Te’o hopes to pass torch to Oregon’s Mariota

NEW YORK » Manti Te’o’s run at the Heisman Trophy wasn’t just about tackles, interceptions and awards, he wants you to know.

No, Te’o says, it was also about opening minds and eyes. And, above all, expanding horizons.

"If I can do it, somebody else from Hawaii can, too," Te’o said. "Dream big and go after it. Don’t let anybody say you can’t do it. If you really want something, go after it. There’s nothing that can stop you."

Te’o was Hawaii’s first born and bred Heisman finalist brought to New York, where he finished second to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel on Saturday. But, Te’o’s message is that he doesn’t have to be the last. Or even the only one for a long time to come.

In that he has sought to serve as an inspiration and trailblazer for others to follow in his cleats if not exceed his exploits.

Like, perhaps, former Saint Louis School quarterback Marcus Mariota of Oregon, whose career he has followed and tweeted about?

"Marcus (Mariota) could definitely do it," Te’o said Saturday. "He could be in there next."

As a redshirt freshman, Mariota won the starting quarterback job, guided the Ducks to an 11-1 record and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl and has been honored as the All-Pac-12 quarterback.

Except for the loss to Stanford, he might well have garnered some Heisman votes himself this year.

Instead, it was teammate Kenjon Barner, a running back, who finished ninth. But Barner was a senior and Mariota, with another year at the controls of the prolific Ducks offense, could make a name for himself and be poised for a better finish.

As it was, the Ducks were second in scoring (50.83 points per game) and fourth in total offense (550.08 yards per game) and Mariota was sixth in passing efficiency. He completed 69.9 percent of his passes with 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions. All this while running for 690 yards and four scores.

In the class of young freshman quarterbacks that included Manziel and UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Mariota is ready to carve out his place.

From the legendary running back "Squirmin’" Herman Wedemeyer of St.Mary’s by way of Saint Louis in 1945 and ’46 to Washington State’s Jason Gesser, also a Crusaders alum, in 2002 it was a long wait for a locally born and bred Heisman vote getter. Less so from Gesser to Te’o, who took it up another notch.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly likes to say there is a "mirroring effect" and "trickle down" from other players glimpsing what Te’o has done and being inspired by it. Kelly said, they say, "’I want to be like that guy.’ It’s something you don’t get very often."

Maybe it will be enough to help lift another Hawaii high school product to the Heisman podium and even win the trophy.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com.