EUGENE, Ore. “”mdash; When tailback Maurice Drew went down last
week with a badly sprained ankle, there was the question of how
UCLA would make up the 100-plus yards he normally averages.
Saturday, true freshman tailback Chris Markey answered that
question.
Markey led the Bruins with a career high of over 200 all-purpose
yards and propelled UCLA to one of its biggest wins of the season.
To even be placed in a position to make such an impact was a
blessing for the third-string running back.
“A couple months ago, I didn’t think I would even be
playing,” said Markey, who was not on most programs’
recruiting radar before his standout senior season at Jesuit High
School in New Orleans. “I didn’t know if I was going to
redshirt or not. I came in and I didn’t know what was going
to happen, but I just wanted to give it my best effort every
game.”
With Drew out, Markey relished every touch, and he had plenty of
them.
“I knew that Maurice probably couldn’t go and that I
might get a lot of carries,” said Markey, who finished with
131 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards. “So I wanted to
take advantage of it the best way I know how.”
Until this point in the season, Markey had seen limited action
in seven games. Though he gained what at the time was a season-high
80 yards on five carries against Arizona State, he mustered only 17
yards on five carries last week against Washington State.
Against the Ducks, Markey eclipsed his previous career-high mark
by halftime, and by the end of the game he led the team in rushing
yards, number of carries and receptions. He also had one kickoff
return for 23 yards.
“Obviously (Markey) is a gifted runner,” offensive
coordinator Tom Cable said. “Gosh, it’s kind of nice he
plays on our team. We needed someone to step up because Maurice
(Drew) wasn’t going to play. Both he and (running back)
Manuel White did that.”
The recipe of Markey and White proved invaluable as the two
combined for 43 of the teams’ 56 rushing attempts. The pair
also fed off each other in the red zone.
Late in the first quarter, a 29-yard run by Markey ““ his
longest of the day ““ put UCLA three yards from the goal line.
Next White ran it up the middle into the end zone. In the second
quarter Markey had a 50-yard reception off a screen pass that put
UCLA at the two-yard line, setting up another touchdown by White to
put the Bruins ahead by 14 points.
“Manuel (White) and Chris Markey did a good job,”
coach Karl Dorrell said. “Markey is a good young
player.”
For the true freshman who is still acclimating to college
football’s raucous atmosphere, playing in front of tens of
thousands of fans was an overwhelming experience during his
breakout game.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced
before,” said Markey, who as a high school senior totaled
2,837 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns. “Coming right out of
high school, crowds were never this big and stadiums were never
this loud.”
Yet with over 200 yards total offense, Markey did a good job
quieting them by the end.