Can USC’s running game find instant success under Lincoln Riley?
Riley, whose Oklahoma teams averaged 218.8 rushing yards per game, believes the Trojans have the personnel and scheme to develop a dominant ground game
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — One aspect of Lincoln Riley’s tenure at Oklahoma that can get lost in the shuffle was the Sooners’ success running the ball. The two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks get much of the spotlight, but Riley’s teams were dominant on the ground.
In Riley’s tenure at Oklahoma, his offenses averaged 218.8 rushing yards per game. In five out of seven seasons, the Sooners averaged more than 200 ground yards per game, maxing out at 247.4 in 2018.
That’s a far cry from what has become the norm at USC, which last averaged over 200 rushing yards per game in 2016 and in 2020 managed only 97.3. But Riley will try to revamp the rushing attack in his image during his first year as head coach at USC.
In Riley’s experience, successful running games require a combination of personnel, fundamentals and scheme.
“We’ve committed to it and I think that’s the key to a good run game anywhere you go,” Riley said after Tuesday’s spring practice, his first at the Coliseum since being hired in November. “I think with what we have on this current roster I don’t see anything from a limitations standpoint that says we can’t run the ball well.”
The running backs room looks very different than it did a year ago. Former TCU transfer Darwin Barlow is the only back remaining from last year’s roster. The Trojans added Oregon transfer Travis Dye (26), the Pac-12’s leader in all-purpose yards last season, as well as Stanford back Austin Jones.
And Riley hired Kiel McDonald away from Utah to lead the group after he helped the Utes to finish 13th nationally in rushing in 2021. McDonald has been impressed as he’s learned Riley’s playbook the past few months.
“He’s very creative,” McDonald said. “There’s so many answers and those answers come on the fly. They come very, very quickly. It’s a unique run game. It’s not just a zone that will go with an Air Raid offense. There’s a lot more moving parts than that, so I see why they’ve been so successful at Oklahoma.”
A running back is only ever as good as the offensive line blocking ahead of him. So far the reviews have been positive for how the USC line, returning four starters from a year ago, has performed learning the new blocking schemes.
“That’s a senior offensive line,” McDonald (left) said. “They’re coming along.” And McDonald and Riley have both been pleased by the play of the running backs. Like the line, they bring a lot of experience to the position and now are competing for their place in the pecking order.
Though a possibility of a position-by-committee remains, McDonald’s Utah teams always tended to have a running back who established himself as the lead back over the course of a season, and that likely will be the case between Dye, Jones and Barlow, too.
“I believe at some point somebody’s going to step up,” McDonald said. “We’re fortunate enough to have three really good players.”
BRIEFLY
Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon wore a black boot on his left ankle as he watched practice from the sidelines on Tuesday, while receiver Gary Bryant Jr. was carted off following practice. Riley characterized both injuries as “nicks” and said both players would have played had there been a game on Tuesday.
ocregister.com
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Dane Brugler’s 7-Round NFL mock draft: All 262 picks (only three Trojan players made this 4/14 mock)
Round 1 — 18. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans): Drake London, WR, USC
From the production to the way he wins, London would be a great fit with Philadelphia. The former dual-sport athlete at USC can play in the slot or outside as the X, providing a supersized target for Jalen Hurts.
Round 2 — 59. GB Drake Jackson, Edge, USC
Round 7 — 226. CIN (NYG) Keaontay Ingram, RB, USC
theathletic.com
LOS ANGELES — USC men’s basketball has signed guards Anthony “Tre” White (upper right, 6-6, 190, excellent wing/shot creator) and Oziyah Sellers (upper left, 6-5, 185, shooter) to NLIs as part of its No. 6-ranked 2022 recruiting class, it was announced by head coach Andy Enfield . White and Sellers join center Vincent Iwuchukwu and forward Kijani Wright who were announced in November. It is the eighth consecutive USC recruiting class ranked inside the top 30 and its fifth class inside the top 20.
