Inside College Football

Clarett Juggernaut  

Freshman Maurice Clarett has been a stunning success for Ohio State

By Ivan Maisel

In an era of spread offenses, the once-glamorous tailback is seldom the heart of the attack. Leave it to Ohio State, the school that has produced five Heisman Trophy-winning running backs, to find a freshman to rush the sixth-ranked Buckeyes back to the future. Maurice Clarett not only carried 31 times for 230 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 25-7 defeat of No. 10 Washington State, but he also started talk of a national championship in Columbus for the first time in four years. "Biggest adjustment he had," quipped Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, alluding to Clarett's seamless transition from high school, "was not carrying the ball every play."

Clarett shredded Washington State for 230 yards in just his third college game. Damian Strohmeyer

Funny thing, because Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel pulled Clarett aside last Thursday and said, "You think you can carry it 40 times on Saturday?" Clarett told him yes, and he showed plenty of stamina against the Cougars. Though he left the game in the second half after his 27th carry, Clarett returned three plays later and went around right end for 44 yards.

Clarett, who is third in the nation in rushing (157.0 yards per game) behind Joshua Cribbs of Kent State and Southern Mississippi's Derrick Nix, doesn't carry the ball as if he's someone who has played just three college games. With a quick, toothy smile in interviews, he doesn't carry himself like a rookie, either. One reason Clarett feels at home at Ohio State is that he graduated early from Warren G. Harding High in Warren, Ohio; enrolled at Ohio State last January; and went through spring practice. Another reason is Tressel. Clarett began attending the coach's summer camps at Youngstown State in grade school. When Tressel left Youngstown State in January 2001 after 15 seasons to come to Columbus, Clarett, who that fall would be named the USA Today high school offensive player of the year, knew he was destined to become a Buckeye. Clarett feels comfortable enough with Tressel to joke around with him during games, and on Saturday he even left a bloodstain on Tressel's white shirt after patting him on the shoulder.

Tressel was as impressed as anyone by Clarett's performance. "Maurice broke tackles," he said. "There weren't a lot of blockers on some of those plays." Clarett was especially effective in the second half, when Ohio State, trailing 7-6, set out to pound the ball straight into the Washington State defense. When the Cougars began using five down linemen, the Buckeyes responded by going to their Jumbo formation, which includes six linemen and two tight ends stacked on the left side. The fullback lines up a step to the left of center, and occasionally right guard Bryce Bishop pulls to the left side. On Saturday those big bodies overpowered the right side of the Washington State defense, and Clarett reaped the benefits, gaining 194 second-half yards.

He ran as well against a Top 10 team as he had at Harding High. "Things happen a whole lot quicker in [college]," Clarett said, "but I've learned that if you work harder, you get the same results."

Issue date: September 23, 2002

For more Inside College Football see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, September 18. Click here to subscribe to SI.

 

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