"beep, beep"
(bcs title game, part two)


i'll always have a soft spot for marquis maze, because he's one of the few (maybe only???) current bama guys that i got to see play in high school.

i have fond memories of that night. some of you may know jason white from humc softball, but you've never heard him called jason white. when jason hooked up with the softball team (what, gosh..., eight years ago??? wow.), chris hicks annointed him "rookie" and the name just stuck. after rookie graduated from uab, he went on to teach and coach at oak grove high school out towards hueytown-ish. during his first year at oak grove, kiker and i went out to show some friendly support when rook and oak grove came out to play tarrant.

i didn't know anything about tarrant, but it didn't take long to figure out who their go-to guy was. kiker is usually a little farther ahead of the curve than i am when it comes to prep athletes, so he told me the guy that was dominating from the jump was marquis maze. compared to the little corn-fed white kids from oak grove and most of his own teammates, maze seemed like a man amongst boys. he returned kicks, punts, played quarterback and running back that night. every time he touched the ball, it seemed like he was streaking the length of the field with helpless oak grovers trailing behind. oak grove was destroyed that night, single-handedly, by marquis maze, and i've had my eyes on him ever since.

i loved that he signed with saban's first class and just knew he'd be an instant impact guy. he wasn't. he redshirted his first year, learning his new position.

he first appeared for the tide against clemson last year in the season opener, and what a first impression he made. a leaping, one-handed catch that ended up not counting announced his arrival. when it was said marquis maze was the target, i did a double-take.

what? this tiny guy can't be the same marquis maze that i saw out at tarrant two years ago!!! he was bigger than everyone that night!

in reality, he was only 5-8, 5-9 and weighed less than me. crazy, the difference between all-state at tarrant and the big boys of the sec.

i love his nickname, and i love his game. i am not going to call him the x-factor for the title game. that'll be someone else. for a post closer to the game. for today, though, it's fun to think back to that night out at tarrant with kiker and fast-forward to now, a week away from playing a vital role in the bcs national championship.

go get 'em, marquis. and roll tide.