RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day 31: Marshall Faulk dismantles BYU (1992)
Marshall, Marshall, Marshall!
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Thank you for your support, and welcome to the final day of Running Back Respect Month, Vol. 3! Yesterday, Rashaan Salaam gave Colorado fans a memory they'll never forget when he clinched the 1994 Heisman Trophy. Let's have one more look at the RBRM calendar before we get started:
Today: Marshall Faulk vs. BYU (1992)
RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day 31: Marshall Faulk dismantles BYU (1992)
Marshall Faulk and San Diego State entered their 1992 week two game at BYU in a bad mood. Just ten months prior, the Aztecs stumbled against the Cougars in what should've been one of the most important wins in program history. Despite putting up 695 yards of total offense (234 and four touchdowns from Faulk), SDSU couldn't hold a 45-17 third quarter lead at home. Behind QB Ty Detmer's 599 yards passing and six TD, BYU rallied for a 52-52 tie that cost the Aztecs the WAC crown, and a trip to the Holiday Bowl. SDSU then lost their final two games to finish 8-4-1. It was a respectable season highlighted by Faulk's unbelievable output as a freshman, but one also remembered for what could have been. The beginning of the next season brought more of the same angst to San Diego.
With USC in town to start 1992, Faulk immediately shut down any notion of a sophomore slump. He gained 220 yards and scored three times on a Trojans defense featuring Willie McGinest and Jason Seahorn, among others:
Colton Denning
Unfortunately, SDSU's problems closing out opponents resurfaced. The Aztecs were gifted two potential game-winning field goal attempts in the final minute and missed both for a 31-31 tie. It's among the most baffling late-game sequences in college football history:
I can only assume Faulk was determined to not let it happen again five days later in a Thursday night rematch at BYU. He dismantled the No. 25 Cougars in front of a national audience, running for 299 yards (302 total) and three touchdowns. This time, the Aztecs held on for a 45-38 win:
For the younger members of the audience who aren't familiar with Marshall Faulk, I think this 65-yard TD run does a nice job explaining his game:
Even with Faulk's superhuman running, the Aztecs tried their best to revert to old habits. They held five separate double-digit leads, including three of 14 points in the second half - yet couldn't fully put BYU away. When they punted with under two minutes to play holding a tenuous 45-38 lead, it sure looked like they were about to let another one slip through their grasp. Mercifully, BYU helped them out:
Faulk then ran out the clock, putting the finishing touches on SDSU's first win in nine trips to Provo. It meant so much to the program that players were still celebrating out on the field an hour after the game ended. Asked about what it was like to defend Faulk, BYU's Dewey Gray put it best. "Everything they're saying about him is true....How would I suggest defending him? I would say lock him up in a room and don't let him play."
