East Valley Tribune: Lynch's play speaking volumes

By Dan Zeiger, Tribune

BERKELEY, Calif. - If Marshawn Lynch had his way, the California running back would be the Heisman Trophy candidate that nobody heard from, at least in the literal sense. “I’m just trying to play. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t do interviews,” Lynch told ESPN.com in August. It might have been prudent for Lynch to talk in the days after the Golden Bears opened the season at Tennessee, because his statement on the field was not very loud. He was held to 74 yards in California’s 35-18 loss, and he has spent the last two weeks trying to regain his Heisman luster.  Lynch ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota. Despite being held to just six carries due to a sore ankle, the junior had 112 yards and a score against Division I-AA Portland State.  Once again, Lynch’s play is speaking volumes.

“The thing about him is that he’s the best athlete on the field, by a long shot,” Golden Bears coach Jeff Tedford said. “He can run with it, catch it and throw it. We’re able to put him in so many positions because he’s so smart.. . . He can get it in the meeting, take it on the field and have a pretty good idea of what we are looking for.”  This season, Tedford has experimented with the spread offense, partly to get Lynch in more one-on-one situations. However, Arizona State does not expect to see much of the spread when it visits California today. The 5-foot-11, 223-pound Lynch — who rushed for 1,246 yards and 10 TDs in 10 games last year — needs no offensive gimmicks to be tough to bring down. His speed, shiftiness and power are imposing enough. “The thing is, it took four or five people to bring him down,” Minnesota safety Dominic Jones told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “You watch film, and it’s the same thing. He breaks five or six tackles. I can’t remember a time where one guy brought him down by himself.”

Now, if Lynch can only be convinced to come out of his shell. During the offseason, California’s media relations office helped him with his interview skills in preparation for the Heisman hype, which the school has added to by publishing a promotional pamphlet and creating a Web site.  Asked at the Portland State postgame press conference about his career-long 70-yard touchdown run, all Lynch said was: “It was long, real long.”  Then, Lynch remembered to give the obligatory kudos to his blockers, adding, “Big ups to (wide receiver) Lavelle (Hawkins) for running 50 of those yards with me and blocking.”  Lynch’s ability to fill a reporter’s notebook will improve over time. After all, the spotlight will stay on him as long as he keeps running — even if he does not like talking.  “You have no choice but to get a lot of guys around him to try to contain him,” ASU coach Dirk Koetter said. “He can go all the way on every play.”