Shit, it's so bad Plaschke almost wrote a couple of paragraphs with more than two sentences yesterday. That's baaaaaaaaaaaad.

So. As we've been hashing over the offensive lacunae of this season, there's been some speculation that part of the problem is the "Running Back by Committee" approach to life. I decided to put together the stats for 2001 - 2009 (to date), to see if they told us anything. The graph is after the jump...

(click to see this in a larger size)

What I took away from this was the following:

1. It's almost pointless to draw conclusions because 2004 and more so 2005 are such outlier seasons
2. Having more than two featured backs isn't an issue if you're breaking in new backs
3. The real issue season-to-season is continuity - generally when you see a back run for another season, with the exception of LenDale White taking one for Reggie Bush's Heisman chances, he increases his yardage
4. However, the last several seasons don't show a lot of continuity except for Joe McKnight
5. The last couple of years do show an emphasis on two or three backs, but not consistently the same ones were producing from year to year
6. Consequently, year to year the lack of continuity is not working for the team for overall production number, whereas the distributions don't bear out a view at the season-level of personnel rotation making that big a difference beyond prior years
7. While that doesn't mean that running back by committee is actually working in-game, that's a different kettle of fish to prepare and represent.

Thoughts and reactions?

Mike Riley is a great coach: Riley proved once again that he is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Why Tennessee (Riley has southern roots) or programs that have the infrastructure to be consistent top 15 teams have not intensely pursued him blows my mind. Riley and the OSU coaching staff had the Trojans number for the second year in a row on Saturday and he made one of the best defenses in the country look very pedestrian. Oregon State never quit and was one possession away from possibly winning the game.

The Rogers brothers aren’t too bad either. . .307 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the best defense in the Pac-10…

USC game MVP’s= Alan Bradford and Jeremy Bates: Is Lendale White back playing for the Trojans? Alan Bradford sure brought back memories of the former great Trojan tailback. The Trojans are starting to develop a mini Thunder-Lightning package which is going to really help keep opponents guessing. Bradford’s bruising style of running is complemented by deceptive top end speed that allows him to break off big runs like the 46 yard touchdown run in the second half. When Bradford is running hard it gives the Trojans offense a power mentality that fires everyone up and is the perfect compliment to a finesse style of offense.

Jeremy Bates called another fantastic game. With the exception of calling a long pass play in the 4th quarter up 13 points which was intercepted, Bates mixed up his play calling brilliantly and took advantage of a porous Oregon State pass defense. Bates continued to utilize the Tight Ends while allowing the running game to get into a rhythm.

(More on Bates and other observations after the jump)

*Freshman QB Matt Barkley has had a tough week following his 5-18 scrimmage performance in which Coach Carroll threw him into the fire against a heavy rush and disguised coverage's. The hope was that Barkley would bounce back fairly quickly from the performance but even Coach Carroll admits the expectations for Matt from everybody, coaches included, might have been too high.

The spotlight shined very bright on Matt since Corp went down and he has received nearly every first team snap to get him ready. In the process, they may have overloaded him. However, all this work will pay off in a big way for him in the future. He may have struggled but he never quit and has handled himself "beautifully" as Coach Carroll would say. Barkley will continue to get opportunities and may see significant time in the San Jose State game in a "platoon" situation. He has so much talent and moxie that they want to get him on the field sooner rather than later.

Also, the coaches have not ruled out the thought of a "platoon" system this year while they bring along Barkley. Carroll says he is opened to it but I don't think it fits his coaching style. We'll see... it worked with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida.

In the meantime, if Corp heals properly from his injury, in the near term, Corp gives the program the best chance to win.

Running Back situation after the jump...

Filed under: USC

LenDale White on Reggie Bush Case: College Athletes Should Get Paid originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Thu, 14 May 2009 06:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TrojanWire loves LenDale White. He never ceases to amaze us on and off the field. Whether he is on the Jim Rome show saying Ohio State sucks, wearing amazing bling (see above) or winning National Championships for USC, in our eyes LenDale can do no wrong. So we are happy to here that LenDale showed up to his off-season workout program 20 pounds lighter than the previous season.

LenDale’s agent Christopher Brantley says:

“Everybody in that final year gears up to put their best foot forward, but whether it’s a contract year or not, he’s been getting a lot of flack about his weight and his work ethic, and he just wants to set the record straight on all that,” Brantley said. “He wants to show that he’s a solid professional and a good back in the NFL, and when he’s been given the opportunity, he produces.”

Last year White rushed for 773 yards on 200 carries, and scored 15 touchdowns.

The only possible downside to LenDale’s weight reduction may be the distraction of women constantly propositioning him. Ladies Love LenDale.

LenDale’s agent says ’09 is shaping up to be a big year for Titans’ rusher [The City Paper]

(Lendale and “Lunch”)

But Denver police have decided not to charge White with aggravated assault after reviewing the incident, in which White allegedly struck the man repeatedly with his belt during an altercation over a minor car accident. “The reason the case got dismissed is the evidence contradicts the statements,” an investigator said. I’m guessing the evidence is that had he removed his belt, White’s pants couldn’t have handled the strain on their own.

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And that’s why I’ll be switching back and forth between CBS and ABC for the next three hours.

