Marquise Walker - College Career

College Career

Walker is best remembered for a pair of one-handed catches he made in 2001. Prior to the 2002 NFL Draft, Baltimore Ravens Senior vice president of football operations, Ozzie Newsome referred to Walker's collegiate catches as some of the best catches he has seen in college in a long time. One of the one-handed catches was a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone against the Iowa Hawkeyes football team in a 32–26 comeback from a 21–7 deficit on October 27, 2001. The Post-Standard, Walker's hometown newspaper, described his grab in the Iowa game this way: "There he was in the corner of the end zone, as two Iowa defensive backs stalked him like sentries. The ball, delivered high and wide, seemed an improbable stretch, an impossible goal. And yet, as it spiraled toward him, Marquise Walker leaped and lifted his right arm. His fingertips grazed the leather and tipped it skyward. And then, as he tumbled back to earth, he wrapped his hands around the ball and caressed it to his chest. Touchdown Michigan."

Walker seriously considered playing for Syracuse University of the Big East Conference, but Syracuse Orange quarterback Donovan McNabb only had one more year remaining. McNabb, who was the Big East Conference offensive player of the decade for the 1990s, was not likely to be replaced by a quarterback of equal skill. Thus, Walker went on to wear #4 at Michigan. Walker played football at Michigan from the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season through the 2001 season, finishing his career with 176 receptions for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns. During his career he played on two Big Ten Championship teams (1998, 2000), but neither team went to the Rose Bowl. During his career, the two teams that he compiled the most total single-opponent receiving yards against were Michigan's fiercest conference opponents: He had 256 yards against Ohio State and 251 yards against Michigan State. His highest career single-opponent touchdown and single-opponent reception totals were also in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry games and his Paul Bunyan Trophy game totals were tied for second in both of these statistics.

Playing at Washington on September 8, 2001, Walker set the Michigan record for the most receptions in a game with 15, surpassing Tai Streets and Brad Myers. He tied his mark later in season against Ohio State. This record continued to stand through the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Both of Walker's 15-reception efforts came in losses. He first recorded 15 receptions against the Washington Huskies football team in a 23–18 loss where he accumulated 159 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback John Navarre. On that day he added a 13-yard run and a 15-yard punt return. Then on the November 24, 2001 day that he surpassed Carter as the career receptions leader, he totaled 15 receptions in a 26–20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team while accumulating 160 yards and two touchdowns. These two games with 160 and 159 yards receiving were Walker's career highs. His other 150 yard game came against the Michigan State football team during the same season on November 3, 2001 with nine receptions. Walker had two touchdowns in each of his three 150-yard reception games.

Walker set several other records at Michigan that have been surpassed. His career reception total surpassed that of Anthony Carter as the most in school history. During his senior year in 2001, Walker set Michigan single-season records with 86 receptions and 1,143 receiving yards, surpassing Jack Clancy (who still holds the record for receptions for ten games) and David Terrell, respectively. Walker also broke Mercury Hayes' school record for most consecutive games with a reception (32 games). These marks were all surpassed by Braylon Edwards in 2004. He also set the single-season 100-yard games record with six. This mark has been surpassed by both Edwards and Mario Manningham.

During his time at Michigan he blocked a total of four punts. One block set up a field goal in Michigan's 2001 20–17 victory against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. The NCAA Division I-A career record was seven when he completed his eligibility and is now ten, and the Big Ten record was five and is now six based on the NCAA record book. The total continues to be a Michigan record by virtue of the fact that the NCAA record book does not recognize any Michigan player as having recorded more than four. However, some press reports credit Ed Frutig with five punt blocks during the eight-game 1940 season.

Walker's statistics ranked him highly in Big Ten Conference history. Both his single-game reception total of 15 and his single-season reception total of 86 were sixth in Big Ten history at the end of his career although both were ninth all time through the 2006 NCAA season. Walker won both the Big Ten Conference games and Big Ten all games receptions titles in 2001. He ranked sixth in the nation in receptions per game with 7.36 and 17th in reception yards per game with 94.82. During the 2001 season, his 1177 yards from scrimmage (1143 yards receiving and 34 rushing) edged out B. J. Askew's 1138 yards (236 yards receiving and 902 rushing) for the team lead in yards from scrimmage. In addition, he threw a 51-yard pass completion to Jermaine Gonzales, and he compiled 206 yards as a punt returner. As a result, he also led the team in All-purpose yards. In a game against the Purdue Boilermakers on October 13, 2001 he totaled 249 yards of total offense, including 134 yards on seven receptions and 112 yards on seven punt returns. Walker earned team MVP honors for the 2001 season. He was a Biletnikoff Award finalist. Among his All-American recognitions were a first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association, a second-team selection by the Associated Press, and an honorable mention by CNNSI.com.