The only thing left for Marcus Mariota to win at Oregon is the national championship.
The Ducks’ star quarterback is The Associated Press college football
player of the year, adding yet another honor to his spectacular season.
Mariota won the AP vote in the same landslide fashion he won the
Heisman Trophy. He received 49 of the 54 votes submitted by the AP Top
25 media panel. Alabama receiver Amari Cooper drew three votes.
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Florida State quarterback
Jameis Winston had one vote each.
Mariota is the first Oregon player to win AP player of the year,
which was first awarded in 1998, and the eighth quarterback to win it in
the last nine years.
The junior has also won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp player of
the year, and the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award,
which go to the top quarterbacks in the country.
Oregon will face Florida State and last year’s Heisman winner and AP
player of the year, Winston, in the College Football Playoff semifinals
on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl. The winner will face Alabama or Ohio State
in the national championship game Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in North
Texas.
With his combination of speed and a strong arm, Mariota is a play of the day waiting to happen.
He set a Pac-12 record by accounting for 53 touchdowns, including 38
TD passes. He is the highest rated passer in the country (186.33) and
has thrown for 3,783 yards and just two interceptions.
“He’s an absolute competitor, an incredible perfectionist,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said.
Here are a few of the most memorable Mariota moments from 2014:
THE SHOVEL: In what was perhaps the biggest
nonconference game of the season, Michigan State had Oregon in trouble
in the second half. It was 27-18 Spartans midway through the third
quarter and the Ducks were facing a third-and-10 after having already
punted away their first two second-half possessions.
Michigan State collapsed the pocket around Mariota, who eluded three
defenders, slipping and stepping around a mess of Spartans around his
feet. Mariota stumbled out of the pocket and pushed a pass to Royce
Freeman, who went for 17 yards.
That drive ended soon after with a touchdown. And so did the next
Oregon drive. And the next one. The Ducks went on to win 46-27.
SCOOP AND SCORE: As good as Mariota is, a little
luck helps. Against UCLA, the Ducks were dominating when Mariota was
driving them toward another score in the third quarter. He faked a
handoff and the ball slipped from his hand and hit the turf. The ball
bounced back into Mariota’s hands and he secured it on the go — like a
dribble drive — bursting into an untouched sprint to the end zone from
23 yards out.
DUCK TOUGH: Oregon’s rout of Stanford, Mariota’s
first win after two losses to the Cardinal, had plenty of flashy plays
from Hawaii native. Still, it was an 8-yard run early in the second
quarter on a third-and-5 around midfield which said more about Mariota
than any of the big gains and great throws.
The Stanford losses called into question the Ducks’ toughness. On
this play it was Mariota busting through a tackle and dragging a
Stanford defender for a first down that led to a touchdown. At that
point it was obvious Oregon was done being pushed around by the
Cardinal. The final: 45-16 Ducks
.
BURNING ARIZONA: From Oregon’s first big game of the
season to its latest. The Ducks and Mariota had already jumped out to a
huge lead against Arizona and Mariota assured there would be no miracle
comebacks in the Pac-12 championship.
As he did against Michigan State, Mariota escaped a crumbling pocket
and rolled to his right with his eyes down field. On the move, he
stepped into a long twisting throw that hit Darren Carrington in the
numbers for a 46-yard gain.
Source: http://khon2.com/2014/12/23/oregons-marcus-mariota-is-ap-player-of-the-year/
Friday, December 26, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Marcus Mariota wins Heisman Trophy In A Landslide
The Ducks' understated star won the Heisman on Saturday night going away, capping a three-year climb to college football's most prestigious individual award.
"I'm humbled to be standing here today," Mariota said, reading an acceptance speech he had a hard time getting through without choking up.
A pinpoint passer with wide receiver speed, Mariota came into his junior season as the favorite to win the 80th Heisman and delivered a performance that turned the presentation ceremony at a theater in Times Square into a foregone conclusion.
Mariota received twice as many points as second-place finisher Melvin Gordon, the record-breaking running back out of Wisconsin. The other finalist, Alabama receiver Amari Cooper, was third.
Mariota received the second-highest percentage of possible points (90.92) in Heisman history, behind only Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, who had 91.63 in 2006. Southern California tailback Reggie Bush received 91.77 percent of possible points in 2005, but his victory was later vacated for violating NCAA rules.
In the inaugural College Football Playoff, Mariota and the No. 2 Ducks will take on 2013 Heisman winner Jameis Winston (who finished sixth in this year's voting) and No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on Jan. 1, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will be the fourth meeting between players who already had won Heismans and first since Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford in the 2009 BCS Championship Game.
Read more: Marcus Mariota wins Heisman Trophy In A Landslide
Friday, December 12, 2014
Eagles Coach Chip Kelly Gushes About No. 1 NFL Draft Prospect Marcus Mariota
Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly recruited Marcus Mariota and coached him in his first season as a starter at Oregon.
Mariota is now the No. 1 prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he's widely expected to win the Heisman Trophy.
