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Show page a THE HERALD, fttnra, Utah, Football Section, Wednesday, August 26, 1992 Faulk at SDSU by chance, but success no accident Faulk admits, he probably would By JOHN MOSSMAN AP Sports Writer be a SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) It was totally by chance that Marshall Faulk wound up at San Diego State, totally by chance that he found himself at running back. But given those circumstances, it was no accident what the remarkable Faulk accomplished in his freshman season last fall. Faulk became the first freshman ever to lead the nation in rushing and scoring, having run for 1,429 yards and 21 touchdowns despite missing three games at with two broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He averaged 158.8 yards per game, breaking the NCAA record for freshmen set by Georgia's Her-schWalker in 1980, and 7.1 yards per carry. He saw his first significant action in the second game of the season against Pacific, replacing injured starter T.C. Wright late in the first quarter and carrying 37 386 times for an NCAA-recor- d .4 J yards (since broken) and seven touchdowns. For those who scoffed at Faulk's startling statistics because of San Diego State's modest competition, he proved he was for real by rushing for 154 yards in the season-final- e the most against Miami against the Hurricane defense since Florida State's Sammie Smith gained 184 yards in 1987. After leading SDSU to an record, Faulk became just the third freshman ever to be selected an Associated Press first-teathe others also were running backs, Walker and Pitt's Tony Dorsett. Not unexpectedly, Faulk was the media favorite during the Western Athletic Conference Football Media Kickoff here Sat-1 m urday. All of which almost certainly wouldn't have happened had Faulk not mailed the wrong tape to San Diego State recruiters. n Faulk, a player at Carver High School in New Orleans, considered scholarship ofmulti-positio- fers from Miami, Notre Dame, Nebraska, LSU and Texas A&M. He cho; San Diego State a school he really wasn't familiar with because that school agreed he would have an opportunity to play running back. The others wanted him as a cornerback, which more closely suited his size at the 180 pounds). time cornerback n somewhere today, instead of a solid candidate to become the first sophomore ever to win the Heis-ma- n Trophy. He finished ninth in the Heisman voting last year, and he is No. 2 among the returning players this year. What can he possibly do for an 1 real hard," he said. "No one expected me to do what I did, including me. This year, I'm concentrating on setting team goals. We want to win the WAC, beat our two Pac-1- 0 opponents (USC and UCLA) and beat Miami. If you achieve Marshall Faulk And what a fortuitous mixup it was. for the Aztecs. The offense- - 5$ up ones usually fall in line. "I don't recall Desmond Howard leading in any statistical categories last year, and he won the Heisman. He helped his team win in a tremendous way . ' ' Faulk also believes the Heisman Trophy won in 1990 by another er WAC player, Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer, will help his chances. If SDSU coaches had any doubts about Faulk playing running back, they didn't last long. The first time he touched the ball in the team's first scrimmage last fall, Faulk ran inside, found a traffic jam and bounced outside for a gain. "We knew right then we had something special," head coach Al Luginbill said. The Faulk has been clocked in the 4.3-4.- 4 range (See FAULK, Page 22) do.'" Faulk, of course, won out. "I knew I could play running back better than cornerback," he said. "I feel more comfortable there, and 1 think you play better at the position where you feel most comfortable. It was tough to pass schools, but I up those top-1- 0 wanted to play where I could be fKLli p7 your team goals, your personal oriented tape convinced SDSU that tailFaulk was a college-calibback. It helped that the Aztecs ran a one-bac- k offense, the same type that Faulk was accustomed to in high school. "My high school coach (Wayne Reese) kept telling me what a great opportunity it would be to play for Miami or Nebraska as a corner-back,- " Faulk recalls. "I kept telling him, 'But coach, San Diego runs the one-bac- k just like we 35-ya- rd Had he not sent that wrong tape. Photo: San Diego State SDSU's Heisman Trophy hopeful Marshall Faulk outruns pursuers. 197-pou- 0, happy." BACK TO SCHOOL DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND! IT S TIME YOU GOT A COMPUTER!!! 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"I thought it was the tape of a game we won in which I had three inter- game we lost in which I rushed for more than 200 yards and three or four touchdowns and had another touchdown receiving. It was just a 3 , mid-seas- el little-know- PACKAGE INCLUDES: MS DOS 5.0 MS WINDOWS SPREADSHEET 3.1 574 No. State Orem, Utah WORD PROCESSOR ALTECH COMPUTER 0 SYSTEMS s 51 West Center Street Orem 225-930- 5 Reg. 449.95 224-99- 1 Vn trucua and commeroii vgncies by wianw Run Hours: Mon - Fri 8-- 6 1 npn md bodywo frt J |