“I can’t talk today. I might say anything.”

C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight were kidding. Sort of. Before I even approached the two running backs they were declining interview requests from an SID.

With most everyone giving their two cents on USC’s running back rotation — Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team is “still searching” — I figured it’d be a good idea to see what the four so-called co-starters thought.

One-on-one with Allen Bradford:

Question: Do you know your role and what is it?

Allen Bradford: Pound the run, be physical, bring attitude to the running back group. Mac (running backs coach Todd McNair) just tells me punishment. Last game I didn’t get carries. It’s hard. What I said yesterday (to media) is frustration.

Q: How can you be most effective?

Bradford: If I don’t get my carries I can’t be effective. I think I just need carries. I’ve been here for years so people know what I can do. Virginia, I had some good runs. I ran hard. It was real hard having no carries (against Oregon State). I just got to go out there and keep going, try to get some carries and be physical.

Q: How many carries do you need to get into a rhythm?

Bradford: Just a couple touches. Just a couple touches and I’ll be at it. It don’t take that long for me to get riled up. When I get out there in my mind I feel like I can take every one to the house. But five yards and I’ll be cool. I know as I get the ball more and compete I’m going to run harder.

Q: Is the rotation keeping the rushing game from being at its best?

Bradford: I think Oregon State was really prepared for us. I had a couple plays early. I was in on the second play but they audibled. Then I had the play with Joe but he kept it. It just didn’t work out. I think the coaches feel what I’m saying. I talked to Coach (Pete) Carroll, he understands me, he understands my frustration. I’m not sure if that’s going to get me more carries.

Q: When did you talk to Coach Carroll and what did you talk about?

Bradford: Today. It was probably 10 minutes. I’m just frustrated. He understood. I know he read it in the paper. He understands. He just told me to go out there and keep running hard. He understands why I feel that. I don’t get carries after all the work I put in. I’m not saying my time will come because I feel that my time should be now. That’s how I feel.

The running back situation is a rotation. I just got to keep dealing with the rotation. I just got to suck my pride up, I guess. He just told me to keep running and he understands. He understands everything. He said he knows what type of player I am and I’ll never stop fighting.

How do you feel about your meeting now?

Q: I’m not a selfish player. I’m not going to just go up there and say give me the ball. I just told him what I felt and what was on my mind. After I talked to him I felt a little better. We’ll see how the game goes this (week), what they do. I just had to vent some. It’s not just what he told me but I had to let it go.

Q: Do you think somebody should get at least 10 carries, even if it isn’t you?

Bradford: I don’t know about 10, but Virginia we all had nine and Joe had six. You can’t complain. The first two games, I think the distribution was 18, 14, 13, 13. It’s even. I was just mad at the fact I did not get one. One would have been cool. Just one. I think that’s why I was so frustrated. I still have catches on the season. But it don’t feel like I’m a part of it, that was the whole thing.

Q: If someone has the hot hand should they get the bulk of the carries?

Bradford: If we did that a lot of people would be leaving. We’re all too good. If it happened to anybody else they would be the same boat I’m in. They would feel the same way. I think it would be the same situation. Dishing the ball out to everybody, how they’re doing it, how they did it the first two games was good. We all know, like Coach Mac said, if someone gets hot, we’re going to keep dishing them the ball. The first game, we all did good the first game. The second game, Ohio State, Joe was hot. Give him the ball. Last game. Stafon.

Q: And still, Stafon got only seven carries. Should he have had more?

Bradford: Think about it, we only ran the ball 22 times.

Q: But if he would have gotten more carries, you might have had more first downs and this ran more plays, right?

Bradford: You don’t know what would have happened. I just felt like I wasn’t a part of it.

Q: How do you keep a good attitude about the situation?

Bradford: I really don’t know. It gets to me but I try not to show it. Don’t show it at all. Don’t show my frustrations. I just keep on running.

Related links:

• In search of … Joe McKnight
• In search of … Stafon Johnson
• In search of … C.J. Gable

“I can’t talk today. I might say anything.”

