Mike Jinks on RB rotation: 'We're going to do what's best for this' team

USC running backs coach Mike Jinks didn't need to be asked about redshirt freshman Markese Stepp's usage or role in the offense. It seems he's well aware of all the outside chatter about Stepp needing more touches.

So when the question was actually asked about redshirt junior Vavae Malepeai and what he had done to earn the lead role in the backfield this fall, Jinks had his guard up.

"What he does everyday here in practice," he said matter-of-factly. "In our room, there are no punches [pulled]. I don't care about feelings. The truth is told. If they want more touches, they want the ball, they do what they need to do on a daily basis -- and he does. I'm proud of him. I'm proud of all of them, actually. They've all come in and done a decent job of maximizing their opportunities."

Malepeai leads the Trojans with 272 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry through three games. His 58 rushing attempts significantly outpace junior Stephen Carr (21 carries for 111 yards and 2 TDs, plus 10 catches for 75 yards and a TD) and Stepp (12-86-0).

Malepeai is more than halfway to his 2018 totals (93-501-8) and will likely continue to see a majority share of the carries, as Jinks has made it clear since the spring that he favors having a lead back rather than an even rotation.

"It's been a blessing. It's for sure an opportunity that I'm looking to seize, but really every back in the room has been working, we're all working together," Malepeai said. "Throughout the game [Stephen] is reminding me, 'Stay low, be patient,' and I'm doing the same for him, we're doing the same for 'Kese. When you've got 'Kese who comes in, he hasn't had much experience playing, so when he's in we're just supporting him, cheering him on and we're all just feeding off each other."

Stepp indeed has not received much experience, and that became a flashpoint of debate over the last week. After not getting any offensive snaps in the opener and then playing just 4 snaps with 3 carries vs. Stanford, Stepp broke off 3 runs for 33 yards in the second quarter Saturday at BYU before being immediately subbed out for Malepeai.

He didn't get back on the field until being used as a short-yardage back in the fourth quarter -- converting a third-and-1 and two fourth-and-1s. The clamoring to see more of the physical back with a knack for creating yards after contact had already started earlier in the week, but it increased as Carr and Malepeai combined for 9 carries on two drives that ended in quick punts in the third quarter.

Head coach Clay Helton talked his way around a couple questions about Stepp's usage, praising his short-yardage work, noting his fumble midway through the fourth quarter (which he recovered himself) and touting the overall depth at the position.

Jinks was a little more direct when asked about it Monday after practice.

"There were 10 plays in the third quarter -- I want somebody to bring that up. That's just a fact. You ask me a question, that's the answer," he said. "Again, I really don't care what anybody says. We're going to do what's best for this football team."

Which he believes to be a heavy dose of Malepeai with Carr mixing in as a dual threat out of the backfield.

The formula worked well in the opener against Fresno State. Malepeai rushed for 134 yards and a TD on 5.8 yards per carry while Carr rushed 6 times for 56 yards and a TD and caught 6 passes for 43 yards and a score. Against Stanford, USC went pass-heavy and Malepeai turned his 12 carries into 42 yards and 2 TDs while Carr rushed 6 times for 33 yards and a TD.

"Last game, the holes just weren't falling for Stephen. We went back and watched the tape and I showed him why. There's going to be games like that," Jinks said. "And Stepp came in there and was patient on his runs and was able to get north and south. When he doesn't get north-south, he starts bouncing, he's going to come sit by me because that's not who he is. And that's not who any of our backs are going to be. As backs, we're going to be downhill runners, but he did a great job of making his presence known. He came in as some of those drives were going on, he was very difficult to handle."

That said, Jinks doesn't have any interest debating whether Stepp should have been used even more against BYU. And to his credit, the redshirt freshman deflected all postgame questions about his usage and said he was fine with his role.

In fact, Jinks said, the camaraderie and collective support within the running back group has been a consistent positive for him so far. Malepeai expounded on that as well.

"Everybody in the running back room has the same mentality -- you just stack little wins on little wins, next thing you know you've got a big stack of little wins," he said. "I guess at the end of the day, the way we look at it altogether, we control how much we play and really every running back in the room has been helping each other. It's not really just me. It's Stephen helping me on my game. When he sees a cut that I could have made that would have made the play better, I really take it in.

"Actually tonight for example, we live right next to each other, we're about to go watch some film on Utah and just kind of lock in and just kind of get the sense of the defense, how they like to play on certain schemes."

Malepeai had a long run of 16 yards Saturday and Stepp bounced runs of 15 and 12 yards, but for the most part, as Jinks noted, it didn't seem like the running lanes were abundant despite BYU dropping eight defenders into coverage. Malepeai didn't want to make any excuses, though.

"[Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is] calling plays that's there -- we just got to execute and I feel that's on me as a runner. I've just got to be more patient, let the plays develop," he said.

USC has a particularly tough challenge this week against a Utah team that ranks No. 7 nationally in allowing only 65 rushing yards per game so far. It could be a game defined by getting the tough yards, and it will be interesting to see how the redshirt freshman bulldozer factors into the gameplan.

"[If] we're getting 83-85 snaps a game, you're going to see those guys get more than enough touches," Jinks said. "You go back and everybody says, why this guy didn't touch it, why this guy touched it? No. 1, I don't care what anybody thinks. No. 2 is you play a Stanford and you get 61 touches, nobody's going to get enough touches.

"They've done a great job of just whoever goes in those other couple guys are really cheering them on, and that's going to be key -- not only in that running back room, that's going to be key for this USC Trojan football team."