Faulk Takes Kudos, Demands in Stride

Little children in royal blue and white were standing outside the San Diego State locker room Thursday night, brandishing pens and ticket stubs and programs.

And waiting.

They had seen something special, though maybe they had gotten some prompting by their parents. Regardless, they had seen someone special.

This someone, Marshall Faulk, had treated their hometown heroes, the Brigham Young Cougars, as rudely as anyone dare treat them in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains.

Faulk had run for 299 yards and three touchdowns as the Aztecs did something they had never previously done, which was to win in Provo. It wasn’t a gimme, as Aztec games never are. This one coming down to the final minute before they could freely breathe the clear mountain air and revel in a 45-38 victory over their longtime Western Athletic Conference nemesis.

No one had ever run for so many yards against the Cougars in their lair. And no team had beaten them here in five years.

Leave it to the Aztecs get over that blasted hump up here in the mountains. They got halfway there last Saturday in that 31-31 tie against USC, and they are now 1-0-1 after the toughest opening two games in the history of the program.

UCLA is next, of course, but that one is 15 days away.

It was nice to have time to savor this one.

However, savoring is not easy for Marshall Faulk these days. Those youngsters would have to wait awhile to secure his autograph. And he was the person they were awaiting. They looked at me like I was stupid when I asked them, in fact.

Faulk was occupied by The Media.

Marshall, you’re wanted on radio. No, you don’t have time to put on your other sock and your shoes.

Done with that?

Fine, you gotta go into this office. It’s the coaches’ office, but they’ve been cleared out to give you room. Not exactly space, mind you. The only place you seem to find space is on the football field.

“Hey,” said Al Luginbill as Faulk was being rushed past him, “you got a hug for the coach.”

Sure did. A hug and a smile.

This was a very big moment they were sharing together.

“Marshall’s my hero,” yelled quarterback David Lowery.

Indeed, Marshall Faulk may not exactly be a national hero, but he has become a national figure. This network needs him and that newspaper needs him and that tabloid needs him and that magazine needs him. This is what life is like when you are a 19-year-old sophomore and already an incumbent All-America.

One of the first questions to greet Luginbill had to do with what the nation must have thought of this latest performance.

“What else can he do?” Luginbill said. “Why does everybody keep asking questions about him. He’s a great player. Why does he have to keep proving himself. Give him credit and let him play.”

Heavens, the man was All-American as a freshman. Someone must be giving him credit.

“He’s the best football player in America, bar none,” Luginbill said. “I’m adamant about that.”

The best football player in America is usually voted this award called the Heisman Trophy. It doesn’t always go to the very best player, of course, because that’s such a subjective thing. It goes to the player the most people have seen and appreciated.

Games such as Thursday night’s increase the number of people who have seen and appreciated Marshall Faulk. Add 299 yards he gained against BYU to the 220 he gained against USC and that gives him 519 yards in two games against two of the most prominent football programs in the country.

If there were such things as early returns in the Heisman voting, it would be hard to imagine anyone ahead of Faulk.

Anyone who saw him outrun USC’s fastest defender en route to that 59-yard touchdown run down the right sideline last week probably didn’t need to see him run 65 yards through the middle of the BYU defense en route to another touchdown. His 10-yard scoring run, on which he left one Cougar on his face and outran another, was almost as impressive as the long one. Both those runs came in the third quarter, when he gained 165 yards on seven carries.

Faulk, naturally, was asked about this Heisman stuff.

“It’s great to get that attention,” he said. “It helps the team get national acclaim. People see Darnay Scott and David Lowery and a great offensive line and they’re going to see a great defense when they start clicking.”

He was hit with question after question. He was asked about outrunning people and what he looks for when he gets the ball and how it felt to beat BYU and how he seems to pick up speed in the second half.

Al Luginbill may have been the one guy in the place who wasn’t surprised at what Faulk always seems to do.

“Surprised?” he said incredulously. “Never. Not any more.”

Those youngsters were undoubtedly surprised. They looked like they might have been a mere one or two years old when last their heroes lost a WAC game at home in 1987. Enterprising and appreciative, they had another hero.

I don’t think any of them were Heisman voters.

The Marshall Faulk Watch

1991 SEASON

Date Opponent Att Yds TD Rec Yds TD Sept. 8 Long Beach State 11 39 1 1 5 0 Sept. 14 Pacific * 37 386 7 1 11 0 Sept. 21 at Air Force 25 114 2 0 0 0 Sept. 26 UCLA 15 79 1 0 0 0 Oct. 5 at Hawaii 22 212 5 0 0 0 Oct. 12 New Mexico ** 14 153 2 2 23 0 Nov. 9 Colorado State 30 174 1 3 17 0 Nov. 16 Brigham Young 20 118 2 6 116 2 Nov. 30 Miami 27 154 0 3 29 0 Dec. 30 Tulsa *** 30 157 1 9 42 0 1991 Totals 201 1429 21 17 201 2

*--NCAA single-game rushing record (since surpassed by Kansas’ Tony Sands) and NCAA single-game freshman rushing record.

**--Sustained two fractured ribs, collapsed lung in second quarter; missed next 3 games.

***--Freedom Bowl (not included in season totals).

1992 SEASON

Date Opponent Att Yds TD Rec Yds TD Sept. 5 USC 27 220 3 3 22 0 Sept. 10 Brigham Young 35 299 3 1 3 0