As Woody Marks weighed his soccer future final winter, Darren Myles was frank together with his former working again. His physique of labor, he advised Marks, was an incomplete image of the participant Myles knew he could possibly be. 4 seasons at Mississippi State, enjoying in Mike Leach’s pass-happy Air Raid offense, proved Marks may catch passes out of the backfield. However he was typecast within the eyes of NFL scouts as a third-down, change-of-pace participant, incapable of carrying the load as a bruising again working between the tackles.
His highschool coach knew higher than that. Myles had seen it throughout 4 years at Carver Excessive in Atlanta. He watched as Marks stepped in because the starter earlier than his first sport as a freshman, taking the place of a senior who missed apply and by no means relinquishing the function.
Throughout 43 video games at Carver, Marks carried the offense on his again, toting the ball 614 occasions for 10 yards per carry. As a sophomore, he tallied 13 consecutive 100-yard video games. As a senior, he scored 23 touchdowns. By no means did he catch greater than a cross or two per sport.
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So the notion that Marks was pigeonholed as a cross catcher or seen as something lower than a three-down workhorse didn’t sit nicely with Myles. His recommendation? Discover an offense the place you would show who you’re.
Marks appears to have discovered that after which some at USC, the place he’s already established himself as one of many Large Ten’s most full backs. By 5 video games, Marks has carried the ball 81 occasions, sixth most of any working again within the convention. At his present tempo — greater than 16 per sport — he’s more likely to break his profession excessive in carries earlier than the tip of October.
That hasn’t precluded him from being a cross catcher, both. Marks is third on the group in catches with 19, simply two fewer than the Trojans’ high two receivers.
“He’s been exactly what we’d hoped he’d be at this point,” coach Lincoln Riley mentioned.
That feeling, his mom says, is mutual.
“He looks just like he did in high school,” Tameka Marks mentioned. “He’s showcasing it again, what he didn’t get to showcase the last four years at Mississippi State — that he can actually run!”
USC working again Woody Marks runs via Utah State security Jordan Vincent to attain a landing on the Coliseum on Sept. 7.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
Myles knew that to be true earlier than Marks made it to highschool. He was solely 13 years previous, nonetheless within the eighth grade, and weighed barely 155 kilos, however Myles, a former working again himself, may see Marks was a pure. He had the imaginative and prescient, the quickness, the instincts. Most of all, he was fearless. Even at his measurement, there wasn’t a tentative bone in his physique.
After 4 practices, Myles approached Tameka to inform her Woody in all probability would issue into the varsity roster as a freshman. By the primary week of soccer season the next fall, Marks already was the focus of Carver’s offense. The promotion had come after the senior incumbent missed a compulsory apply throughout fall break. Marks ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns in his stead.
“Right away, I moved that kid to slot receiver,” Myles mentioned. “Like, you’re gonna back up Woody Marks now.”
Marks averaged 12 yards per carry as a freshman, but was restricted to fewer than 10 carries per sport as Myles unfold the ball round in Carver’s offense. However by the tip of that season, Myles mentioned, Marks had mastered the zone-run ideas on the coronary heart of his offense, and as a sophomore, he exploded for two,127 yards in 13 video games.
USC working again Woody Marks celebrates after scoring the profitable landing towards LSU on Sept. 1.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
By then, Myles knew he may lean on Marks, if wanted. He hardly ever acquired greater than 20 carries in a sport, however in consecutive playoff wins over Jones Excessive and Flowery Department, Marks put the offense on his again, tallying greater than 200 yards speeding.
“Once he got past the linebacker, it was over,” Myles mentioned. “You talk about having a running back with wide receiver speed. Once he gets to the second level, he’s gone. You’re not catching him.”
Gives rolled in from throughout the nation — in every single place, it appeared, however Georgia, the native faculty soccer energy, whose employees had requested Myles if Marks would contemplate altering to fit receiver.
“It bothered him,” Myles mentioned. “But it motivated him to work even harder.”
And with extra work, Myles trusted Marks much more to hold them.
Throughout one sport, as a senior, Carver misplaced its quarterback to a hip-pointer damage. With solely an inexperienced freshman left on the place, Myles pivoted to run your entire offense via Marks.
For the second half, practically each play went via the working again, who even lined up for some direct snaps as a wildcat quarterback. By then, the protection knew what was coming most performs. Inside zone. Exterior zone. Inside zone. And on and on.
“They were stacking the box,” Myles mentioned. “It didn’t matter.”
USC working again Woody Marks drags LSU security Dashawn Spears into the tip zone for a landing on Sept. 1.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
Marks dedicated to Mississippi State about eight months earlier than the coach he dedicated to, Joe Moorhead, was fired. Into his place stepped Leach, whose repute for largely ignoring the run preceded him. The household weighed whether or not Marks can be higher suited elsewhere. However he’d already made his pledge. He caught with it.
And over 4 years at Mississippi State, three of which had been underneath Leach, Marks by no means rushed for greater than 582 yards in a season. In 45 video games, he acquired greater than a dozen carries simply eight occasions and solely twice ran for greater than 100 yards.
Dropping Leach, who died instantly in late 2022, solely muddied Marks’ function. He thought-about transferring however in the end selected to remain in Starkville. Then a hamstring damage late within the 2023 season sapped Marks of his standard burst.
If not for the damage, he may’ve declared for the draft proper then, his mom mentioned. Potential brokers advised them he’d be picked within the center rounds, maybe as excessive because the third. However they questioned if one other 12 months, in the proper offense, may alter that trajectory.
A number of faculties had the identical thought, amongst them Georgia, which apparently had gotten over its hang-ups about Marks’ measurement. However the match with Riley, an Air Raid protege of Leach, felt seamless. Marks already was conversant in many of the offense’s zone-run ideas.
“He’s been doing those things since he was 13 years old,” Myles mentioned.
It’s no marvel then that his influence at USC has been so instantaneous. Marks already has extra 100-yard video games (three) at USC than he did in all of his time at Mississippi State. And as defenses have tried to remove dynamic performs downfield, he’s been referred to as upon much more, having touched the ball 47 occasions during the last two video games.
“Everything [Riley] told us about how he would use him,” Tameka mentioned, “we’re seeing it every game.”
Marks’ function truly may stand to develop from right here, with Large Ten defenses daring Riley to run, certain to observe an analogous blueprint to what labored for Minnesota final Saturday. Marks was on his approach to a profession day till the ultimate 11 minutes, when he didn’t contact the ball a single time.
Nonetheless, there’s little doubt at USC that it has a three-down again at its disposal, one able to grinding away Large Ten video games in a manner it desperately will want down the stretch.
Although, Marks isn’t certain he’s lived as much as that simply billing but.
“I really think I haven’t proven a lot,” Marks mentioned. “We hold ourselves to a higher standard. We’re going to get to that.”
