During the distinguished history of USC football, Trojan coaches have almost always been blessed with exceptional talent at tailback. From Allen to White and Bush to Bell, most can be rattled off by surname alone, like presidents or movie stars. And for many of them, that comparison is more than appropriate.
Five have won the Heisman Trophy, eight more are in the College Football Hall of Fame, and none of those 13 owns the school record for career rushing touchdowns. It’s not difficult to understand why the school is called “Tailback U.”
Sure, there have been years when Deon Strother’s 614 rushing yards led the team, or when Sunny Byrd became the starting tailback midway through the season, but for the most part, coaches have been able to easily identify who would carry the ball, and the load, for the USC offense. The biggest dilemma was always choosing between student body left or right.
This year, though, the coaches are faced with a decision at tailback that makes Sophie’s Choice look like an issue of paper or plastic.
With six viable candidates, the USC coaches have been playing running back roulette this spring, spinning the chamber and seeing which guy goes firing through the hole.
Some days it’s been Stafon Johnson leading the way, though the junior has taken more of a back seat in spring as the coaches have already seen much of what he brings to the position. In 2007, he had 98 carries for 673 yards and five touchdowns, despite being limited by a foot injury.
Johnson missed two mid-season games last season because of his injury and it kept him to fewer than ten carries in the following five. He was able to come back strong in the Rose Bowl, however, running for 104 yards on just nine attempts.
Johnson says he is 100 percent healthy now, and if his health holds up through fall camp, he’ll be difficult to remove from the top spot among running backs.
“My acceleration and explosiveness are back,” he said. “I’m getting back into the swing of things and making cuts that I was able to make before (the injury).”
Before the injury, Johnson was putting up incredible numbers, rushing for 378 yards, four touchdowns and an 8.2 yards-per-carry average through the first four games.
“I shot out of the blocks real fast and came to a halt because of injuries,” Johnson said. “I knew for a fact that I had some things to prove (in the Rose Bowl). I just wanted to let everybody know that the first part (of the season) wasn’t a fluke.
“I’m still working hard at what I need to do and the vision is still in mind. I’m not settling for what I did before.”
Though Johnson looks to be the de facto number-one tailback heading into the season, he’ll get a strong push from C.J. Gable.
Another back who missed significant time last season due to injury, Gable was awarded a redshirt year due to an issue that was diagnosed as everything from a leg injury, to a groin pull to an abdominal ailment.
It’s been a while since Trojan fans have seen Gable in action, but not only does he remain the only true freshman to start his first game at tailback in Trojan history, he was set to lead the USC ground game last season. Gable ran for 33 yards on the Trojans’ first offensive snap of the season in 2007. He covered 44 of the 80 yards on that first scoring drive and his spinning, diving, eight-yard scoring reception provided the second USC score.
Gable has been remarkably consistent this spring, as he continues to display his hard-charging style and ability to find the correct hole and get upfield quickly.
“I’m feeling good right now,” he said. “My leg’s not hurting or anything. I’m full go right now.”
As the two tailbacks with the most experience, both Johnson and Gable understand everything that comes with fighting for a spot on the Trojan roster.
“People make it seem like it’s a controversy,” Johnson said. “It’s not a controversy; it’s a competition. Everybody competes at what they want to do. If you want to play every down, then compete like you want to play every down.”
“It’s about competition all the time,” Gable said. “That’s why coach Carroll brings in all these tailbacks. Right now it looks like I’m the third back, but we’re switching every day, so we don’t really know who the first or second backs are.
“We just want to win; we just want to be a team. We’re not going to fight over who gets the most carries because nobody really cares about numbers. We tell the coaches all the time, ‘There’s six of us. Give us the ball so we can go.’”
Speaking of getting up and going, Joe McKnight has spent spring practice shuffling his name to the top of the tailback rotation as quickly and easily as he shuffles over, past and around defenders.
McKnight’s ability to split out wide or line up in the slot will enable the Trojans to get him extra touches. But like Reggie Bush before him, McKnight is most dangerous when he lines up as a running back.
“You haven’t even seen what Joe can do,” Johnson said of the shifty sophomore. “I’ve seen some of the stuff that he does out here and he amazes me every time. He’s so elusive, so quick and so powerful that you can’t really say what he’s going to do. You just have to wait and see.”
It’s obvious that the competition has brought these players closer together. Johnson and McKnight spent most of the winter in the weight room together, taking turns pushing each other on days when one wasn’t feeling as motivated as the other.
One player who seems to have the support of his fellow tailbacks, as well as the entire team, is Allen Bradford.
Bradford has spent the spring ripping off long touchdown runs and reminding everyone that he is more than capable of joining the running back rotation.
“There’s still a little that I need to pick up on,” Bradford said. “But for the most part, I’m just coming out here and performing to the best of my abilities.”
Bradford has made tremendous strides this spring and could be on his way to solidifying a spot as the big back in the Trojan offense. USC has had a difficult time finding a back that can consistently pound the ball into the endzone from inside five yards since LenDale White’s departure. Last year, that inability came back to hurt them against Stanford, when the Trojans couldn’t score on a fourth-and-goal situation from the one-yard line.
This spring, Bradford has been productive in short-yardage situations. If that continues through the fall, it’ll be tough for the Trojan coaches to keep him off the field.
“The coaches keep telling me to stay consistent,” Bradford said. “Coach Norton told me the other day, ‘You have to feel unstoppable to be unstoppable,’ and I took that into consideration. I have a whole different mindset right now than I had my first two years here. I’m really focused this year.”
Of course, Bradford isn’t the only player capable of stepping into that big-back role.
Marc Tyler spent all last season butting heads against the nation’s number-two ranked defense as part of the Trojans’ scout team. After recovering from a leg injury suffered in high school, Tyler became someone the first-team defense relished going against every day in practice because of his combination of speed and strength.
“It was tough not playing (last year),” Tayler said. “But it was an advantage to be on the service team and go against guys like Keith (Rivers), Sed (Ellis) and LJ (Lawrence Jackson) every day. All those guys made me a better player, so it was tough and fun at the same time.”
“Tough and fun” might not be the most poetic way to describe the tailback competition this spring, but you won’t find any of the participants saying anything differently.
“It’s fun competing with everyone because we all get along and we all push each other,” Tyler said.
“It’s good for us because then everybody sees the best every day,” Gable added. “You see Allen getting in the mix, and with Marc and Broderick too, we have even more competition.”
“Broderick” is Broderick Green, who many people see as the second coming of LenDale White, and could easily slide into a short-yardage role this season. Green runs with authority and as the biggest back on the roster, it’ll be tempting to throw him into the fray.
Of course, it’ll be tempting to throw any of the six backs out there this season. Last year, however, the Trojans’ top three backs registered 75 percent of the teams’ rushing attempts and with carries going to fullback Stanley Havili as well as backward passes to wide receivers, it’s tough to see more than three or four tailbacks getting a substantial number of carries.
There is a long line of able-bodied Trojan tailbacks, and with a new starting quarterback and four fresh offensive linemen this season, the offensive burden may be put squarely on their shoulders.
“We always want to put it on us,” Johnson added. “We have the mindset that we’ll lead you there. Just get on our backs. We know what we have to do.”
Johnson, McKnight, Gable, Bradford, Tyler and Green. While none of the names may be synonymous with the Heisman Trophy (yet), Trojan coaches won’t have an issue coming up with quality tailbacks to throw out there this season.
“We call this Tailback U,” Tyler said about the spring’s running back competition.
As if anyone needed reminding.