Mel Kiper on Drake London: “You think about where we are now with Drake London, coming back from the injury in late October,” said Kiper. “He’s got the length, he’s got a little DeAndre Hopkins in him, Mike Evans. You say, ‘well he doesn’t get separation, in the NFL they’re going to be in his hip pocket.’ How many cornerbacks are his size and have his catch radius and can deal with him? Either college or NFL, he’s going to be a factor. “They need that guys for Zach Wilson, they need a receiver like Drake London. If you get the defensive player early,… Read more »
The 21 prospects who will attend the 2022 NFL Draft, by position: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Drake London, WR, USC Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Evan Neal, OL, Alabama Ickey Ekwonu, OL, NC State Charles Cross, OL, Mississippi State Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Kyler Gordon, CB,… Read more »
The average age of the 130 coaches coming into the 2022 season is about 50 years old. Of the 29 new coaches hired this offseason, the average age is 43. Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin are both 46. Lincoln Riley, now presumably the highest-paid coach in CFB, is only 38 and ranked by Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) as the number 1 CFB coach in the country under age 45, ahead of Ryan Day (43), Matt Campbell (42), Billy Napier (42), Josh Heupel (43), P.J. Fleck (41), Jason Candle (42), Neal Brown (42), Mike Norvell (42), and Eli Drinkwitz (39). Other notable coaches… Read more »
Max Gibbs is Happy! By the end of his freshman season, Max Gibbs (Bellflower St. John Bosco) tipped the scales at 410 pounds. Gibbs is still the biggest player on USC’s roster, but much has changed for the sophomore. USC’s new staff put him on a new training regimen, with a new diet and a new workout routine. Midway through spring, Gibbs is feeling reenergized, down 40 pounds to a much more manageable 370. A smiling Gibbs said Tuesday that his weight loss has helped him trust USC’s new staff — and just to feel better, in general. “Man, I… Read more »
He us one huge dude. LR likes to pull quite a bit (great video of this on you tube). Not sure if Gibbs is athletic enough, but he is certainly big and strong enough.
Allen, Remember how we were fed the propaganda about the Cat’s S&C coach? AA (Aaron Asmus) was supposed to be among the best in the nation; ended up be fired after 2 years and remains out of football (as best I could find). Robert Stiner was supposed to make SC comparable to ND. He got canned with the Cat and could only get another job with the Cat at GA State. In fact, he is the only coach from The Cat’s staff that followed him, most likely because that was his only job offer to head up a program. I… Read more »
Don’t Call it the Air Raid Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — “The Air Raid stuff came from all of our background at Texas Tech,” Lincoln Riley said. “Over the last seven years, we’ve had the highest yards per carry of any college football team in the country. We’ve [run] the ball at a high level for a long time, so I don’t know that Air Raid really fits anymore to be honest.” “If USC can successfully reinvigorate its rushing attack, it won’t matter what Riley calls his system. During the last four seasons, USC has ranked 82nd, 120th, 119th and… Read more »
Canzano: Going rate for a Pac-12 quarterback hits $90,000
Thought you would find this of interest.
Very interesting, from John Canzano: “Journeyman college quarterback JT Daniels announced this week that he’s transferring from Georgia to West Virginia. He and his father showed up at an Oregon State spring practice a few weeks ago and observed. The Beavers knew Daniels was shopping as he declined an offer to take some photos wearing OSU gear during his visit. But the most interesting part of his trip to Corvallis was how it was viewed by current players on the roster. “Everyone knows Daniels was looking for a promise of playing time or maybe even a guarantee that he’d start.” Said one… Read more »
Trojan 5, Thanks. I wonder what the going price is in the SEC? And, if you are going to invest six figures, I like going with a transfer who has proved himself, rather than a high school kid. My guess is Conerly got a lot more than $90,000 (my guess is at least double that amount).
I might be wrong, but I think NILdeals have to be reported to the players school. Information on all these deals will become public one day.
Newest Mountaineer JT Daniels — “The No. 1 thing (that I need to prove) is that I can stay healthy,. If there’s one thing I haven’t proven, it’s that. I’ve missed 35 games in three years.” — 247Sports
I found it ironic that JT ended up with GH as his coach; GH is coaching the QBs and, despite his title, is the passing game co-ordinator. The WV HC was the OC last year and decided to hire GH to handle the passing game and another person to handle the running game; he called them both OCs, which I assume is simply for show. I wish him well; JT sure got messed up by the Cat. From what I saw, JT has a great arm and understands the game, but his not quick either athletically or in ability to… Read more »
J. Brady McCollough (LAT) — “It would not be surprising to see USC start 6-0 (RICE, STAN, FSU, ORE ST, ASU, WSU) before playing UTAH in Salt Lake City in what should be the biggest Pac-12 game of the year.”
