Mark Bowman kept on running after the hurdle, possessing the fluidity of a champion bulldogger leaping off his horse and racing for a takedown.
Two Louisiana defenders had crossed in front of him and, without hesitation, the USC tight end’s body left the ground with enough power to clear both of them and reach the end zone. Trojans don’t flinch, as the team says.
“I don’t typically hurdle,” Bowman told reporters after the game. “But it’s something I want to keep adding into my game and improving it.”
The Mater Dei product was one of three freshmen to score a touchdown in USC’s 49-30 win over Louisiana on Saturday night, and his breakout performance could mean he’s the Trojans’ next star tight end.
“Watching the plays that our offensive players and these young guys make is just insane,” linebacker Desman Stephens II said.
It wasn’t all flash and hurdles. Bowman’s two touchdowns marked the first time that a tight end had scored two touchdowns in a game since Josh Falo did it against Utah in 2022.
His six receptions for 83 yards were the most receiving yards by a tight end since Andy McCoy’s 153 yards against Notre Dame in 2009.
“It’s good to see him get involved, and he’s got some skills,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He’s dangerous when he gets the ball in the open field and so good to see him make some plays after the catch, and get into the end zone a couple times.”
Bowman is doing all of this with just three years of high school football experience. He reclassified and bypassed his senior year in order to get to USC for this season and quickly became a regular at tight ends coach Chad Savage’s office.
The two had built a tight-knit relationship in the recruiting process, setting the stage for constructive exchanges about areas of improvement that prepared Bowman to play immediately.
“We saw those (character) traits in the recruiting process, but now it’s, hey, we’ve got San Jose State,” Savage said prior to the season. “Can you go out there and play college football at a high level and then do it on a consistent basis in the Big Ten?”
Physically, Savage said, Bowman was ready for college football. How he’d handle the demands of learning the playbook, everyday college life, the weight room and nutrition was a mystery.
USC has two experienced tight ends to help guide him, even after losing Lake McRee to the NFL Draft and Walker Lyons to the transfer portal. There’s redshirt senior Carson Tabaracci, whose career was nearly ended by a neck injury, and Wisconsin transfer Tucker Ashcraft.
Ashcraft missed the first two games of the season due to an undisclosed injury and made his Trojan debut on Saturday night, making one catch for 12 yards.
“He’s had a huge role in helping me develop as well, really taking over the tight end room in an amazing leadership role,” Bowman said. “Our communication is just helping each other up, giving each other energy. Making us feel good, making (sure) that we know the plays and tell each other to just go out and dominate.”
USC has some of the best blocking in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks the Trojans seventh in pass blocking and eighth in run blocking. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has only been sacked once in three games this season.
Blocking is one of the less glamorous parts of being a tight end, albeit one of the most important. Fortunately for USC, Bowman wants to do it all.
“Just keep developing overall as a player, continue to trust in what coach Riley’s teaching us, what coach Chad is teaching us,” Bowman said. “Becoming a better player each day, going back to the chalkboard after this week and improving as a player.”