Los Angeles Times - 13.08.2019

L ATIMES.COM/SPORTS TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019D5

Entering the 21st century,

uncontrollable laughter

would have spread from

coast to coast if someone

had predicted that the Okla-

homa starting quarterback

would become college foot-

ball’s glamour position.

The Sooners were known

for hard-nosed, wishbone

football before Bob Stoops

took over in Norman and

hired Mike Leach as his of-

fensive coordinator. Leach

was only there for one sea-

son before being poached by

Texas Tech, but that one

year was enough to install

“Air Raid” principles at

Oklahoma that have only

flourished more under

Stoops’ replacement, Lin-

coln Riley.

With Baker Mayfield and

Kyler Murray the last two

seasons, the Sooners have

produced consecutive Heis-

man Trophy winners and

No. 1 overall NFL draft picks.

Now it’s Jalen Hurts’ turn to

drive Riley’s crimson-and-

cream Ferrari, and wouldn’t

it be something if Hurts —

who lost the Alabama start-

ing job to Tua Tagovailoa en-

tering 2018 — is the guy who

leads Oklahoma to a historic

third straight Heisman win-

ner?

The Sooners would also

overtake Notre Dame, Ohio

State and USC (if you’re one

to count Reggie Bush’s Heis-

man) as the only school with

eight bronze stiff-arming

statues. This is fun to think

about, but we’ve got a long

way to go. First off, the odds-

makers see this as a two-

man race between Clemson

quarterback Trevor

Lawrence and Tagovailoa,

who was usurped at the last

minute by Murray once the

Sooners played their way

into the College Football

Playoff thanks to his simply

ridiculous output. There are

many who still believe Tago-

vailoa was the best player in

college football last year.

Of course, it’s a subjective

process trying to determine

whether the most produc-

tive player is actually the

best, and every voter has

their own spin on what the

award is supposed to honor.

It is highly likely that Hurts

—by playing in Riley’s sys-

tem and in a conference, the

Big 12, that features little de-

fense — will put up gaudier

stats than Lawrence or

Tagovailoa.

Hurts also has the per-

sonal touch, as the whole

country watched him say all

the right things all season as

Tagovailoa’s backup and

then come off the bench in

the Southeastern Confer-

ence championship game to

lead a spirited Crimson Tide

comeback that saved Ala-

bama’s season.

If the resumes are close at

season’s end, wouldn’t

Hurts’ heart win out?

The senior has a ton to

prove this year. There are

doubts about his accuracy,

which is one of the reasons

Tagovailoa beat him out at

Alabama, and he does not

have the speed of Murray.

Compared with Okla-

homa predecessors May-

field and Murray — and

Heisman competitors

Lawrence and Tagovailoa —

Hurts is not going to win any

beauty pageants. But he’s

now at the school that

knows the formula better

than any other.

11 DAYS

TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Leading up to season-opening games Aug. 24, The Times

examines the top 2019 story lines.

Heisman hopes

for Oklahoma

rest with Hurts

ALABAMA transfer Jalen Hurts could be the third

straight Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman.

Kevin C. Cox Getty Images

By J. Brady

McCollough

be evident through manner-
isms and idiosyncrasies. He
predicted the right-hander,
considered the top pitching
prospect in the organiza-
tion, would “rise to the occa-
sion.”
So far, both have been
right.
May’s delivery is funky.
From the windup, long
skinny limbs twist toward
the plate like a tornado.
From the stretch, he squats
before unleashing pitches.
He constantly tugs at his
belt and adjusts his cap. Be-
tween batters, he unfailingly
paces around the mound.
Excitement and anguish are
on display with equal fer-
vency. Bunny hops or a flex
of his fist to celebrate strike-
outs. A dejected jolt or bent-
over sigh bemoans hits.
He was solid in his debut
Aug. 2 and even better in his
second start Wednesday,
striking out seven batters
and giving up only one run in
52 ⁄ 3 innings against the St.
Louis Cardinals. Yet, he
slammed a fist into his glove
as he walked off the mound
to end the sixth inning. Mar-
cell Ozuna had homered two
batters earlier.
“I think he knows he be-
longs,” catcher Russell Mar-
tin said. “He’s been good for
a while now. When you have
his kind of stuff, I assume he
feels pretty confident when
he’s on the hill.”
Catcher Will Smith said
May was the same way in the
minor leagues, with one no-
ticeable difference.
“He’s a little louder [in
the minors],” Smith said.
“There’s not as much of a
crowd” to drown him out.
Said Stripling: “He’s got
some swagger. His eyes ar-
en’t deer in the headlights.
He doesn’t look intimidated
by anyone.”
In the clubhouse, May is a
tougher read. He’s relaxed
on his days off, keen on ad-
hering to a simple approach.
He trusts the scouting re-
ports provided by pitching
coach Rick Honeycutt. He
doesn’t gorge on film or over-
work in bullpen sessions.
“I’ve stuck to the basics,”
he said. “It’s worked so far.”
He jokes around with
teammates. Sometimes he’ll
pull his curly locks of ginger
hair into a bun with the help
of a thick black headband.
Though he’s the youngest
player on the active roster,
he has fit into his new sur-
roundings.
“There’s always a learn-
ing curve for everyone,”
Smith said. “He’s going
through it, and he’s handling
it really well.”
Roberts agrees.
“He’s very inquisitive,” he
said. “He’s just taking every-
thing in.”
Roberts said he lobbied
in the spring for May to make
the opening-day roster.
Even though the third-
round pick in the 2016 draft
had made only six starts in
double A in 2018, his heavy
sinker looked ready for the
big leagues. Instead, May
started the year at double-A
Tulsa. After 15 strong starts,
including a 14-strikeout gem
June 22, he was promoted to
triple-A Oklahoma City. He
was sought by other teams
in trade talks leading up to
the July 31 deadline, but no
deal materialized. Now he’s
holding down a spot in the
Dodgers rotation, getting a
major league education
while auditioning for a place
on the postseason roster.
“We’ve talked to him
about certain things with his
sequencing [of pitches],”
Roberts said. “He’s watch-
ing Walker [Buehler], Clay-
ton [Kershaw], different
guys, watching their ’pens,
watching how they pitch. He
just wants to learn. That’s a
really good trait.”
When it’s May’s day to
pitch, his intensity surfaces.
Roberts likened him to Rich
Hill, famous for his polar op-
posite personalities on start
days compared to every
other day.
Two weeks into his big
league career, he’s not bend-
ing to the pressure. He’s
waking up on game day with
a fiery focus.
“It feels the same,” May
said. “I don’t know if there’s
necessarily an excitement,
but just the knowledge of,
‘I’m up here,’ is different. A
lot cooler.”

