Heading into USC football’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Texas A&M Friday night, we knew the Trojans’ running back room would be significantly depleted.
Top running back Woody Marks, who is headed to the NFL, opted out of the game. No. 2 back Quinten Joyner also entered the transfer portal, leaving the Trojans with just two scholarship backs—both freshmen—left on the roster.
Those two running backs were true freshman Bryan Jackson and redshirt freshman A’Marion Peterson. Both young players stepped up when their name was called, combining for 28 carries, 109 yards, and a touchdown.
It was exactly the type of performance that USC needed from the two players. Given that they trailed for nearly the entire game, the Trojans were forced to throw the ball more than they ran it. But they were able to get enough production in the ground out of their two young backs to make A&M’s defense respect their run game, in turn opening things up for quarterback Jayden Maiava and the passing game.
With Eli Sanders transferring in from New Mexico, the Trojans will get a big boost in their running back room heading into to next season. After their impressive performance Friday night, however, Jackson and Peterson put themselves in prime position to compete for significant playing time in 2025.