First day on awards circuit a surreal experience for Oregons Marcus Mariota and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu By Andrew Greif | agreif@oregonian December 10, 2014 at 7:43 PM LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Before he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, Marcus Mariota was taking a final. Before word officially came Monday afternoon, Mariota called the possibility of being invited to New York City for Saturdays Heisman ceremony the fulfillment of a dream. A realization delayed, as it were, by an online exam. So as the world turned its attention to Mariota and finalists running back Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin and receiver Amari Cooper of Alabama, the attention of Oregons junior quarterback was on a test covering special education for children with developmental disabilities. I was just sitting on my couch and was getting text messages from family members, Mariota said Wednesday from Disney Worlds Boardwalk Resort. I only found out after the final was done. It will go down as a rare private moment for a quarterback who will be afforded few respites for the next month, as the third-seeded Ducks (12-1) prepare for the College Football Playoff, and certainly the next week, as he is trotted up the East Coast along the awards circuit. If Mariota — who has called overcoming his shyness one of his most difficult challenges of college — wins the Davey OBrien and Maxwell Awards on Thursday at a college football awards show from this resort, or claims the first Heisman in Ducks history on Saturday from midtown New York, his reaction will be seen live by millions. Everything thats going on right now, Mariota said, is surreal. It was a well-chosen word to describe Wednesdays scene. Then again, it came from the player whose status as the Heismans heavy favorite stems from his knack for finding just the right play at the right time. After leaving on a 6 a.m. flight from Eugene on Wednesday, Mariota and teammate Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, the senior cornerback who is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, were two of nearly two dozen players from across the country nominated for national awards who spent the first hours of a whirlwind weekend taking questions for a half-hour in a hotel conference room. Some, like Utah punter Tom Hackett, drew scant interest. Mariota attracted a horde, with a dozen reporters crowded around a table awaiting his responses to uniforms (Mr. (Phil) Knight has been very good to us) his Jan. 1 playoff semifinal against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston (Hes one of those great players in college) and his well-chronicled humility (I really dont like talking about myself). When he and Mariota each chose to return to school last winter for another season with the Ducks, they cited their opportunities to earn degrees and new memories as college students. And this week, with finals at Oregon and awards on the other side of the country, has certainly provided opportunities for both. For example: Before they left their media session via a back hallway -- Mariota to meet with his family and Ekpre-Olomu to dinner at the ESPN Zone -- they posed in Disney hats. Ekpre-Olomu chose the Mickey Mouse ears. Mariota, after some deliberation, picked a Donald Duck hat, then draped his right arm around Mickey Mouse for pictures. This is a pretty new experience for a lot of us, Mariota said. Just cherishing these moments. They come around once in a lifetime and enjoy it. Easy for him to say. Though Ekpre-Olomu has already turned in two papers for his folklore class earlier this week, he has an exam for Introduction to Law awaiting him at 5 p.m. Friday back in Eugene. Its not too tough but you definitely still have to study, he said. Mariotas tour is just beginning, however. Mariota will be feted Friday in Baltimore at a ceremony for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which he won Monday. His Heisman obligations begin the next day and could last until Monday night, when the winner typically tapes appearances on light-night television programs and is celebrated at a gala near Times Square in Manhattan. But with his family with him and his final behind, Mariota breezed through his commitments Wednesday with a polish belying how much he used to dread facing such attention. Its an opportunity to relax and reflect a little bit about the season, he said. For the most part, take a couple days away to get ready for the long haul, and get ready for the big preparation. At one point during the afternoon, a Florida reporter reminded Mariota that he was only an hour east of Tampa, the city whose Buccaneers, by the way, might just get the No. 1 pick in next springs NFL draft. What did he think about having his name fill the talk-radio airwaves in a city 3,000 miles from Autzen Stadium? Its still pretty surreal to me, Mariota said.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 04:52:53 +0000
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