C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight were kidding. Sort of. Before I even approached the two running backs they were declining interview requests from an SID.

With most everyone giving their two cents on USC’s running back rotation — Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team is “still searching” — I figured it’d be a good idea to see what the four so-called co-starters thought.

One-on-one with C.J. Gable:

Question: Do you know your role and what is it?

C.J. Gable: Probably a third-down back, pass protection. I think it’s pass protection and a little bit of running the ball.

Q: How can you be most effective?

Gable: I don’t know. It’s up to them. Wherever they put me I’m going to do it 100 percent. It doesn’t matter.

Q: Are you a little confused about it?

Gable: Yeah. I don’t know how they’re using me.

Q: How many carries do you need to get into a rhythm?

Gable: I probably need three, four in a row to get into a rhythm. But it doesn’t go like that all the time. I got to do what I can do when I get my carries.

Q: Is the rotation keeping the rushing game from being at its best?
Gable: Nah, we’re still doing good. It’s not like we have bad running backs. All the running backs are good. It’s not keeping us back.

Q: Do you think somebody should get at least 10 carries, even if it isn’t you?

Gable: I don’t know. If somebody gets 10, somebody else will be mad. He (Coach Pete Carroll) doesn’t do that. He’s trying to make everybody happy. Some games you get more and some games you don’t. You don’t know how it’s going to go.

Q: How do you keep a good attitude about the situation?

Gable: I try not to think about it. Everybody gets mad. If you’re not mad, you’re not competing at your job. I get mad but I just suck it up. It’s going to come. You got to wait. It’s going to come. You got wait your turn. Keep on going hard so when it is your turn you’ll be ready.

Related links:

• In search of … Joe McKnight
• In search of … Stafon Johnson
• In search of … Allen Bradford

“I can’t talk today. I might say anything.”

C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight were kidding. Sort of. Before I even approached the two running backs they were declining interview requests from an SID.

With most everyone giving their two cents on USC’s running back rotation — Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team is “still searching” — I figured it’d be a good idea to see what the four so-called co-starters thought.

One-on-one with Stafon Johnson:

Question: Do you know your role and what is it?

Stafon Johnson: I have a different role every week. I don’t really set my mind on one role. When I get in I got to make the best out of it. I don’t know exactly what it is. Whenever I get a chance to get, just make it happen. Whatever it is, third-and-10, third-and-2, second-and-2, no matter what it is I want to make it happen. If you need me at third down, second down, first down, whatever it is, you got to make it happen. That’s the way I look at the situation.

I got no problem with it. At the end of the day if you get a W, what else can you complain about? It’s all part of helping the team. By me saying I want other things, that’s not going to nothing other than make us worse. At the end of the day, if we got that W , if me getting the ball on third-and-2 is helping the team then that’s what it is.

Q: How can you be most effective?

Johnson: It don’t matter. When I get the ball, it don’t matter if it’s late in the first or early in the fourth. It don’t matter to me. It’s all part of the game and it’s all needed. If it’s first-and-10, you need four or five yards to put it at second-and-5 to make it easier for your quarterback. It doesn’t really matter.

Q: Is that easier for you to say because you’re more involved?

Johnson: Certain games have certain people to be involved It depends on the game plan. Sometimes you got to game plan with speed. Sometimes you got to game plan with pounding the ball. Different people have different times of getting into the game.

Q: But doesn’t this make you wonder about your role when there were several times last year you effectively carried the load as the lead back?

Johnson: Like I said, different games. Different games require different things. We only played three games. You can’t really say. It’s too early right now to say I wish I would have had this, I wish I would have had that. We only played three games. Two of the games it was real stocky inside and we went to our speed and perimeter area. That’s what we did. We exploited that.

Q: What about this past week when you had the hot hand and only got seven carries?

Johnson: We were down 21-0 and needed to make something happen fast, play-action pass, throw the ball downfield and using our speed. You can’t really say nothing. We were down 21. We got to pass and make something happen. Running the ball at that time probably would have been efficient but it’s eating up the clock. You got to get something fast.