Rice is a win, Stanford is another story. Shaw seems to come up with a way to beat USC when we least expect it. Fresno is not going to be a an easy win, but will make it a close game. Oregon St has stepped up its game some and will play with USC. ASU is such a dumpster fire nobody can accurately predict them. WSU has a ways to go to be competitive. Utah, in my mind, had their season last year. I am expecting USC to return the favor as LR dissects their defense. We just have to… Read more »
Something has happened to David Shaw. He used to be good, and is the winningest football coach in STAN history.
Yet he’s 11-19 over his last 30 games. What USC coach has EVER gone 11-19 over 30 games? He looks more like a patsy to me now, but I’ll always like him for punching The Cat’s ticket for good.
If Shaw ever expects to beat USC again, it better be this season. When LR gets ramped up, I see Shaw taking some serious beatdowns.
I am actually thinking of going to the Stanford game. Should be very interesting. I agree, this is Shaw’s last stand against LR.
Shaw’s Last Stand! Custer comes to mind.
Our new double-threat QB is going to really blow some people out of the water IMO. He’s a phenomenal talent and leader.
OSU in Corvallis is going to be a very tough game. Stanford at the Farm is going to be a very tough game. I am optimistic, but not irrational.
Are any here starting to think that so-called 5-star Korey Foreman will be a bust at USC? Notice I don’t say he already is a bust, even though in all his time at USC so far, I haven’t heard any coach ever tout him really positively based on performance at any time. Maybe I missed it. Recently, LR publicly called out the apparently injured youngster about finally understanding the difference between HS and college football. I wouldn’t be surprised to see LR go into the Portal again to pick up another Rush End who impresses him more than Foreman has… Read more »
Foreman is now competing with kids all over the country for his position. LR will cut him if he does not become better than a replacement LR can get in the transfer portal. The portal works both ways now – against some players, in favor of others. I assume the staff has made that point to Corey. These are the USC Trojans and not the Clay Helton Cats. The Cats now reside in GA.
Interesting though is even the previous staff didn’t think much of him once he got on campus.
Good info. I didn’t know that. ✌
Why would he want to work, he had Clay the cat Helton as a head coach. We know he felt loved and figured he had to do nothing but bask in the glow of love from the cat. Now he has to act like a man, this could be a strange situation for him. We shall soon see if he wants to grow up or remain a spoiled baby.
Interested to know if Foreman has received the Golden sticker for his helmet. Have seen reports of others receiving theirs. But not Foreman. Anyone have an answer?
He hasn’t even been practicing, has he? I don’t see how he could be a Gold Sticker guy yet. He hasn’t done anything even positive from what I have read, though he could easily receive an All-Get-Off-the-Bus Decal for his wristband, I figure. 🙂
Everything I read about him is he is immature and entitled. A great talent that does not want to work for anything.
Ed O is spending time at Notre Dame, attending practices, offering input, and hoping to get his three sons coaching jobs somewhere. Much like Ken Norton coaching at UCLA, it sure would hurt if Ed and his recruiting skills end up at a rival.
This is way-too-old old news for sure, but I just can’t wait for the Trojans to take the field against the Wannabee Ducks, who have never won jack. Here we come Phil…
Jack Azzzzz.
He will regret that. Lincoln doesn’t strike me as the guy who will make any remarks I return, but will remember it for certain.
I love this!!! Remember when Oregon put up an ad in downtown LA on the side of a hotel. SC went to Eugene with Carson and smoked them! They never tried it again, until now! I will bet that they end up regretting this.
I just love when teams that have never won anything act like they have.
USC has to really start taking it to the Ducks, who have enjoyed too much success against our Trojans during these mostly dreadful post-Bush years. Same with ND. Two old rivals that LR will come to understand very well.
It’s so exciting to feel USC now has a coach who can win those battles instead of just showing up.
Any ideas about what the totally woeful Lakers should do?
It seems to me like Lebron is the only guy who can command anything. Nobody wants always hurt/poor work ethic Davis or brick shooter/baby Westbrook.
Who should be unloaded?