Rookie

doesn’t

give in

on the

mound

[May,from D1]

By midmorning Monday,

what was supposed to be a

light practice in shorts and

jerseys had become a chore.

UCLA players dragged

themselves across the field,

completing drills as if by

rote. The Bruins managed

only a faint murmur instead

of the usual loud echo re-

peating their coaches’ com-

mands.

Coach Chip Kelly had

seen enough. So had “Coach

Woods.”

Kelly ordered his players

to put on their pads to pick

up the intensity. Woods,

a.k.a. senior linebacker Josh

Woods, told his teammates

to savor the opportunity.

Putting on a uniform was

something Woods had not

been able to do for most of

the last two years.

“Don’t complain,” Woods

instructed the players gath-

ered around him. “Let’s go.

We’re in the pads now; we

might as well go hard.”

Nobody has been more

eager to go all out since

training camp started than

Woods. He missed the final

six games of the 2017 season

with a shoulder injury. After

months of rehabilitation, he

returned last year for the

opening weeks of training

camp ... only to suffer torn

knee ligaments that wiped

out his entire 2018 season.

The repeated injuries led

to some hesitation when

Woods made his return late

last month. “I was nervous

when the ball was snapped

on the first play and we were

just in helmets” without

pads, said Woods, whose

smarts and leadership

earned him the “Coach

Woods” nickname. “After

that, it’s football. I was just

happy. I was just running

around like a little kid.”

Woods acknowledged

that his injuries made him

consider quitting football. It

would have been easy for

him to trade in his helmet for

a baseball cap and return as

a graduate assistant instead

of enduring a second lengthy

rehabilitation.

“I didn’t know if I wanted

to do this anymore because

you have those dark days

and you’re just in that dark

room, you can’t walk, you

can’t do this and that,”

Woods said. “And you’re just

seeing on your phone that

your teammates are on the

road and you’re in the apart-

ment by yourself and you

have no friends, nobody to

talk to. It’s just rough.”

Woods persevered with

some help from his friends,

family and teammates.

Tight end Caleb Wilson’sre-

turn from a serious foot in-

jury last season served as in-

spiration. As the months

passed, Woods felt his

hunger to play again inten-

sify.

He returned with a bulky

knee brace that he will have

to wear all season, not to

mention thick hair billowing

out of his helmet. The hairdo

was inspired by Wilson, but

Woods’ teammates have

started calling him “Young

Simba” as a tribute to the

protagonist from “The Lion

King.” Woods also has a new

position, having moved from

inside to outside linebacker.

It’s a spot he has some famil-

iarity with, having manned it

as a sophomore, though now

it involves learning the

schemes favored by defen-

sive coordinator Jerry Azzi-

naro.

Woods’ injury ordeal

made him a natural advisor

to linebacker Tyree Thomp-

son, who recently under-

went surgery for a foot in-

jury. Woods assured his

teammate that he would be

there for him through the

tough times and suggested

that he maximize every op-

portunity in his recovery,

even if it was just lifting

weights with his upper body.

Knowing what it’s like to

be sidelined makes Woods

unwilling to tolerate grum-

bling from those who are

able to play, a message he re-

inforced Monday.

