Mike Jinks reiterates USC plan to roll with two running backs on Saturdays

Soon after USC's 2020 football season ended, with the focus already firmly fixed forward on how the Trojans could spark their sluggish rushing attack, running backs coach Mike Jinks pledged a different approach for his unit.

After largely relying on a running-back-by-committee system the last two years, the Trojans would have a clear 1A and 1B running back on Saturdays in 2021, he said.

While nothing was ever going to be decided this month, that claim has made the running back competition one of the more intriguing storylines this spring -- and these last four weeks have perhaps only made that decision even more difficult for Jinks and the staff.

Redshirt senior Vavae Malepeai, a favorite of the coaches the last couple years, has been his steady self while also breaking a couple of the longer runs of spring. Fellow redshirt senior Stephen Carr was the best of the backs during the spring game two weekends ago, showing burst and power that reminded many of his pre-injury, freshman year form. Texas transfer Keaontay Ingram has wowed in his Trojans debut, showing both the ability to plow through the line for extra yards with his big frame and flashing shiftiness and speed on a 49-yard catch-and-run in the spring game. Freshman Brandon Campbell has certainly represented well, also. And junior Kenan Christon is off running track this spring but remains probably the fastest player on the team.

No, it won't be an easy decision in the least to tell three of those backs they aren't playing on a given Saturday, but Jinks doubled-down on that plan while talking to reporters Tuesday morning over Zoom.

"They've made it extremely difficult and I'm happy of that," Jinks said. "Basically, it's very difficult to get three to four guys and try to split the carries there. It's got to come down to two guys and we're going to continue to compete, we're going to continue to evaluate, we're going to work our tails off in the summer, we're going to get into fall camp and when we come in that first week before that first fall game, we'll release a depth chart and a roster and we'll know who those guys are.

"But there's commitment to do that because that's the right thing for our football team, that's the right thing to get our running game back where it needs to be."

RELATED: Watch the full video of the Zoom session with Mike Jinks, Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai

So are one of those redshirt seniors who came back for an extra season going to end up not getting to play? Is Ingram, who piled up over 2,000 total rushing and receiving yards during his time at Texas and decided he saw a better opportunity at USC after the emergence of Longhorns freshman Bijan Robinson last fall, going to sit after making that move? Is Christon, who has as impressive a highlight reel as any of the returning rushers despite significantly less opportunities the last two seasons, going to be the odd man out yet again, as he was last year?

Jinks was asked how he's braced his group for the reality of the tough decisions that will come in August.

"In our room, it's an unbelievably competitive mindset and every day is a different day. We do a great job of watching the film together and the biggest deal is communication and making sure that everybody understands what they're doing well and some of the things that they need to improve on. So as long as you're honest and you're transparent, you can't do anything but respect the process," he said.

Malepeai -- who led USC in rushing each of the last two years with 238 yards and 3 TDs in the six-game 2020 season and 503 yards and 6 TDs during an injury-plagued 2019 campaign -- offered his thoughts on moving away from the committee approach and what it's going to mean for that unit.

"It’s exciting. We all just focus on what’s in front of us and where our feet is. It’s a matter of enjoying the process and making sure we trust the process. It’s just the matter of getting better every day and controlling what we can," he said.

It was actually Malepeai's performance last year against UCLA that foreshadowed the shift to let one or two backs get more opportunity to build rhythm throughout the game. He rushed 19 times for 110 yards and a TD in what was the best individual rushing performance of the season, while Carr had 7 carries and no other back had more than 1 that day.

The plan makes sense in theory as the committee approach seemed to be of no benefit the last two years, with USC ranking 119th in rushing in 2019 (118.23 yards per game) and 120th (97.33) last season.

But it will be interesting to see what happens when it comes time to truly make the tough decisions.

In the meantime, it has been a solid competition with the active running backs rotating throughout the spring and all getting plenty of opportunities.

While Carr and Ingram stole the show in the spring game, the redshirt senior was quick to note that his performance -- 8 carries for 53 yards and a TD, plus a hard-nosed 13-yard gain on a third-down screen pass -- was only good for that day.

"Like coach said, it's a day to day process. We don't try to think about things that happened in the past. I've still got practice today, you know, so I've got to go out there and prove myself again," he said.

The other change made in an effort to fix the run game, of course, was the move to bring in Clay McGuire as offensive line coach and give offensive coordinator Graham Harrell another position coach highly experienced in his offensive system.

Whenever any player or coach has been asked this spring how McGuire, who also comes from the Mike Leach coaching tree with stints at Texas Tech and Washington State, is changing things up front, the answer always circles back to a more general comment about his familiarity with what Harrell wants to do.

Jinks added to that chorus Tuesday.