On Thursday, Kelly gushed about Mariota at a press conference.
He said he knew he'd win a Heisman since he was a freshman:
I had nothing to do with Marcus’ [development]. When he was a freshman, I remarked, ‘This kid is going to win the Heisman.’ He's a special young man and he's a hell of a football player and he deserves it. But I don't think it's any impact that I had. The type of kid that he is, he had an impact on everybody that had an opportunity to coach him. I’m sure [Oregon Head Coach] Mark Helfrich and [Oregon offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach] Scott Frost would tell you the same thing. He’s just a special young man and very deserving of the award.
He called him the most talented player he ever coached at the college level:
He's just got a gift for playing football. He's everything you want: he can throw the ball, he can run. He's the most talented kid that I coached in college.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chip-kelly-gushes-about-marcus-mariota-2014
Mariota is now the No. 1 prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he's widely expected to win the Heisman Trophy.
On Thursday, Kelly gushed about Mariota at a press conference.
He said he knew he'd win a Heisman since he was a freshman:
I had nothing to do with Marcus’ [development]. When he was a freshman, I remarked, ‘This kid is going to win the Heisman.’ He's a special young man and he's a hell of a football player and he deserves it. But I don't think it's any impact that I had. The type of kid that he is, he had an impact on everybody that had an opportunity to coach him. I’m sure [Oregon Head Coach] Mark Helfrich and [Oregon offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach] Scott Frost would tell you the same thing. He’s just a special young man and very deserving of the award.
He called him the most talented player he ever coached at the college level:
He's just got a gift for playing football. He's everything you want: he can throw the ball, he can run. He's the most talented kid that I coached in college.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chip-kelly-gushes-about-marcus-mariota-2014
Mariota Wins Walter Camp Award
Marcus Mariota was the big winner at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday night in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Marcus Mariota is the first Oregon player to win the Walter Camp Award. He's also the first Duck to take home the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.
The star Oregon quarterback took home the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding player and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, in addition to winning the Walter Camp player of the year award.
"It's surreal. It's surreal. It really all is," Mariota said. "Growing up as a kid you always kind of see these award shows. To say that I'm a part of really this fraternity ... it's really just a blessing."
Mariota said the accolades cap a long personal journey.
"Being from Hawaii, being kinda quiet and reserved to now being a little more vocal and being a part of a special team, it's come a long way for me. It's all been such a blessing," Mariota said.
The soft-spoken QB said he has his coaches and teammates to thank for his growth.
"[My teammates] asked me to kinda step up and be vocal and understand that my words can be powerful. ... It's been an ongoing process for me and I've definitely come a long way with it," he said.
Mariota is the first player from Oregon to win each of the three awards. The junior also is a Heisman Trophy finalist and the front-runner to win that award Saturday (8 p.m., on ESPN) in New York.
Seven of the past eight O'Brien winners have gone on to win the Heisman.
"That's the first time I've heard of [that trend]," he said. "I don't know how to explain it. It's pretty cool and we'll see what happens."
Mariota leads the nation in passing efficiency (186.3) and accounted for a Pac-12-record 53 touchdowns, including 38 scoring passes. The junior led the Ducks to the inaugural College Football Playoff, where they are the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 Florida State on Jan. 1.
Source: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/
Marcus Mariota is the first Oregon player to win the Walter Camp Award. He's also the first Duck to take home the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.
The star Oregon quarterback took home the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding player and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, in addition to winning the Walter Camp player of the year award.
"It's surreal. It's surreal. It really all is," Mariota said. "Growing up as a kid you always kind of see these award shows. To say that I'm a part of really this fraternity ... it's really just a blessing."
Mariota said the accolades cap a long personal journey.
"Being from Hawaii, being kinda quiet and reserved to now being a little more vocal and being a part of a special team, it's come a long way for me. It's all been such a blessing," Mariota said.
The soft-spoken QB said he has his coaches and teammates to thank for his growth.
"[My teammates] asked me to kinda step up and be vocal and understand that my words can be powerful. ... It's been an ongoing process for me and I've definitely come a long way with it," he said.
Mariota is the first player from Oregon to win each of the three awards. The junior also is a Heisman Trophy finalist and the front-runner to win that award Saturday (8 p.m., on ESPN) in New York.
Seven of the past eight O'Brien winners have gone on to win the Heisman.
"That's the first time I've heard of [that trend]," he said. "I don't know how to explain it. It's pretty cool and we'll see what happens."
Mariota leads the nation in passing efficiency (186.3) and accounted for a Pac-12-record 53 touchdowns, including 38 scoring passes. The junior led the Ducks to the inaugural College Football Playoff, where they are the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 Florida State on Jan. 1.
Source: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Welcome To The Marcus Mariota News Blog
Marcus Mariota is set to become the next great quarterback to enter the National Football League. This site is dedicated to bring you the latest news and updates on his storied career. Please check back soon as we build the site.
Thanks for visiting, we'll see you again soon.
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