RB Respect Month, Day 14: Marshall Faulk vs. USC (1992)

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Welcome to day 14 of Running Back Respect Month™! Yesterday, Derrick Henry expanded his kingdom to College Station. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:

Today: Marshall Faulk vs. USC (1992)

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Something I started doing for this project that I've never done on my videos before is including clips that may not involve the player the video is about. For example, the start of each video this month has been the TV Broadcast intro if it's available. Here's today's:

I've also ended the videos with the final play of each game, a 'player of the game' read if it's about the running back, or –in the case of the Herschel Walker video– a late play that won it. That's all a convoluted and hipster way of me saying I'm trying to give you an overall feel for what happened in the game, and the atmosphere in it - outside of just the best plays from the running back we're discussing. Make sense?

With that out of the way, I'm begging you to watch through the end of today's video to see how this game ends. (If you don't already know.) I'm doing my best to not spoil it, but it really is something you have to see to believe. Other than that? This simply a divine performance from a Hall of Fame running back. Here's Marshall Faulk galloping through USC in 1992, and an all-time wild ending to a game:

Faulk's 242-yard (220 rushing) three-touchdown game against the Trojans to kick off 1992 was merely a continuation of what he'd done the year before. As a true freshman, he ran for 1,429 yards with 23 total TD, and set a then-single-game NCAA record with 386 yards and seven touchdowns against Pacific in just his second game:

Oh, and he also became just the third true freshman selected as an AP All-American, joining some guys named "Tony Dorsett" and "Herschel Walker" - whoever they are ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Faulk was the real deal, and what he did against USC only further validated his decision to spurn the bigger programs who recruited him to play defensive back instead of running back. His most memorable play was a 59-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, but his best were back-to-back carries two drives prior:

Faulk wasn't just a speed back who would make you miss. He had vision, power, and patience, as well. Trusting one defender to tackle him in open space was a recipe for disaster. It's not like USC's defense was terrible, either. They had future NFLers Willie McGinest and Jason Seahorn, and still couldn't contain him! Faulk did more of the same to every defense he faced in 1992, running for 1,630 yards and 15 touchdowns, finishing second in the Heisman to a dubious winner in Miami's Gino Torretta:

Regardless, Faulk was a monster in 1992 and somehow even better in 1993. He gained 2,174 total yards (1,530 rushing, 644 receiving) scored 24 touchdowns, and finished fourth in Heisman voting. After that, he was taken with the second pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. His resume at that level speaks for itself:

Faulk is one of the best running backs in the history of football –college or pro– and I think it's safe to say he made the right decision choosing San Diego State so he could run the rock instead of playing corner at a blueblood.

BONUS CONTENT:

There were multiple camera shots on this broadcast of Faulk talking with who I assumed was his position coach. It took me a second, but then I realized, "Holy shit, that's Sean Payton!"

Sure enough, Payton was SDSU's Running Backs Coach from 1992-1993 before taking the Miami (Ohio) Offensive Coordinator job in 1994. The world is a small place, but the world of football is miniscule.