Lowery to Merton Harris. That was it.

How? Why?

“It was a whole different defensive scheme,” Coach Al Luginbill said. “Scheme and talent.”

Talent?

You can write TALENT in capital letters. Defense is what makes Miami No. 1. Offenses, good offenses, say they like to take what they are given. Miami’s defense takes away what you like to do.

“They play a cover-2,” said Faulk.

“That’s two safeties deep,” said Lowery. “You can’t throw deep because the safeties are so far back. You throw deep and the safeties make the play.”

How far back?

If you were still sitting in Fort Lauderdale Saturday night, you probably could have seen them. SDSU did not have a chance in the world of getting its burners--Patrick Rowe, Darnay Scott or Faulk--deep on a pass pattern. They could run forever and a Miami safety would be there.”

Did I say run?

“Usually,” Faulk said, “you see one corner (you might pick on) or one safety or one linebacker. These guys are all fast. Their kicker is even fast.”

Miami could not take it all away from the Aztecs. It could not take away Marshall Faulk. But he was not going to be enough. Not even with those 154 yards, the most rushing yards against Miami since Florida State’s Sammie Smith rushed for 197 in 1987.

Folks just don’t run like that against the Hurricanes.

However, this Faulk ain’t no normal folk.

His freshman rushing total is 1,429, his average per game the highest in history. Two freshman running backs exceeded his total, though with a lower per-game average. Their names are Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett.

“That’s nice company,” he said. He sat thoughtfully for a second and then shook his head. “That’s great company.”

Indeed. And remember that Faulk did not officially start until Game 5 against Hawaii. He was in for the first offensive play of the first game because T.C. Wright, the first stringer, had exhausted himself with a lengthy punt return. And remember that Faulk missed 3 1/2 games because of injured ribs.

This young man is only going to get better.

“I’ve seen good backs,” said senior guard Jim Jennings, “but I’ve never seen one with the raw talent Marshall has. It’s scary.”

David Lowery, the quarterback whose trigger finger was amputated by Miami’s scheme and talent, will have two more years with Faulk in the backfield.

“It sounds good to me,” Lowery said. “He’s phenomenal.”

Marshall Faulk, a disarming fellow with the charm and humility of a former Aztec named Tony Gwynn, was the one weapon Miami could not, you guessed it, disarm. The whole Fort Lauderdale police department could not have done it, not with handcuffs and shackles.