Mike Jinks tells L.A. Times he wants USC to have a clear No. 1 and No. 2 RB
USC running backs coach Mike Jinks is returning for a third season despite the Trojans tumbling to No. 120 out of 127 FBS teams in rushing this fall, and then replacing offensive line coach Tim Drevno as a result of the struggles up front and in the run game.
Jinks has some changes of his own in mind, meanwhile, as he told the Los Angeles Times' Ryan Kartje that he wants USC to have a clear No. 1 and No. 2 running back moving forward.
The Trojans largely used a crowded committee approach of three and even four backs at times the last two years.
“I want an RB1 and an RB2,” Jinks told the L.A. Times. “Those guys are going to get the majority of our touches. They’re going to be allowed to get into a rhythm. The other guys, they’re going to have to contribute on special teams and wait for their opportunity.”
Read the full story in the L.A. Times here
Jinks also indicated that redshirt senior running back Vavae Malepeai and senior Stephen Carr are expected to use the NCAA's eligibility extension granted to all 2020 fall sports athletes and return for another season.
Jinks has explained in the past that it is his call which running back is on the field, and he admittedly had a dilemma this year in trying to manage a backfield with four established backs in Malepeai, Carr, Markese Stepp and Kenan Christon.
While Malepeai has seemed to be the preferred option whenever healthy, Stepp was starting to have a breakout season in 2019 (leading the team with 6.4 yards per carry) before sustaining a significant ankle injury. With Malepeai, Carr and Stepp all sidelined concurrently late in that season, USC was forced to turn to then-untested freshman Christon, who flashed his elite speed and put together a nice highlight reel while totaling 5 touchdowns.
Entering the 2020 campaign with all four backs relatively healthy -- or at least available -- USC started with a three-way split in the backfield in the opener vs. Arizona State. Stepp got 14 carries and 2 receptions, Carr 10 carries and 5 receptions and Malepeai 8 carries and 4 receptions.
It remained fairly even in Week 2 vs. Arizona, with Stepp and Carr both receiving 12 carries and Malepeai getting 5 carries and 5 catches.
Stepp then missed the Utah game with a pectoral strain and vanished from the offense upon his return, getting just 5 carries vs. Washington State and 1 against UCLA as the seeds of a changing philosophy were planted.
In that game vs. WSU, the committee approach reached its nadir of effectiveness with no back getting more than 5 carries and the collective combining for just 25 rushing yards.
Head coach Clay Helton acknowledged after that subsequent UCLA game that the plan going in was to ride Malepeai (19 carries for 110 yards and a TD) as lead back, with Carr (7 carries) getting secondary work. When Malepeai was injured coming off that game, USC turned back to Stepp in the Pac-12 championship game vs. Oregon.
But Stepp evaluated his role in the offense and decided to move on after the season, ultimately transferring to Nebraska.
So Malepeai (238 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 4.4 yards per carry), Carr (176-2-3.8) and Christon (70-0-7.0) are back now in 2021, with 4-star early enrollee Brandon Campbell joining the mix.
Given Jinks' affinity for Malepeai it would be a surprise if he isn't the favorite for that lead back role, while it would be equally surprising if Carr returned not knowing he would have a substantial role as well.
While narrowing the backfield rotation and allowing a running back to build momentum through the game makes a ton of sense -- more sense than the crowded committee, for sure -- it would also be unfortunate if Christon, who has created more big plays over the last two seasons than anyone in that group, is again the odd man out. Jinks told the L.A. Times that Christon had gone from 190 pounds to 172 during the pandemic leading into the season, and that played a factor in his role, so perhaps if he can get his body weight up and project to be more durable and effective in pass-blocking, there remains hope that his game-changing speed can be put to use this year.
Though, Christon's father seemed to disagree with that characterization in a tweet Friday.
