Canzano: Marcus Mariota, too nice? That guy just cut out Stanfords heart By John Canzano | JohnCanzano@iCloud November 01, 2014 at 11:26 PM EUGENE — Early last November, in the minutes after Oregons loss to the Cardinal, Toa Mariota, made his way through the tunnel at Stanford Stadium, found a shadow outside the door to the visiting locker room and waited for his son, Marcus. Marcus Mariota played hurt that night, maybe 60 percent. Anyone who saw the Ducks quarterback refusing to run with open field in front of him, hobbling around the backfield, dragging his bad leg like a cane, knew it on sight. When Marcus saw his father that night, he fell into his arms, and burst into tears. The two men hugged, and sobbed. And on Saturday, as Oregon pasted Stanford 45-16, its that father-son scene I couldnt shake. Weve witnessed for months now, the kindness of Mariota. Weve heard what a great teammate he is. We saw him stop to talk to children visiting from a hospital after the loss to Arizona earlier this season. Weve heard from another hospital patient who received a jersey from the quarterback, and we know he gives homeless people bottles of water and energy bars. That stuff makes Mariota a great person. His athleticism makes him a great performer. But its that tender scene with his father and the ensuing whipping he dealt to the Cardinal on Saturday that makes him a great competitor — maybe the greatest in college football. When Marcus gets to the point where hes yelling, Ducks receiver and special teams player, Austin Daich, said, youd better listen up. Mariota had two good legs against Stanford on Saturday. He pummeled the Cardinal with them. He lashed Stanford with his arm, too. He ran for two touchdowns, and threw for two scores. His 258 passing yards werent mind-blowing. His 19 of 30 passing night wasnt perfect. In fact, he threw an interception on what might have been his worst play of the season. But it wasnt Mariota, the quarterback, who did the most damage. It was Mariota, the competitor. Even if he wouldnt say it. I guess I would have looked back after leaving here and regretted not beating them, he said. Hes soft selling it. I saw Mariota with his father that night. In 20 years of doing this job, Ive not witnessed a more authentic demonstration of pure emotion from an athlete. It was heart-wrenching, after the 26-20 loss that night, to watch Mariota wipe away the tears, his left knee in a brace (sprained MCL), and attempt to accept responsibility for an 8-0 record that melted into 8-1. All that, unfinished business, talk after he announced he was coming back for a junior season felt hinged to that long night. On Saturday, Mariota punished Stanford. Not for beating him last season. But because this season they stood in his way. Thats what a fierce competitor does. You can point to an offensive line that played physical, and running backs who ran with alacrity, but in the end, Mariota was the biggest difference between Oregon and Stanford. So much so, that if you swapped him and Kevin Hogan before kickoff, Id give the Ducks no chance to win. That uncharacteristic interception he threw? It was only the second this season for Mariota. It was just the 12th of his college career. And coach Mark Helfrich explained after that it came, he thought, because Mariota is so advanced, he sometimes tries to run the receivers route with his throw. He called him, Mariota 5.05. As if Mariota is a fifth-generation model of himself. Watching the replay, you could see the Stanford safety hanging over the top of the route and Mariota trying to make his receiver settle into the hole beyond the linebackers by under-throwing the pass. Receiver kept running. Trailing defender didnt. After the Mariota interception, Autzen Stadium hushed. What was this? A pick? A gift to the opponent from Mr. Nice Guy? It was as if everyone expected trumpets, and locusts, and horsemen to come next. The Ducks not only improved their case to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, but did so with the necessary style points. This is a beauty pageant now, and the Ducks were smiling, and posing, tiara in place. UO pinned 45 points on a Stanford program that hadnt given up as many since Oct. 2012 (vs. Arizona) in an overtime win. Nice guy, this Mariota? You bet. After the game, Daich, a walk-on, redshirt sophomore, told a story about meeting Mariota for the first time a few years earlier. Their lockers were located directly across from each other. Daich had come from a small high school in Watsonville, California, an agricultural community with migrant workers and artichokes and lockers that are so small, Daich said, I couldnt fit my helmet inside. Mariota was the quarterback from Hawaii, a guy Oregon coveted. Daichs college choices came to this: A) a partial scholarship at San Jose State; or B) a chance to maybe play catch once in a while with Mariota. He chose Oregon. Mariota not only took the time to talk with Daich daily over the last few seasons, but Mariota even invited the walk-on to play golf alongside him. Even all the great stories you hear about him, you still dont feel like they can explain how good a person he is, Daich said. The Heisman thing, most guys would let that go to their heads. I wrote after the Arizona loss a month ago that Mariotas Heisman hopes were on the carpet at Autzen, in pieces. Wrong. The quarterback calmly collected the fragments and fashioned them into a sharpened spear that he just drove into Stanfords chest. Hes not only back, but the Heisman Trust should just give him the trophy now. The manner with which hes roared back says so much about him. The way hes followed that loss with consistency and grit, punctuates who he is. Maybe it was coincidental, but I received my initial contact envelope from the Heisman body 24 hours in front of the latest Mariota performance. I dont need to see another snap. This is the guy. He has my vote. The only thing anybody should be unsure of at this point is who to put No. 2 and 3 on the ballot. Last season, that Stanford loss, and that limited Mariota, was all the rest of the voting nation had to go on. This season, everyone who bothers to watch is seeing what Mariota is capable of on a regular basis. After Saturdays victory over Stanford, I saw Mariotas family waiting for him outside the locker room. He was inside, dressed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt, finishing his postgame interviews. He credited his offensive line, and his teammates, and said complimentary things about Stanford. Its not his legs, or his arm, that beats teams. Its not even his brain. Its his will. Mess with that, and you get the horns.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 19:15:00 +0000
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