1) Lebron James
2) Anthony Davis
3) Russell Westbrook
This is quite a dilemma for the Lakers, and Lebron seems like he was the mastermind of this fiasco, at least some think so.
Things can change so quickly in sports. Right now the Trojans and the Lakers are perfect examples of this enduring truism.
Trade all three. Westbrook is an anchor, nobody will want him, so we’re stuck for one more year. AD is as talented as any player in the league and young enough to build around, maybe we can get something for him. Lebron is much too old to get real trade value. Plus he is now known as the guy who will run the franchise, so who wants to deal with that. It’s going to be a very long dry spell for the Lakers. But, tanking in the NBA is the way to go.
I can’t seem to generate any enthusiasm for AD, and would let his fragile body/psyche go in a second. Besides, there will always only be one AD in my lingo, and that’s the all-time Irish Killer.
55-24. I was there with my little brother sitting directly above the student section. We were both still HS students, but we knew where we would go to college–no doubt after that game.
I don’t know if the above picture was from the ’72 or ’74 game, but who cares. AD scored 11 TDs in 3 games against the Domers. You can’t beat that record even in the current era of inflated scoring. Just Wow!
College football’s greatest intersectional rivalry — Nov. 30, 1974 —
Anthony Davis breaks away from a tackle attempt by Notre Dame defensive end Ernie Hughes (95) as he runs 102 yards for a TD during the second half in Los Angeles. Notre Dame’s Tony Zappala (39) trails the play as Southern California’s Clay Matthews follows. Davis ignited a 35-point third quarter and Southern California won 55-24, scoring all of its points in 17 minutes.
My new favorite four-digit password number combo is 3517.
As great as LeBron is, whenever he leaves a team, it is left in rebuild mold because he wants seasoned vets around him and you end up trading young players and future picks to get them. He had an extraordinary year for his age, but I can’t see expecting more than one more really productive year. Then what? AD is under contract for three more years, and may be desirable to some, but because he is injury prone, whatever they can get is much less than what they gave up. Westbrook has a year left on his contract at $47… Read more »
I think JT is making a smart move. I hope he stays healthy and has a good year. It wasn’t his fault he was saddled with Helton and a poor offensive line.
Chris I want to believe what you posted. But I am thinking this was an opportunity on both sides knowing what to expect? Helton needed splash press/interest to combat the growing doubt he was killing the program. Here was this hotshot HS QB who broke a boatload of records and only becoming a junior. JT, with family support felt he was ready for the next praise in his football career. Helton saw this phenom as another Sam Darnold who saved his goat. Helton needed a Name QB and JT wanted to play college ball asap whether he was mentally &… Read more »
If you have time, fellow bloggers, this is a good read about the terrible story of a really bad person who played football at PSU–and sainted Joe Paterno looked the other way. This was pre-Sandusky, too. And USC was sent to NCAA hell because Reggie Bush’s dad was a shyster. 😡
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/33718324/before-jerry-sandusky-penn-state-football-had-another-serial-sexual-predator-untold-story-crimes-fight-bring-justice
Football is a violent game that attracts players who grew into a violent mindset. Just about every football program out there had to deal with such a player in either using football to remold his way of thinking as JoPa claimed he wanted to do, or remove the player hoping he will get help from those who can better address the problem. Only, how could a college football program possibly deal with this type of problem other than use the player’s intensity on the field and look the other way and believing it won’t interfere with winning. Seems JoPa also… Read more »
The media had a sickness when it came to handling grandpa Paterno….
JT Daniels Transfers to West Virginia SI.com — Wednesday morning, former Georgia QB JT Daniels told Pete Thamel of ESPN that he will be transferring to West Virginia. Daniels originally began his career at USC where he spent the 2019 season with new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Daniels only played in one game that year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. This past season, Daniels was hindered by a lat injury and once he recovered he had lost the starting job to former walk-on Stetson Bennett who would go on to lead the Bulldogs to a national title. In his… Read more »
It’s kinda sad seeing how far down JT Daniels has gone. I can remember waiting like a kid on Christmas eve for him to reveal that he’d chosen the Trojans. Then watching him crushed like a wet tissue behind the line that never was, it was hard to take. I think he’s part gun shy and part butthurt. If he makes it to the NFL, I predict bouncing around from practice squad to practice squad -what a waste.
