2008 Position Preview: Tailbacks

#2 C.J. Gable

Though C.J. Gable may not be the strongest or fastest of the Trojan tailbacks, he is perhaps the most complete.  He has been the Trojans’ starting tailback for the season opener each of the past two seasons and will make a strong push for the honor again in 2008.

As a true freshman, Gable finished the season with 434 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 111 carries, and added 90 yards receiving on nine receptions.  

In the season opener last year, Gable led the Trojans with 68 yards on eight carries and scored the second touchdown of the season on an eight-yard reception.  He followed that up with a fine performance at Nebraska as well, picking up 69 yards on just four carries, including a 40-yard run on the Trojans’ second play.  Gable took a back seat in the Trojans’ next contest, a blowout win over Washington State, where he carried the ball just once for six yards.  Soon after, Gable was undergoing season-ending surgery for a strained abdomen, which caused him to miss the remainder of the season.  

Because the injury occurred early in the season, Gable was able to use his redshirt year and will enter the 2008 season as a redshirt sophomore.  He isn’t the flashiest runner, but he’s adept at finding holes and getting up field for positive yards.  He’s also one of the better pass blocking tailbacks on the roster, which will keep him in the mix for playing time.  

With Joe McKnight’s hype and Stafon Johnson’s proven ability, it’s easy to forget about Gable.  But if he is back at full health this fall, he could easily lock down that third tailback spot and perhaps push for even more time.  

#4 Joe McKnight

In terms of the 2008 Trojans, perhaps no individual’s season is being met with more anticipation than Joe McKnight’s.  Coming into USC, McKnight was billed as the next Reggie Bush, a player who could score from anywhere on the field on both offense as well as special teams.  And while most people remember Bush for his out-of-this-world sophomore and junior seasons, McKnight’s freshman season compares quite favorably to the one turned in by his predecessor.  

McKnight had 94 carries for 540 yards and three touchdowns (Bush had 90 for 521 and three touchdowns as well), and caught 23 passes for 203 yards and a score (Bush had 15 for 314 and four scores).

McKnight was also responsible for some of the season’s most memorable plays.  

Against Arizona, with the Trojans facing a three-point, fourth-quarter deficit, McKnight fielded a Wildcat punt and returned it 45 yards to set up a one-play scoring drive that gave the Trojans the lead for good.  Of course, McKnight put the finishing touches on that victory with a 59-yard run late in the game, which helped run the clock and tack on the Trojans’ final three points of the game.

The following week, McKnight scored on a 51-yard run at Notre Dame.  The touchdown was the first of McKnight’s career and capped the scoring in a 38-0 blowout of the Irish.  

The signature game in McKnight’s freshman campaign came in the 2008 Rose Bowl.  Against Illinois, McKnight finished with a team-high 125 yards rushing and one touchdown on ten carries.  He added 45 yards on six receptions and 36 yards on three punt returns.  It was the first time McKnight had gone over 100 yards on the ground.  

As a sophomore, the ceiling for McKnight does not exist.  

While he may not have the straightaway speed of Bush, McKnight is every bit as elusive and should be ready to be a focal point of the Trojan offense this fall.  He may not end up with the most carries or catches, but there’s a good chance he’ll end up with the most combined touches, with rushes, receptions and special teams returns.  


#13 Stafon Johnson

After a true freshman season that saw him carry the ball just three times in a blowout win over Stanford, Stafon Johnson became a household name among Trojan fans as a sophomore in 2007, rushing for 673 yards and five touchdowns on 98 attempts.

He scored the team’s first touchdown of the season against Idaho and then dominated the Nebraska defense in game two.  His 144 yards on the ground against the Cornhuskers were a career best and showed what Johnson could do as the primary tailback.  Johnson continued to perform well over the next two games, rushing for 170 yards (including 122 at Washington) and a touchdown, but a left foot injury suffered against the Huskies forced him from the lineup for the next two games.  

The injury stalled Johnson’s season and though he came back against Notre Dame three weeks later, he wasn’t asked to do much as his foot continued to heal.  He went five straight games without registering more than eight carries, although he did provide the winning score on a three-yard run against California.  

With some time off, Johnson was able to put together a strong showing against both UCLA and in the Rose Bowl, against Illinois.  In those games, Johnson rushed for 177 yards on 24 carries, including a 63-yard scamper against the Illini.  

In 2008, Johnson should make a strong case for the top tailback spot and double-digit carries per game.  He has the ability to fight for yards after contact and doesn’t waste a lot of time or energy moving side to side.  He hasn’t been used as the same threat out of the backfield like some of the other tailbacks, but he can slip out occasionally and help in the passing game.  


#21 Allen Bradford

After switching from safety to tailback as a true freshman, Allen Bradford has been something of the odd man out each of the past two seasons.  He’s talented enough to be on the field, but as a victim of playing time and not enough footballs to go around, he has just 37 carries and six receptions in his career.  He does have five touchdowns in those limited touches and has also excelled on special teams.  

This season, Bradford will look to lock up the big back, short-yardage role, although he’s a more complete tailback than that.  He’s a tremendous threat out of the backfield and though he has the look of a power back, his speed can get him around the corner against just about any defense.  

There will be some serious competition yet again at the tailback spot in 2008, but it would be somewhat surprising if Bradford was again such a small part of the USC offense.


#22 Curtis McNeal

While McNeal may be small in stature, his football ability is big-time.  As a senior at Venice High School, he ran for 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns and added scores receiving and on both interception and punt returns.

It’s unlikely that McNeal will make much of an impact on offense as a true freshman because of his size, but he’ll likely be thrown in on special teams to see what he can do in the return game.  The Trojans have some proven commodities such as Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable and Ronald Johnson on special teams, but there’s a chance that McNeal’s instincts and quick first step could earn him time as a true freshman.  

#26 Marc Tyler

Marc Tyler used his redshirt year in 2007 as he recovered from a broken leg he sustained as a high school senior.  

At Oaks Christian High School, Tyler ran for 2,196 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior and followed that showing with 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior.  

As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Tyler will give the upper classmen all they can handle in the competition for the starting tailback spot.  He spent last season going against the first-team defense as part of the scout team and received rave reviews.  Though he is a year behind the third-year guys and doesn’t have McKnight’s game experience, Tyler is right there with all of them in terms of pure talent.  He checks in at 220 pounds, but he’s not really a power back.  He’s a tremendous threat out of the backfield and can attack the line of scrimmage either inside or outside, but with so many tailbacks and a limited number of touches, it will be interesting to see where Tyler falls in the pecking order.  He may be one of the younger backs, but he’s not a guy who will be forgotten.

#29 Broderick Green

Broderick Green will enter the 2008 season as a redshirt freshman after suffering a foot sprain and re-sprain last season.  

Green is easily the biggest of the Trojan tailbacks and will most likely compete with Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler for the big-back role.  Although, as is the case with both Bradford and Tyler, Green is more than just a bruising back who will slam into the line of scrimmage.  He’s a tremendous athlete and a physical specimen who could develop into a redzone threat this season.