Q: How many carries do you need to get into a rhythm?

Johnson: I feed off of energy. I feed off the crowd. It doesn’t really matter if I get the ball once. That one time can probably set me on fire. Of course once you get that first carry if you get seven yards, you feel good about yourself.

Q: Is the rotation keeping the rushing game from being at its best?

Johnson: You can’t say that. You can’t say that. Different games require different things. It’s too early. It’s only been three games. When the 11th game comes around you can say that. But right now it’s early.

Q: Do you think somebody should get at least 10 carries, even if it isn’t you?

Johnson: We all bring to the table certain things. Our coaches try to exploit that to the best of our abilities. You don’t know who can get the bulk of the carries.

Q: Right. But don’t you think the team would be better-suited with someone getting more if they are playing well on a particular day?

Johnson: We feel strong when all of us are getting the touches, when all of us are getting an equal amount. It helps us to stay fresh. Everybody as a whole is one big back.

Q: How do you keep a good attitude about the situation?

Johnson: I’m good. I’m good. We’re winning. We lost Thursday, but we saw what we did wrong and it’s early.

Q: Has this situation ever bothered you in the past?

Johnson: Probably two years ago when I was immature and not really knowing what’s going on, coming out of high school and being the man. But now I’m matured, I kind of know what’s going on. What’s best for the team right now is for all of us to come to the game and be prepared to play ball.

Q: But after Thursday, knowing there was the potential for you to have a big night, were you thinking you should have gotten a few more carries?

Johnson: That’s not up to me. That’s not up to me to distinguish that. We were down 21. If we run the ball it probably could have worked. It’s like a 50-50 chance. If we would have won the game, oh, ‘They made the greatest play calls in the world.’ But since we didn’t and we lost, it (was) an issue. So you can’t really say that. You can’t really say because you never know the phase of the game. The coaches know what they’re doing.

Q: You don’t think it would have been an issue if you would have won?

Johnson: I honestly think it would have never been brought up if we would have won the game because the runs we did set up the pass. We were down 21, we needed something fast. It just didn’t work as we wanted it to work.

Related links:

• In search of … C.J. Gable
• In search of … Joe McKnight
• In search of … Allen Bradford

“I can’t talk today. I might say anything.”

C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight were kidding. Sort of. Before I even approached the two running backs they were declining interview requests from an SID.

With most everyone giving their two cents on USC’s running back rotation — Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team is “still searching” — I figured it’d be a good idea to see what the four so-called co-starters thought.

One-on-one with Joe McKnight:

Question: How can you be most effective?

Joe McKnight: When I get a chance to get in, just make plays.

Q: How many carries do you need to get into a rhythm?

McKnight: When you’re playing running back at this school and you got a lot of running backs, you should get into a rhythm immediately. Before the game you got to warm up to get in your rhythm. Every running back will need a couple carries to get settled in.

Q: Is the rotation keeping the rushing game from being at its best?

McKnight: I really don’t know. I don’t know. I just let the coaches do their job. Can’t put more pressure on the coaches than they already have.

Q: Do you think somebody should get at least 10 carries, even if it isn’t you?

McKnight: I feel like whatever running back is on that game should get the carries. Like Stafon, he was on last game. He had a couple good gains so he should have kept getting the ball. I feel like that. If you’re on, you should be getting the ball.

Q: How do you keep a good attitude about the situation?

McKnight: I just handle my football stuff when I’m at football. When I’m off the field I don’t worry about football. I don’t have an attitude. I don’t have a problem with it.

Related links:

• In search of … C.J. Gable
• In search of … Stafon Johnson
• In search of … Allen Bradford

SC has to make sure that the offensive line needs to give Sanchez the time he needs to get the play to develop. I know it sounds like a broken record but this week it is absolutely key. The OSU defense will throw a lot of things at this relatively new offensive line. They performed flawlessly against Virginia but this is a whole new level of talent.

Ends Lawrence Wilson (6 feet 4, 274 pounds) and Cameron Heyward (6-6, 287) and tackles Nader Abdallah (6-4, 300) and Todd Denlinger (6-2, 292) present an entirely different look than Virginia, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Byers anticipates typical Big Ten smash-mouth style from the Buckeyes.

