Tag: Marshawn Lloyd

College Sports Wire unveils Pac-12 running back rankings for 2023

It’s a great offseason debate. @College_Wire provides this conversation starter on #Pac12 running backs.

Rating position groups is the thing to do in the month of May. August camp can’t get here soon enough, but in the meantime, there are positions to evaluate in college football, particularly in the Pac-12.

USC’s running back room is loaded.

We wrote that “If you remember how the 2022 sesaon unfolded, you know that Austin Jones played really well against UCLA and Notre Dame. He was fresh, having received few carries when Travis Dye was healthy.

“Lloyd’s arrival means that with Jones and Raleek Brown already in the rotation, USC will be able to rotate running backs a lot so that no one gets overloaded. What happened in 2022 with Austin Jones being fresh for the final few games of the season in November should become a season-long reality. Everyone should be fresh throughout the season, because no one should be overextended in a running back room this deep. Lincoln Riley can spread around the carries and give defenses a lot of different looks.”

Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire ranked the Pac-12’s running backs heading into the new season. Let’s take a look:

MarShawn Lloyd changes the narrative at USC

MarShawn Lloyd has changed impressions for the better at #USC. We talked about him with @MarkRogersTV at the @VoiceOfCFB.

Some people in the United States will read the title of this story and laugh. They’ll say “MarShawn Lloyd had already changed the narrative at USC.” They will say that the University of South Carolina is the real USC.

We obviously think the University of Southern California is the real USC, but we don’t mind South Carolina fans thinking they’re the real USC. It’s harmless.

What ultimately matters, though, is that by going from one USC to another, MarShawn Lloyd was going to show what kind of a running back he was.

USC Trojan fans thought they were getting a power running back who was going to be used between the tackles and become the bruiser in this 2023 backfield. Yet, in the Saturday spring game, Lloyd transcended his reputation and scouting report.

Lloyd made plays on the edges, outside the numbers. He made tacklers miss in open space. Lloyd showed he is shifty and elusive, not just a power broker between the tackles. USC’s running back room is defined by versatility. All the running backs have different strengths. Yet, as Lloyd shows, the individual running backs have diversified skill sets in their own right.

We talked more about this at The Voice of College Football with Mark Rogers:

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Quinten Joyner and MarShawn Lloyd star for USC offense in spring game

The running backs were, according to most #USC analysts, the most impressive position group in the spring game.

The USC Trojans’ offense is loaded with talent. Arguably, the running back room could be one of the best in the entire country.

Quinten Joyner and MarShawn Lloyd both came to USC to join Austin Jones, and the spring game on Saturday was a prime example of how dangerous this group will be in 2023.

The receivers dropped some passes on the day, but the running backs stole the attention. Both Joyner and Lloyd flashed explosiveness and the ability to win 1-on-1 matchups. They and Jones might have opposing defensive coordinators pulling out their hair this fall.

Joyner ran in a touchdown on the afternoon.

On the flip side, MarShawn Lloyd made all sorts of highlights with an impressive run, dipping below and dodging defenders left and right.

Raleek Brown is also on the roster, but the Trojans reportedly plan to move him around a bit and use him in different formations, including the slot. Jones, Joyner, and Lloyd will be tough to stop. This group is one of the best in the country.

With Caleb Williams under center, these running backs doing work, and a talented wide receiver core blessed with speed, the Trojans’ offense is legitimately formidable.

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MarShawn Lloyd means USC should have fresh running backs throughout the 2023 season

Austin Jones was fresh for the UCLA and Notre Dame games last season. MarShawn Lloyd will enable Jones and Raleek Brown to remain fresh throughout 2023.

You surely have heard the news by now: The USC Trojans landed former South Carolina running back MarShawn Lloyd, who ran for 573 yards and 9 TDs this past season, while also gaining 176 yards on 18 receptions. MarShawn Lloyd is a former top-50 recruit in the 2020 class.

The 247 composite considered Lloyd the third-best player in Maryland, the fourth-best running back in the country, and the No. 33 player overall. He is from Delaware but traveled every day to DeMatha Catholic HS in Maryland when he attended high school.

USC’s running back room just got crowded with the addition of Lloyd. Quinten Joyner, A’marion Peterson, Austin Jones and Raleek Brown will all be featured on the depth chart for the Trojans in 2023.

If you remember how the 2022 sesaon unfolded, you know that Austin Jones played really well against UCLA and Notre Dame. He was fresh, having received few carries when Travis Dye was healthy.

