The No. 11 USC Trojans are facing the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in week six of the season. Though the two teams entered halftime tied and Trojans running back Woody Marks has extended his nation-leading catch streak. Marks has now caught a pass in 51 straight games.
Marks has been a stellar running back for the Trojans. Through the first four USC games of the season, Marks had 334 rushing yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. He also had 15 receptions for 115 yards.
With three receptions in the first half against Minnesota, he has extended his catch streak. Marks has a career-high 134 rush yards and counting vs. the Gophers, in the third quarter.
Marks is a versatile player, which is shown by how he can receive the ball. When Marks was asked about what made him good at catching passes out of the backfield, he highlighted focusing on his hand-eye coordination.
"Trust in my hand-eye coordination. Just looking at the looking at the ball and just doing everything in practice," Marks said.
Marks credited his time at Mississippi State, where his collegiate career began. This was where he started to work on his pass-catching. Williams would practice catching with tennis balls out of a machine with Mississippi State wide receiver Austin Williams.
"Catching tennis balls. Like that's a little ball you catch every day. Catch about five hundred a day and I think he helped me get better at catching a lot," Marks said.
While Marks is still a run-first player, having the ability to catch helps the Trojans in every game. He is a reliable player to throw to. Not only is he quick, he is physical and will run through the defense for every yard he can.
USC coach Lincoln Riley has had high praise for Marks this season, starting in week one against the No. 13 LSU Tigers. The Trojans were attempting to get in a better position for a field goal giving the ball to Marks. Instead of getting better field position, Marks gave USC the game-winning touchdown.
"We were certainly trying to get some more yards and position ourselves for a field goal if he didn't pop it. Having the timeout, we knew we could be a little bit aggressive there," Riley said. "It was funny, I had a flashback, the last OU-Texas game that I coached was a very similar situation, we were a little bit further out and we handed the ball off and it popped. And I remember I had just a little flashback. I told someone on the headsets, I was like, 'It wouldn't surprise me if he just creases it.' And of course, it happened."
Marks has had over 100 receiving yards each season. This year he is averaging 7.7 yards per reception. Being a reliable player for Trojans quarterback Miller Moss to throw to is crucial. When Moss is under pressure, he can look to Marks for a quick pass. Given how athletic and physical Marks is, the catch will usually give the Trojans a big gain.
As long as Marks continues to make receptions each week, it looks as though this will be a record he holds on to for a while. In the third quarter against Minnesota, Marks scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, giving the Trojans a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.
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