Maxwell’s Niche Is in End Zone

SAN DIEGO â€”  DeAndre Maxwell said he wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a message on his answering machine from Uncle Henry after he caught two big touchdowns in San Diego State’s do-or-die, 52-28, victory over Hawaii at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium Saturday.

The message might go like this: “See, I told you so, DeAndre . . .”

Uncle Henry is Henry Ellard, a wide receiver with the Rams. If it hadn’t been for Ellard’s constant prodding, Maxwell wouldn’t have been a redshirt freshman H-Back with the Aztecs.

And SDSU might still be searching for a receiver to make the two grabs Maxwell made in the second-half of SDSU’s victory Saturday--the 36-yarder and the 47-yarder.

Both were touchdowns.

“I was a basketball player,” said Maxwell of his days as a three-time All-Valley player at Bullard High in Fresno. “I didn’t like this contact sport. My uncle’s good at it. But I figured I’d stick to basketball. I gave (football) a shot for one year . . . and here I am now.”

After 21 catches for 678 years and 10 touchdowns his senior year, SDSU and Ellard made Maxwell reconsider his future.

And Maxwell picked the perfect time to imitate his uncle--with the Aztecs clinging to a 31-28 lead late in third quarter of a game that would keep alive their Holiday Bowl hopes or condemn the 1992 season as a failure.

On second down and 11 at the Hawaii 36, quarterback David Lowery found Maxwell streaking past Rainbow defender Zac Odom along the SDSU sideline: 38-28, Aztecs.

On the Aztecs’ next drive early in the fourth quarter, Lowery saw Maxwell shoot into uncovered territory straight up the field. Forty-seven yards later, Maxwell grabbed Lowery’s pass in front of the goal post. Odom, Bryan Addison and Carlos Anderson all got a backside view. SDSU also had the Rainbow Warriors by the throat: 45-28.

“I had a three-route read,” said Lowery. “I saw him get free. He made a great catch in the end zone.”

Great catches had been hard to find in three previous games, as the Aztecs (5-3-1, 5-2) lost twice, forcing them into a must-win situation against Hawaii (7-2, 5-2).

“It’s about time,” said smiling receivers coach Curtis Johnson of Maxwell. “He can adjust to the ball. He can run. He’s starting to concentrate better. He’s going to be a real good player.”

“We never lost confidence, but--the dropped balls at the wrong time--it just escalated,” Maxwell said. “This is just business. I have to go out and do my job, so my coach (Johnson) can earn his living. I’m just paying my coach’s rent.”

During his senior year at Bullard, Maxwell lived rent-free with Ellard. Whether he liked it or not, Maxwell got enough tutoring to attract recruiters from USC and California, as well as SDSU.

“Back in high school, (Ellard) told me, ‘You’re a good basketball player. But at 6-foot-2 (195 pounds), you can be a hell of a wide receiver.’

“We were real close in high school. But now that I’m here, we don’t talk as often.”

Nor does Maxwell drive to Anaheim for Ram games on Sunday.

“After these nights, I just want to stay at home and rest,” Maxwell said. “But I watch him on TV.”

And Ellard might be watching the development of a receiver to complement SDSU’s big-play pass catcher, Darnay Scott.