Faulk Tries to Stay Cool Under Pressure

The Heisman hype continues to be heaped on San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk. And perhaps now, the heap is slowing him down.

These days, each time the 19-year-old running back picks up a newspaper or watches a sports report on television, “Faulk” and “Heisman” jump at him like blitzing safeties.

The quiet kid from the New Orleans projects might as well be carrying the trophy in his backpack to class. He watches SportsCenter on ESPN, where Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham says he already has bagged it.

SDSU’s sophomore sensation rushed for 129 yards on 29 carries Saturday, but the Aztecs were upset by Air Force, 20-17--beaten for the 10th time by the Falcons in 13 meetings.

Faulk, his stock suddenly being challenged by Georgia’s Garrison Hearst, failed to score a touchdown for only the second time in his 16-game Aztec career. ESPN televised the game nationally, cameras propped at all angles ready to capture another highlight clip--a big touchdown run of, say, 60, 50 or 40 yards. At least 30.

It didn’t happen. In front of 36,892 who picked Faulk and Co. over Game 6 of the World Series, Faulk’s longest gain 18 yards. It has been 22 days since his last long run, a 53-yard effort at New Mexico on Oct. 3.

Faulk knows what people are thinking. Are the hype and the pressure are beginning to slow him down?

“I just sit back and let things come to me, and if it happens, it happens,” said Faulk. “I’ll just keep hitting it in there.”

Despite the loss and getting X-rayed for a possible hip injury (results were negative), Faulk’s mood was upbeat. He smiled; he didn’t appear dissatisfied with another night of 4.5-yards per carry, blue-collar work.

“It’s fun,” said Faulk of the Heisman derby. “Sometimes the expectation level is very high. It’s a challenge.”

Still, there are those who wouldn’t want to be in his shoes, like Air Force safety Carlton McDonald, the 1991 Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year. McDonald, who met Faulk and became fast friends during the summer, thinks the shoes might be getting too tight.

“I think that would be too much attention (for me),” said McDonald. “People expect him to go out every week and run for 200 yards. And that’s a lot of pressure on a guy.”

Faulk hasn’t done that since the New Mexico game, where he rushed for exactly 200. The longest run he has broken off in 73 carries since that 53-yard touchdown: 21 yards.

In that time, the media have put Hearst into the Heisman picture. Hearst and Faulk were the first two backs to gain 1,000 yards this season. Faulk has 1,122. Hearst, with 171 yards against Kentucky on Saturday, has 1,232 and 16 touchdowns for the season.

After Faulk exploded into the season with 220 yards against USC, ESPN went out and solicited testimony from such NFL luminaries as Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Emmitt Smith, Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Herschel Walker and others. All swore by Faulk in a neat little production called “Faulk Talk.”

“He’s a human being,” said SDSU quarterback David Lowery. “He’s getting a lot of pressure from the media. He got off to a fast start. You can’t expect the guy to get 200 yards every game.”

“I don’t think I’m special,” said Faulk, shrugging and smiling. “I’m just one of the guys.”

In the Air Force locker room, McDonald shook his head.

“He’s a nice guy,” McDonald said. “We went to the clubs together. I think people right now--not to be disrespectful--see him kind of like a god.”