"They get big guys and they pound each other, that's what they do in the Big Ten," Byers said.

Like USC, Ohio State features outstanding linebackers. James Laurinaitis is in the middle flanked by Marcus Freeman and Ross Homan.

Ohio State intercepted four passes and recovered a fumble against Ohio. Co-defensive coordinators Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell are expected to turn the defense loose against Sanchez, who only a month ago suffered a dislocated left kneecap in practice.

This is match-up that concerns me the most. Wilson and Heyward are beasts and they are fast so they have to be contained in order for Sanchez to get things going. Like I said they are going to throw everything including the kitchen sink at Sanchez. He is going to get more pressure than anything he saw against UVA so he is going to have keep his composure if things get dicey in the pocket.

I know SC's O line sees some similar type play against our defense in practice but its always different in a real game. Combine their line with a stout linebacking corps led by James Laurinaitis and you can see how this will be the most important battle to watch.

The Ohio State Defense as a whole has come under some criticism for their lack of fire on the field lately and this was pretty evident against Ohio. But that is not enough for me to take them lightly.

Talk about split personality. Either they can’t adjust to game speed after 2 months off or the defensive plan has just been pathetic. If I see Ohio State try to keep USC in front of them by lining up in a line 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, I may turn off the TV. Give up a big play, who cares? Just do something. The defense has made exactly one big play in the past 3 losses (Malcolm Jenkins INT, give that man the ball). If we don’t see more physicality from the defense, we might as well sign up for a Miami failure. James Laurinaitis being taken out of a play by a LSU WR is embarrassing.

Yes they have had problems performing at the highest level in some big games but there is a history here between these two teams as we have battled it out before so I am not ready to dismiss them yet.

They have always had problems defending the spread and dealing with mobile QB's but that is not what we run so tOSU will be able to play a more standard defensive scheme against SC. If they get some pressure look for a lot of dump passes out of the backfield to Havili or McKnight.

Outside of the O line the key players to watch will C.J. Gable for his blocking abilities, Anthony McCoy to stick with his blocking assignments yet still be available for a quick dump pass or neutralizing the LB to give the running back some room to break through and of course Mark Sanchez to see if he maintains his composure and how his knee holds up.

A lot of people think that SC just has too many weapons not to win or that the weak link in the Ohio State chain is quarterback Todd Boeckman and his ability to make plays but to me its the little things and this will be THE key matchup that SC has to control in order for SC to win.

Which means that Johnson–USC’s only fully healthy every-down back at the moment–should increase his carries in the early season.  When you also take into account the gimpiness of Mark Sanchez and the possible debut of a new quarterback, it makes sense that USC would lean heavily on its running game in the first half of the season.  As a result, big games against Virginia and Ohio State could catapult Johnson from Heisman dark horse into real Heisman contention.

Remember, the last seven Trojan tailbacks who surpassed 1,400 yards in a season at some point in their careers went on to either win the Heisman or finish second in the voting.

Allen Bradford 4.46
C.J. Gable 4.68
Broderick Green -- injured
Stanley Havili -- injured
Stafon Johnson 4.44
Joe McKnight -- did not run
Marc Tyler 4.59

But if you look at it closely, or did so at the end of Saturday's Arizona game, of the 16 original starters on that poster, guess how many were up and active, healthy and unscathed, at the end of the game?

Let's do the math.

Josh Pinkard and C.J. Gable are gone for the season.

Sam Baker limped off with a hamstring pull, more serious than the one that hit Terrell Thomas at the end of the game. Oh, and Kevin Ellison broke his nose. And Rey Maluaga had his hip speared by Cary Harris and is out with a painful hip pointer.

That's six.

Then there was John David Booty, out for the game with his fractured finger.

Brian Cushing didn't go either, with his ankle sprain that's kept him out more than 21 of the 24 quarters this season.

Neither did Chilo Rachal with his sprained knee.

