The plain truth about USC’s running back room: It’s deep and loaded

In 2022, #USC was clearly deeper at WR than at RB. In 2023, the math is different for the Trojans.

It’s really very simple: In 2022, USC had more depth at wide receiver than at running back. Travis Dye needed to carry the workload for most of the season. When he went down, Austin Jones was fresh enough to help the team get through November and reach the Pac-12 Championship Game. If Dye hadn’t been a stud for the first two months of the season, it’s hard to know where USC’s offense would have been. At any rate, the Trojans’ depth at the position was limited, especially since Raleek Brown needed time to adjust as a freshman.

The receiver room was deeper last year. When Jordan Addison and Mario Williams went down with injuries, Kyle Ford and Tahj Washington — among others — were able to step up and keep the trains running on time for the passing game.

This year, it’s different. The running back room is the deeper position group.

“Austin Jones, Darwin Barlow, even MarShawn Lloyd, these guys have all played a lot of ball,” running back coach Kiel McDonald told 247Sports. “When you’ve played a lot of ball and you’ve had a lot of experiences, you get a chance to go ahead and draw back on those experiences. Are they [Dye]? No. They are leading in their own way. Travis was awesome. We had a lot of fun but those guys are stepping up, and they’re doing a heck of a job.”

“Throughout the years, I’ve had a main dog, whether it was here or the previous place,” McDonald said. “But if you got two good guys, use ‘em. If you got three good guys, use ‘em. We’re going to put the best combination of guys on the field, and whatever it takes to win, that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Lincoln Riley had this to say to 247Sports:

“That room has been a real bright spot here in camp,” Riley said. “We’ve been impressed with the older guys in that room that are a little bit more known. Certainly their skill sets are improving, and then really impressed with the two young guys. Every day those guys show up and make some big plays. Having five guys back there that we’re pretty excited about, it’s allowed us to move Raleek around, and we’ll evaluate it. We’re just trying to put a lot on tape, expose these guys to live and then we’ll start to narrow it down as we get closer to the fall.”

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