“You hear his voice, he’s

on the sideline trying to get

all the guys to bring some

juice to the defense,” line-

backer Leni Toailoasaid.

“It’s kind of different. We

needed it. We got another

field general out there.”

Etc.

Aday after Kelly said he

was pleased with his offen-

sive line depth because of a

relative lack of injuries, an-

other player had gone down.

Redshirt freshman Alec An-

derson, the leading candi-

date to start at left tackle,

was wearing a yellow jersey

to signal he was recovering

from an unknown injury.

UCLA was already without

backup center Sam Mar-

razzo, who recently hurt his

leg and has been moving

around on crutches.

BRUINS SENIOR LINEBACKERJosh Woods has a new perspective and is ex-

cited to return to the field after injuries derailed his 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Gary CoronadoLos Angeles Times

UCLA REPORT

Woods looks forward

to making an impact

By Ben Bolch

Bru McCoy, whose high-pro-

file recruitment and eventu-

al transfer saga dominated

headlines.

But as USC opened camp

without McCoy, who has

been absent because of an

apparent illness, and Ford,

who’s still recovering from an

knee ligament tear suffered

last season, it took only a few

days for McClain to burst

onto the scene, establishing

himself as not only the most

buzzed-about receiver, but

general playmaker on USC’s

offense.

McClain sat out of prac-

tice Monday and remains

“day to day” while in the con-

cussion protocol, but USC

coaches have made it clear

that he’ll make an immedi-

ate impact.

“To be honest,” offensive

coordinator Graham Harrell

said, “I thought he’d be a lit-

tle more raw than he is. But

he’s been a pleasant surprise

for us, as far as how far along

he is, how many plays he’s

making. He’s doing some

great things.”

McClain, who as a fresh-

man has not been made

available to speak to the me-

dia, has mixed in with the

first-team offense during

camp.

At 6 feet 4 and 215 pounds,

with breakaway speed and

elite jump-ball skills, Mc-

Clain’s potential appears

boundless. Which raises this

question: How exactly did he

fly so far under the radar?

As far as Shan McClain

remembers, her son has ex-

celled at pretty much every-

thing he has tried. He was

just that type of kid, she says,

one with endless athleticism

and an uncommon determi-

nation. For a while, McClain

talked about earning a

basketball scholarship, fol-

lowing in the footsteps of his

grandfather, who played at

Texas Southern and Nevada

Las Vegas.

But football just seemed

to come most naturally. At

times, it didn’t even seem as

if McClain had to try. To his

high school coach, the ease

with which he operated on a

football field was actually

one of the things that threat-

ened to hold him back.

“I don’t think Munir actu-

ally has any idea how good he

can be,” JSerra coach Pat

Harlow said. “The biggest

thing I’ve always told him is,

‘There aren’t many people

like you walking this earth,

and when you decide you

want to be the best guy on

the field, you probably can

be.’ ”

His mother refused to

wait on that realization. As

his recruitment lagged, she

took things into her hands,

sending out his highlight vi-

deo to schools. A few took no-

tice, USC included.

“I just know you have to

go for what you want,” she

said.

But McClain knew what

he wanted. As his brother,

linebacker Abdul-Malik,

went through the recruiting

process a year earlier, Munir

decided he wanted to play

for USC.

During one at-home visit

for his brother, McClain

asked Trojans coach Clay

Helton what it would take for

him to get an offer. Helton

told him to take his time and

get better. But McClain was

firm in his conviction.

“He wasn’t hung up on all

of the offers,” his mother

said. “He wanted to go to one

place, and he had his mind

set on that.”

USC finally offered dur-

ing his junior day. A few

months later, he tore the

knee ligament and his re-

cruitment grinded to a halt.

It was “the absolute

worst timing,” Harlow said.

But as far as McClain was

concerned, the lack of atten-

tion mattered little. Helton,

who’d spent plenty of time

with the McClains by that

point, had a good feeling

about the youngster’s poten-

tial.

“It was just the right fit for

us,” Helton said. “Some-

times you don’t worry about

what people’s opinions are

star-wise, and you go with

your gut and say, this is a kid

that fits us and we feel is go-

ing to be really talented

when he’s healthy.”

As McClain caught a pass

on the perimeter last week,

that certainly seemed to be

the case. Following his

blocks, McClain burst up-

field and through contact,

shedding two possible tack-

lers as he emerged into the

open field. As he sprinted

toward the end zone, a de-

fensive back tried to keep up,

but couldn’t.

So McClain, the lowest-

ranked receiver in USC’s re-

cruiting class, took it 70

yards to the end zone, forc-

ing his way to the forefront.

Just as he’d always planned.

“As you can tell right

now,” his mother said, “Mu-

nir doesn’t take a backseat.”

Freshman receiver McClain is standing out in camp

MUNIR McCLAINjumps for a pass, but the freshman receiver sat out practice

while in concussion protocol. He is drawing high praise from USC coaches.

Shotgun SpratlingLos Angeles Times

[McClain, from D1]