Lloyd’s arrival means that with Jones and Raleek Brown already in the rotation, USC will be able to rotate running backs a lot so that no one gets overloaded. What happened in 2022 with Austin Jones being fresh for the final few games of the season in November should become a season-long reality. Everyone should be fresh throughout the season, because no one should be overextended in a running back room this deep. Lincoln Riley can spread around the carries and give defenses a lot of different looks.

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Lincoln Riley gets South Carolina running back MarShawn Lloyd in the transfer portal

In 2022, Travis Dye was the elite RB who vastly improved the #USC offense and made life easier for Caleb Williams. In 2023: MarShawn Lloyd. HUGE get for Lincoln Riley.

Yes, USC’s foremost transfer portal need is on the defensive line, closely followed by the secondary and the offensive line. However, no one will complain about getting a high-end running back to help Caleb Williams for the 2023 season.

MarShawn Lloyd, a tough and very productive running back for South Carolina in 2022, committed to transfer to USC on Friday, giving the Trojans an experienced, ready-to-play, and highly skilled running back for Caleb Williams.

Raleek Brown is poised for a significant forward leap in workload and production in 2023, but we all know he is a change-of-pace back whose best skill is to get in open space and cause matchup problems for opponents outside the numbers with his speed.

MarShawn Lloyd will be the hammer in the USC ground game. He is powerful, hard to tackle, and a short-yardage beast. He will get the tough yards Travis Dye gained for the Trojans in 2022. This substantially fortifies USC’s ground game, giving the Men of Troy a complete offense for next season.

In terms of elevating the offense to an elite level, the one clear remaining need is to find high-level offensive linemen who can build quality depth at that position group.

At quarterback, receiver, and now running back, USC is once again set for success.

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Five keys for Notre Dame to defeat South Carolina

What the Irish need to do to get a Gator Bowl win

The wait between the regular season finale and bowl games is always difficult, but for [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag], game week is finally here. Their opponent, [autotag]South Carolina[/autotag] makes it two USC’s in-a-row and there are certainly similarities between them.

[autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] will coach his second bowl game and will look to find a way into the win column after last year’s difficult loss to [autotag]Oklahoma State[/autotag] in the [autotag]PlayStation Fiesta Bowl[/autotag].

This venue is different, the [autotag]TaxSlayer Gator Bowl[/autotag] but the objective is the same, get a bowl win and momentum going into the 2023 season. For the Irish to do that, there are keys to their success and here are five of them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Tank Bigsby is among the best backs in the Power Five with this stat

Auburn Tigers junior running back Tank Bigsby isn’t having the season many thought, but still among the best in one key stat.

This hasn’t been the season that many expected from Tank Bigsby. He has shown moments of being a top back, but the play of the offensive line has prevented him from being the best in the SEC.

So far this season he has forced 33 missed tackles and rushed for 319 yards after contact according to Pro Football Focus. That breaks down to 4.04 yards after contact per rush attempt. Not a bad number for the junior running back. Bigsby is No. 5 in the Power Five among backs with at least 75 rush attempts.

Of Bigsby’s remaining rushing yards this season, it breaks down to 0.36 yards per rush before contact. Essentially he is getting met at the line of scrimmage or just behind it. The ability of the Georgia native to fight through contact is why his numbers are as good as they are.

Auburn Wire compares Bigsby with the other top running backs in the Power Five in terms of yards after contact:

Six players to watch in Arkansas first SEC matchup of the season

Six for South Carolina and six for the Hogs. These will be the difference makers.

Razorback Stadium gets its first SEC matchup of the season with Arkansas hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.

Both teams won their season openers, the Hogs taking on a much more challenging opponent in Cincinnati, who was ranked in last Saturday’s duel. The Razorbacks had to go through a physical battle with the Bearcats.

Arkansas suffered two big losses in the secondary, Jalen Catalou and Myles Slusher unable to finish the game. Both players are listed as questionable. 

Losing an All-American safety doesn’t help the Hogs, especially after the secondary struggled in the second half against the Bearcats. Gamecocks’ quarterback Spencer Rattler poses a tougher challenge than Ben Bryant, who threw two touchdowns in the second half.

The Hogs have a 73% chance of winning, according to FPI. South Carolina is currently on a three-game winning streak against the Hogs, the last matchup coming in 2017. Head coach Shane Beamer will rely heavily on his “Beamer Ball” special teams to keep the streak alive.