Peaked as a HS Senior.
Funny, I just had a thought, could practice squad money in the NFL become a PAY CUT from college NIL money? Still, getting paid to play football is a great job.
ESPN has Daniels listed as 6’3″. I call BS.
I don’t think height is JT’s problem. But since he’s a statue, USC was the worst school he could have started out at. High expectations, no protection, and the worst, most maddening USC coach in history. Throw in hapless (“Just find green space, that’s all!“) Graham Harrell, and JT never had a chance.
Now, JT has predictably chosen to play for GH again. Truth is stranger than fiction. But I’m still rooting for JT.
Funny you would post Slovis and JT together. I would have taken Slovis any day, but neither one would beat out who we have now, Williams.
I never thought Slovis was a strong leader while at USC, one of his main issues IMO. He wasn’t even elected as a USC captain last season. That told me something, while I’m sure others dismissed it as no big deal. I’ll stick my neck way out here and already predict a better season for JT than Kedon in 2022. Both have shown enough on the field to be successful, not for LR, but somewhere else. I’m looking forward to following them both going forward, as well as Jaxson Dart at OLE MISS. It’s pretty amazing. We could be watching… Read more »
I will stick my head out and say that that Dart at Ole Ms and under Lane Kiffin will develop into a national star at Oxford. Daniels will get hurt trying to play the run and shoot abomination of an offense under our former OC at WVU. Slovis caught lightning in a bottle during his freshman year at USC–this was his career peak. Remember Max Browne? No and Slovis will be forgotten at Pitt also.
I think Dart’s future is probably big-time with Kiffin too, assuming he returns to his pre-injury form at USC. I hated to lose Dart, until I started to get a better picture of just how dynamic five-star phenom Caleb Williams is both on and off the field for USC. USC’s musical chair routine at the QB position for the last several years has been a curious mixture of unrealized success (Max Browne), sporadic greatness (Sam Darnold) and injury/inconsistency (JT and Kedon). Browne and JT both came in rated the highest but fell victim to the sometimes prickly “Stars Don’t Matter”… Read more »
ATL you might be 100% correct. I am rooting for all the former Trojans to have great success. Browne may not have lived up to his hype, but he sure is a quality young man. I have heard him talk about his career and he comes across as intelligent & mature. I think USC can be proud to claim him as a Trojan.
I wonder how Browne really views himself as a Panther, or as a Trojan? I’m guessing both, maybe with an edge to USC, where his 5-star wunderkind plans evaporated in starts against ALA and STAN before Darnold took over.
Here’s a long, excellent 2021 Seattle Times article on the heartbreak Browne went through at USC before transferring to PITT, where he had shoulder problems and more heartbreak. But you’re right. He seems to be a great guy and I’ve enjoyed his media presentations on college football:
seattletimes.com
I would love to know, besides the Lat injury, how JT fell out of favor so fast after seemingly producing and winning games two years ago. I know Bennet was steady and got the job done, but maybe it came down to leadership skills and decision making. Oh well, I will be rooting for JT, Slovis, and Dart to all do well next year because they all chose SC first, and I don’t blame any of them for moving on.
I don’t think Kirby Smart is that bright of a coach. Kirby won’t ever be mistaken for the late Bill Walsh as a genius.
I can remember when USC had a stable of running backs and was down to having to play the walkons because of injuries. We can always use another RB and I hope he gets a good one if someone comes available. Like I said before, the line play has to be better this season if for no other reason than the quality of coaching. Still wondering who is running special teams.
I’m looking forward to what USC can do in the run game this upcoming season. A solid running game and Defense is what wins championships in my opinion. Looking back to my student days at SC in the 1970s, that was definitely the focus of coaches John McKay and John Robinson. No wonder we won THREE Natties during that decade!
It’s remarkable how much has changed with Riley at the center of the team. Players are talked about to the media openly discussing their ability and weakness. That’s a far cry from the days when Kiffin was so paranoid he wouldn’t talk about anyone. Helton tried to be coy, but didn’t know what to say. It’s hard to tell the hype from the real thing with Riley. As for the running game, I believe Helton’s last gamble was to give Harrell free reign with the offense. I think it was part, “I don’t have to run everything” and part “this… Read more »