Lost count by now? Well, it's nine.

That leaves the seven hanging in there: Taylor Mays, Chauncey Washington, Lawrence Jackson, Keith Rivers, Fred Davis, Patrick Turner and Sedrick Ellis.

And of that number, three (Rivers, Turner and Washington) have all missed time with injuries.

So when USC comes calling for the cover guys for next year's schedule poster, maybe you might just want to think twice.

Make that a thin cardinal line protecting USC's backfield, which also happens to be hamstrung by injuries. While every team looses players during the season (Cal lost to Oregon State without their starting QB, Stanford beat USC without their's), can anybody in the nation match up with the Trojan's carnage?

From USC football's weekly press release:

Already this season, 11 starters or projected starters have missed games with injuries:  S-CB Josh Pinkard (6 games), C Matt Spanos (3 games), TB C.J. Gable (3 games), LB Brian Cushing (3 games), CB Shareece Wright (2 games), OG Chilo Rachal (2 games), C Kristofer O’Dowd (2 games), QB John David Booty (1 game), CB Cary Harris (1 game), WR Patrick Turner (1 game) and TB Chauncey Washington (1 game).

Also, a number of key backups have missed games due to injuries: CB Kevin Thomas (6 games), OG-C Nick Howell (6 games), TB Broderick Green (6 games), TE Jimmy Miller (5 games), LB Chris Galippo (3 games), TB Stafon Johnson (2 games), WR Travon Patterson (2 games), OT Butch Lewis (2 games), OT Charles Brown (1 game), QB Mark Sanchez (1 game), S Will Harris (1 game) and CB Vincent Joseph (1 game).  Pinkard, Gable, Thomas, Howell, Green, Galippo, Patterson have season-ending injuries.

The impact of these injuries has been enormous. The team could be one fractured finger or a healed foot away from a 6-0 record.

Looking ahead to Notre Dame, here's more from the Sports Information Department:

POSSIBLE:  TB Stafon Johnson (foot), OT Sam Baker (hamstring), S Kevin Ellison (nose), OT Charles Brown (ankle), LB Rey Maualuga (hip), OG Zack Heberer (shoulder), QB John David Booty (finger), LB Brian Cushing (ankle), OG Chilo Rachal (knee), CB Shareece Wright (hamstring), C Kristofer O’Dowd (kneecap), TE Jimmy Miller (back).

OUT:  TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), OG-C Nick Howell (hernia), TB Broderick Green (foot), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), OT Martin Coleman (shoulder), DE Trey Henderson, WR Damian Williams (shoulder).

That ignores all the players who are just dinged up (see Jeff Byers, pictured above) and leaves out two recently announced injuries to Kyle Moore and Terrell Thomas (hamstring).

Here's what John David Booty's hand looked like after practice today. He didn't throw at all, but he's supposed to try tomorrow with a glove.

For example. Pete Carroll dropped news today that would have been news anywhere else: that tailback C.J. Gable’s season is over due to season-ending groin surgery. (Anytime someone comes at your groin with knives, it’s definitely the end of something.) Add this news to the transfer of Emmanuel Moody to Florida, Stafon Johnson’s ongoing issues with a bruised foot, and the fact that Chauncey Washington can’t feel his right shoulder, and this might be a point of concern to any other school.

Fortunately, USC’s backups have backups that fart lightning and sweat pure liquid awesome into their silken robes of excellence. Sophomore Allen Bradford will get the start, and he gets to run behind the line that does this…

…against Nebraska. This week, they’re playing a team without their starting quarterback, Stanford, who’s coached by a guy who pissed off Carroll by suggesting he was leaving for the NFL after the ‘07 season, Jim “Wash Your Hands” Harbaugh.

Not that Pete’s sweating it. He’s just finishing up a great, just a great mesclun and wild salmon salad before a little gym time and then practice. He’s really, really jacked about the whole thing, and proud to tell you that, and proud to be so boringly perfect that the number 2 team is cutting through the waters of a season so placid they’ve scarcely raised nary a ripple on the surface of the national sea of consciousness.