Woody Marks continues to show that he is USC’s best offensive player

Tim Prangley, Trojans Wire

For the past week, the majority of the attention surrounding USC football has been dedicated to the quarterback position. With head coach Lincoln Riley opting to replace Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava prior to Saturday’s game against Nebraska, Maiava’s play was under a microscope the entire afternoon. On Saturday, however, we were treated to a reminder that the Trojans’ best offensive player is neither Moss, nor Maiava, nor any quarterback. Rather, it is star running back Woody Marks.

Against Nebraska, Marks delivered yet another impressive performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards. In addition, he caught six passes for 36 yards.

Marks has now gone over 100 yards rushing in six of USC’s ten games this season. On Saturday, he became the first Trojan to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Ronald Jones in 2017. (We should point out that Travis Dye was well on his way to surpassing the mark in 2022 prior to suffering a season-ending injury against Colorado with multiple games left in the season.)

Marks’s best play of the day came in the biggest moment. With under six minutes remaining in the game and USC leading 21-20, the Trojans faced a 4th and 1 from the Nebraska 47 yard line.

Marks decided to put the team on his back and take matters into his own hands. He cut through the defense and burst down the sideline for a 34-yard gain, giving the Trojans a first down at the Nebraksa 13 yard-line. Four plays later, USC was in the end zone with a much-needed insurance touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

On paper, that drive will go down as having ended with Maiava touchdown run. But don’t get things twisted: By far the most important play on that drive (and arguably of the game) belonged to Marks.

With the game in the balance, Lincoln Riley put the ball in the hands of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/woody-marks-continues-show-uscs-153758208.html

Author : Trojans Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-19 15:37:00

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