"I think it's just some familiarity with the system as a whole and how the run and the pass marry up from a systemic standpoint," Jinks said. "Graham and Clay have, there's a lot of history there and they're very comfortable in not only their conversations but schematically in what they want to do and how they want to do it and that's ultimately important. So it's been fun. It's been fun to watch. It's a work in progress, but the bottom line is from top to bottom there's been a commitment to the run game and as a running back coach that's exciting to see."

Carr chimed in as well, and his comment as to what's different this year is particularly notable.

"I like [McGuire] as a coach, he's amazing. I can see a huge difference in what the O-line's doing. I have a more better understanding of the blocking scheme so that's helping us out a whole lot more. And I have a way more better understanding of the run blocking," Carr said.

Take from that what you will. It's definitely still a work in progress, but the run game has shown some signs of modest improvement this spring, and perhaps that will continue the more the offensive linemen adjust to the new calls and demands from what McGuire is asking of them, and with the running backs also gaining a deeper understanding of what to look for from the blockers.

Carr had another interesting comment in talking about sophomore left tackle Courtland Ford and the communications they have after practice, making sure they're in sync with Ford projected to move into an otherwise veteran starting lineup.

"He’ll come in the locker room and ask me questions, like, 'What happened on this run?' Or 'What do you think I should [have done]? -- not saying where to go, but just giving each other feedback, learning how to work with each other," Carr said. "That’s very important in the backfield, learning how your running back runs and how your offensive lineman blocks. That’s very important and a great part he stepped up in just communication."

Malepeai added he's had a similar communication with Justin Dedich, who has worked as a second-team guard/center.

"He’s doing a really great job of communicating with the backs in pass protection and where the runs are going. It’s the same thing with Steve. His locker is close to mine. He’s asking me after practice, 'What’d you see on this run?' If I made a cut back, it’s like, 'Why’d you make the cutback?' It’s just a matter of communicating," Malepeai said.

Jinks, Carr and Malepeai also shared their thoughts on the new additions to the running back room in Ingram and Campbell.

Ingram put up 1,811 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry), 67 catches for 515 yards and 17 combined touchdowns in three seasons at Texas. He ran for a career-best 853 yards (5.9 per carry) in 2019 before seeing his role diminish last season, prompting his transfer.

"As far as how we first came in contact with him, there were a couple defensive hires who helped a little bit on the other side of the ball there," Jinks said of defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and safeties coach Craig Naivar, who both overlapped at Texas with Ingram. "I got a lot of family in East Texas and got the opportunity to visit with them and a lot of them had the opportunity to see this kid play growing up and not only did they speak on his ability but his character. He's come in and he's made them seem like a bunch of geniuses. He's a talented kid and what I appreciate more is the way he conducts, goes about his business. Because we have a very strong room, it's full of men of tremendous character and he's only added to that."

Campbell, meanwhile, joined this spring as an early enrollee 4-star recruit from Katy, Texas.

Here's what Carr and Malepeai had to say about both:

Malepeai: "Just mature dudes coming in ready to work and that's all you can ask for in the running back room. You're seeing other dudes work hard, you gain a sense of respect for them. And BC just coming in as a young dude -- he's still supposed to be in high school -- but when he's on the field you can't even really tell just because of the way he works. It's nice working with them and we're for sure talking after every play on the sideline. I'm pretty sure Steve can attest to it too -- we kind of just give tips to each other, small things that Coach Jinks teaches us, we kind of just remind each other and emphasize it."

Carr: "I like both of the guys. They're both from Texas, both hard workers. But off the field, I think Vae covered everything on the field, off the field I think Keaontay has a great energy. He has a positive mindset about everything, and Brandon, he's a young cat, he's willing to learn in all aspects of life. They're both new to the city and they have a lot of questions that go on about the city and stuff like that, school and football. So I try to help them out. I know me and Vae try to help them out as much as we can, get them familiar with everybody on the campus and things like that. But I enjoy their company a whole lot."

Christon, who has averaged a team-high 5.7 yards per carry over the last two seasons (albeit on just 78 carries), is not a part of spring practice this month as he's competing with the USC track and field team.

Jinks was asked how that affects Christon in the running back competition.

"It's not easy. The thing about Kenan, he's got great aptitude. He processes things relatively quickly. While I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him on a day to day basis, we've been able to communicate here and there throughout this spring semester. And what I can tell you is he's chomping at the bit to get out there and join in this competition," he said.

"It's a blessing to have this kind of depth in that running back room because as you all know in my short two years here, we want to get two guys going throughout the game, but how many times have we gone through the season with two running backs. I remember one time it was just one and we had to bring a receiver and a DB over to try to make it through the season. So it's definitely a blessing to have this kind of talent in our running back group."