USC’s running backs room has a simple grading system, and according to Waymond Jordan, there’s no wiggle room in it.
“Any grade that’s not a 90 and above, it’s basically an F to him,” Jordan told reporters. “He grades really strictly.”
That standard comes from running backs coach Anthony Jones Jr., now in his third season with the Trojans, and it has become part of the backdrop for a USC ground game that is still trying to find more explosiveness as Big Ten play begins. The 12th-ranked Trojans are 3-0 heading into Saturday’s trip to Rutgers, where they’ll face a 0-2 team.
Through three games, USC is averaging 172.67 rushing yards per game, which ranks eighth among the 18 Big Ten teams. The high-water mark so far came in Saturday’s 49-30 win over Louisiana, when the Trojans piled up 214 rushing yards.
King Miller was the headliner in that game, carrying 18 times for 128 yards and a touchdown. Jordan added 47 yards on 10 carries. Miller has seen more work overall with 48 total touches, while Jordan has 29 after missing the last seven games of last season and most of spring practice because of an ankle injury.
Miller said Tuesday that his own outing against Louisiana still didn’t meet the bar Jones has set.
“It’s what we need,” Miller said. “Any good RB (coach) is going to be rough on you.
Every day, it’s like he’s a father to us. Everything he instills in us, we need to put on tape and just go out there and try to do our best each and every day.”
USC has leaned on 21 personnel, using two running backs, 16 times in its first three games, according to Hudl IQ analytics. That package has been efficient, posting a 68.8% success rate and producing 5.8 rushing yards per play.
Jordan said the two backs have made that pairing work because the relationship is built on trust and a shared willingness to sacrifice touches.
“We trust each other; we can communicate easily. We’re both unselfish.
We don’t care who gets the ball,” Jordan said with a smile. “We actually tell each other to get the ball and then we almost rock, paper, scissor who gets the ball.”
Lincoln Riley views Miller and Jordan as close to co-starters, and he says the choice often depends on what the defense shows USC. He also likes the benefit of keeping both runners fresh.
“We gotta balance it,” Riley said. “We’re not always gonna be on a perfect rotation. If a guy gets hot and gets going just like any other position, we’ll probably ride that hot hand a little bit longer and allow us to get some of that, but we’re going to need them both.”
The Trojans also picked up some hardware this week. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week for the first time after scoring two touchdowns against Louisiana. His six catches for 83 yards were the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single game since Anthony McCoy had 153 yards against Notre Dame in 2009.
USC’s offensive line was honored by Pro Football Focus as its offensive line of the week. Six linemen who played at least 30 snaps earned PFF grades of 70.0 or higher, the group kept Jayden Maiava from being sacked, and it helped pave the way for the 214-yard rushing performance. Left tackle Elijah Paige and left guard Hayden Treter were also named to the PFF National Team of the Week.
USC’s Sept. 26 home matchup with Oregon will kick off at 4:30 p.m., marking the Trojans’ first home game of their Big Ten schedule after the trip to Rutgers. The game will air nationally on NBC (Ch. 4) and on ESPNLA (710 AM).
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USC Walks Into A Road Game That Could Get Awkward Fast
Rutgers is already in an uncomfortable spot before USC ever takes the field in this one. The Scarlet Knights have opened the season with back-to-back heavy losses, including a home defeat to UMass and another setback against Boston College, and the tone around the program has turned quickly as questions start to follow Greg Schiano into the week.
USC, meanwhile, walks into a road game where the opponents mood may be as much a factor as the matchup itself. The Trojans are getting Rutgers at a time when the Scarlet Knights are trying to steady a season that has already gone sideways, and if the noise around Schiano keeps building, this could become one of those trips where the football and the larger tension around the program are impossible to separate. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads To Rutgers With A New Receiver Concern
USCs trip to Rutgers picked up a little more uncertainty when true freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley landed on the injury list and was ruled out for the game because of a knee ailment. Mosley has been part of the group the Trojans have leaned on for depth, and his absence comes at a point where the offense is trying to keep its receiver rotation steady heading into another road test.
Lincoln Riley said the timeline is still unclear, though the expectation is that it should not turn into a long-term issue. In the meantime, USC is looking at other options to absorb the snaps and production, with Zacharyus Williams and Terrell Anderson among the receivers who could be asked to take on more of the load. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans Got The Jayden Maiava Shoulder Answer They Needed
Jayden Maiava gave USC plenty to feel good about in its win over Louisiana, piling up a career-high five touchdowns while also putting an end to the shoulder chatter that had lingered around him. The senior quarterback said he is healthy, and the way he played looked every bit like a passer operating without restriction, with freshman tight end Mark Bowman emerging as a major part of the offense with six catches and two scores.
For a Trojans team trying to build momentum, the timing mattered as much as the numbers. Maiava also spoke about getting ready for Rutgers and reflected on how far he has come over three seasons at Southern Cal, which adds another layer to a performance that was already important for the scoreboard and the injury conversation alike. [Read more 🡒]