Tag: Darwin Barlow

How does UNC football’s running back room stack up against the nation?

Looking ahead to the season opener, how does UNC football’s running back room compare to other top programs in the nation?

For years, UNC football has had a stacked running back room. From Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, who are now both in the NFL, to last year’s Omarion Hampton and British Brooks, the Tar Heels have had a dominant run game for years.

With Brooks now on the Houston Texans, Hampton was looking for a new backfield mate. Incoming transfer Darwin Barlow and senior Caleb Hood will serve as the committee behind the workhorse back.

Hampton has been projected to top his 1,500-yard season from last year while being named to every award watch list and draft prospect list imaginable for the upcoming season.

However, while top-backs like Ashton Jeanty, Ollie Gordon II, and Tahj Brooks all don’t have great second-backs in the room, North Carolina’s can be severely underlooked.

According to 247sports,  the peak of running back rooms this season has been season by Ohio State after keeping TreVeyon Henderson and bringing in transfer Quinshon Judkins. They are joined by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen of Penn State and Jordan James and Noah Whittington of Oregon.

Hampton will be joined by Barlow who has never averaged under 4.5 yards per carry in his five-year NCAA career. It was highlighted by a 62-carry, 289-yard season in 2021.

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Former USC running back Darwin Barlow transfers to North Carolina

Darwin Barlow gets his big chance for more playing time under Mack Brown in Chapel Hill.

The USC Trojans football program lost another player to the transfer portal in what has been a big overhaul. This time, it is running back Darwin Barlow who hit the portal. He found a new home in North Carolina with the Tar Heels, as he posted on X on Thursday evening.

Barlow was a nonfactor this season, and a big reason is because of the crowded running back room at USC. Barlow had just 81 yards and a score on eight carries. He had 96 yards and three scores in 2022, so Barlow is clearly looking for more opportunities in his final year of college ball. He deserves his chance to play and show what he can do. We wish him the best.

The Trojans have been making a lot of changes to the coaching staff and the roster. They recently found a new quarterback by bringing in Georgia commit and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.

Barlow should see a big uptick in carries with the Tar Heels, who lost Drake Maye to the NFL draft and might be more run-focused in 2024.

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Running back Darwin Barlow will transfer from USC

Darwin Barlow deserves to be an RB1 someplace.

Redshirt senior running back Darwin Barlow is transferring from the USC football program,

Barlow made eight appearances for USC this season, tallying eight carries for 81 yards and a touchdown. Harlow spent two seasons at TCU before joining the Trojans. In five collegiate seasons, Barlow has amassed 993 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 181 carries.

As a true freshman at TCU, the Texas native appeared in three games and had 99 yards with one touchdown. As a redshirt freshman, he rushed for 428 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.

Barlow is 5-11 and 215 pounds. He was a consensus three-star prospect back in 2019. The veteran running back will be a valued commodity in the portal.

Barlow’s USC highlight was the UCLA game in 2022. Travis Dye was out with an injury, opening the door to more carries for the other guys in the running back room. Barlow became the Trojans’ late-inning closer, a fresh and rested player who could bring the heat. Barlow ran with energy and toughness, and he helped finish USC’s 48-45 win over UCLA with a touchdown he will remember for the rest of his life.

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USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

Notre Dame vs. USC: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Little has changed with this rivalry, and that’s a good thing.

Rivalries are when you really find out about your team. This surely was on the minds of both Notre Dame and USC ahead of Saturday’s game at Notre Dame Stadium. In the end, we saw both teams for what they were. It was Notre Dame walking out with a 31-16 victory.

The Trojans (3-4) finished what they started late in the third quarter when Keontay Ingram scored his team’s first touchdown on the second play of the quarter. There was little reason for concern at that point as the Irish (6-1) still had a two-score lead. When they marched into Trojans territory, a response to that touchdown appeared to be in order. Instead, Chris Steele took away a pass that would have set the Irish up in the red zone.

The Trojans immediately took advantage of the turnover when Kedon Slovis completed a 44-yard pass to Drake London on the first play of the possession. There was little trouble reaching the end zone after that, which happened on a 3-yard run from Darwin Barlow. However, Parker Lewis missed the extra-point kick. That could have made things interesting but for what followed.

Rather than stay disciplined, the Trojans’ defense committed a pair of 15-yard penalties. It was a particularly bad time to take them because Kyren Williams continued to add to what already had been a great night for him. Ironically, it was Tyler Buchner who finished the drive off with a 3-yard touchdown run. So much for a late surprise from the visitors.

All that was left for the defense was for Isaiah Foskey to force a fumble on a sack of Slovis on fourth down and for TaRiq Bracy to recover it. The Irish were deep in Trojans’ territory after that, but they didn’t need to score again. Just take the win and look forward to North Carolina.