{"id":61844,"date":"2025-11-20T09:56:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T09:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/61844\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T09:56:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T09:56:12","slug":"usc-counts-on-running-backs-to-keep-overachieving-against-oregon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/61844\/","title":{"rendered":"USC counts on running backs to keep overachieving against Oregon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last month, in the span of a single half, USC\u2019s top two running backs were lost to serious injuries. For Eli Sanders<\/a>, the knee injury he suffered against Michigan prematurely ended his season. For Waymond Jordan<\/a>, ankle surgery meant missing most of the Trojans\u2019 critical stretch run.<\/p>\n

It made for a particularly cruel one-two punch. Through the first six games, the Trojans duo had been a top-10 rushing attack in the nation, trending toward the best rushing season USC<\/a> had seen in two decades. Then, in less than an hour\u2019s time, a promising start had been derailed by injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat could almost be a death sentence,\u201d coach Lincoln Riley<\/a> said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

But with just two games left in the season, the Trojans\u2019 rushing attack still is very much alive. And USC still is clinging to College Football Playoff hopes because of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gone remarkably well,\u201d Riley said of USC\u2019s rushing attack since. \u201cI don\u2019t know that anyone could have predicted that to be completely honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one anticipated the arrival of redshirt freshman walk-on King Miller<\/a>, who has been a season-saving revelation since being thrust into the role of the Trojans\u2019 lead back. Miller is averaging 113 yards per game since Jordan and Sanders went down, which, extrapolated over the course of a full season, would tie Nebraska\u2019s Emmett Johnson for best in the Big Ten. Miller also is one of just two Power Four running backs with more than 90 carries to average better than seven yards per rush.<\/p>\n

His unexpected coronation, coming at the most critical point of USC\u2019s season, is part of why the Trojans could be just two wins away from their first playoff bid. And if they have any hope of continuing that run, Miller will have to lead the rushing attack into its toughest battle yet Saturday at Autzen Stadium, where No. 7 Oregon has held opposing offenses to 90 yards rushing per game.<\/p>\n

There was a brief glimmer of hope leading into this week that Jordan, who underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle five weeks ago, might be able to return for USC\u2019s trip to Eugene. Jordan was listed as questionable on the injury report last Saturday and dressed for practice this week, both signs of progress. But Riley acknowledged Tuesday it was unlikely Jordan would be ready for the game, as he\u2019s still getting comfortable cutting on his surgically repaired ankle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s getting closer,\u201d Riley said. \u201cBut for a back, that\u2019s not a great injury.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were a number of other injuries too that presumably should have led to USC\u2019s undoing on the ground. In addition to their battered backfield, the Trojans have been without left tackle Elijah Paige<\/a> for several games because of a knee injury and could be without him again Saturday. Center Kilian O\u2019Connor<\/a> missed three games because of his own knee issue, and guard Alani Noa was sidelined for most of the Nebraska win.<\/p>\n

But the Trojans have yet to take a step back. The offensive line has shuffled positions with surprising success, and Miller has exceeded all expectations, earning a place in USC\u2019s future plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to learn to be confident in whatever I\u2019m doing,\u201d Miller said this week. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be confident no matter what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller may, however, have met his match this week with Oregon. While USC has remained near the top of the Big Ten, even after losing its top two backs, the Ducks have boasted arguably the best rushing attack in the nation. Only Navy averages more yards per carry than Oregon (6.33) or has more 20-plus-yard carries (28).<\/p>\n

Two of Oregon\u2019s trio of backs, senior Noah Whittington and freshman Dierre Hill Jr., are averaging better than eight yards per carry. The other, Mater Dei product Jordon Davison, is averaging seven yards as a freshman and has 12 touchdown runs.<\/p>\n

The numbers aren\u2019t exactly encouraging for the Trojans, who have been distressingly vulnerable against the run for long stretches of this season. USC is giving up more than 200 yards on the ground on average over its last four games, none of which came against offenses that rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing.<\/p>\n

The best backfield USC faced during that stretch, Notre Dame, rolled over the Trojans<\/a> for 306 yards. And the Irish are averaging 41 fewer yards per game on the ground than Oregon.<\/p>\n

But in each of its three games since that Notre Dame nadir, the Trojans have come out looking like a totally different defense in the second half. None of their last three opponents \u2014 Iowa, Northwestern or Nebraska \u2014 managed more than a field goal after halftime.<\/p>\n

USC won\u2019t have the luxury of waiting that long this week, up against one of the few offenses in college football scoring at a more efficient clip. For the Trojans to keep their playoff hopes alive, it starts with dictating how things go on the ground.<\/p>\n

So far that\u2019s gone better than expected. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some big challenges,\u201d Riley said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to respond. It\u2019ll obviously be important in games like this. Being able to run the football, being able to stop the run is always key, no matter who you\u2019re playing, where you\u2019re playing, what year it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been clutch there. We\u2019ve been able to do it. Hopefully we can get it done this time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last month, in the span of a single half, USC\u2019s top two running backs were lost to serious…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[37372,1794,4667,423,7775,4665,48,52,51,47,50,49,24317,17677,545,4666,278,23138,3533,430,1539],"class_list":["post-61844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ankle-surgery","tag-attack","tag-back","tag-game","tag-ground","tag-jordan","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-miller","tag-nebraska","tag-oregon","tag-riley","tag-season","tag-trojans","tag-usc","tag-week","tag-yard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}