That’s right. The first ever two-game running game diary.

Patrick Turner with one of his final grabs in the Coliseum.

Flea, bassist in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is taking in some USC football in addition to a couple courses on jazz trumpet from USC's Thornton School of Music.

Sweet necklaces, LenDale. You continue to amaze us.

Receiver Vidal Hazelton seemed like a logical candidate. Not only has his playing time dropped precipitously after he ranked second on the team in catches last season, but the coaches declined his request to seek a medical redshirt. In addition, Hazelton’s father has asserted that his son has not received the proper treatment for various injuries while at USC.

I talked to Hazelton on Monday night and asked him whether he was happy. His response? “Yes.”

I then asked whether he had any plans to transfer. His response? “No.”

I also asked about the end of the Stanford game. While the rest of his teammates gathered in front of USC’s section to participate in the postgame “Conquest” ritual, Hazelton walked the other way, toward the locker room. He said it wasn’t an act of frustration, and, in his defense, the coaches had to corral a handful of other players who were headed in that direction.

Regarding his reduced role — Hazelton is again part of the receiver rotation but has caught just one pass, against the Cardinal, since the season opener — the junior from New York said: “It’s definitely not what I’m used to. It’s the coaches’ call. I’ve just got to deal with it. … They see I do a good job blocking, so they want me to be a big part of the running game. I’m just out there doing what they ask of me.”

And regarding the influence and advice of his father, who wanted his son to attend an East Coast school, Hazelton said: “I always wanted to come here. As far as right now, he’s just telling me to keep my head up, practice hard and worry about the things you can control.”

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: Jeff Byers hopes NCAA acts fast
• USC football: Corp gaining ground on Mustain
• USC football: Sanchez braces for something new
• USC football: Injury updates as Notre Dame prep begins
• USC football: Maualuga, Mays among awards finalists
• USC football: LenDale White still can’t get it right
• USC football: This time it’s personal for Carroll
• Bowl poll: If not BCS title game, then where?
• USC football: Jinxing Oregon State
• USC football: Latest BCS standings crack up Carroll

Matt Cassel (QB, New England) had the biggest game of his career and was impressive even in defeat. Call it a moral victory. He piled up 400 yards on 30-of-51 passing with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 62 yards on 8 carries, making him the first NFL player to gain 400 yards throwing and 60 yards receiving in the same game. He led the Pats back from an 18 point deficit at halftime, but they eventually fell 34-31 in overtime. No worries. The best game of his career was enough to win over the Sports Guy.

Lofa Tatupu (LB, Seattle) made 9 tackles in a 26-20 loss to Arizona.

LenDale White (RB, Tennessee) carried 14 times for 52 yards in a 24-14 victory over Jacksonville.

Terrell Thomas (CB, NY Giants) had a career-high 5 tackles, one for a loss, in a 30-10 win over Baltimore.

Justin Fargas (RB, Oakland) carried 17 times for 57 yards in a 17-15 loss to Miami.

Willie McGinest (LB, Cleveland) made 5 tackles in a 29-27 Monday night victory over Buffalo.

Steve Smith (WR, NY Giants) caught passes for 12 and 5 yards in the victory over Baltimore.

Frostee Rucker (DE, Cincinnati) made 4 tackles in a 13-13 tie with Philly.

Mike Patterson (DT, Philadelphia) assisted on a pair of tackles in the tie with Cincy.

Brian Kelly (CB, Detroit) had 2 tackles in a 31-22 loss to Carolina.

Shaun Cody (DT, Detroit) made a tackle in the loss to Carolina.

Sedrick Ellis (DT, New Orleans) had a tackle in a 30-20 win over Kansas City.

Lawrence Jackson (DE, Seattle) assisted on a tackle in the loss to Arizona.

Also played: Fred Davis (TE, Washington), Sammy Knight (S, NY Giants), Billy Miller (TE, New Orleans)

Matt Leinart (QB, Arizona) didn't play, as usual. Does it strike anybody else as strange that after he got in for a few minutes in week two, he hasn't even been used in garbage time during three different games decided by 21+ points?

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Luc Leclerc/US Presswire

Following up on this weekend's commentary about USC's (non-existent) hopes of playing for the BCS Championship game, I hacked into the BCS computers and calculated all the possible outcomes.

Assuming the Trojans run the table, they have less than a one-quarter-of-one-percent-chance of making the BCS Championship Game. And that's before weighing in obvious things that Vegas would consider. If you think Texas Tech will beat Baylor (hint: it will), the hope gets much slimmer. But, hey, maybe the Citadel can beat Florida. In 2080.

The BCS rankings came out yesterday and they're identical to last week, at least at the top:

1. Alabama (11-0)
2. Texas Tech (10-0)
3. Texas (10-1)
4. Florida (9-1)
5. Oklahoma (9-1)
6. USC (9-1)

What boxes out the Trojans is that the five teams ahead of them all play in the same two leagues and have a conference championship game. Even though they might beat up on each other in the home stretch, at least two should to wind up with a "prettier" finish than USC. If I've done my math right (you're welcome to check), there are 11 games or potential games that are out of USC's control resulting in 2,048 scenarios. Of those, a whopping six could get USC into the BCS title game, with the Trojans jumping a mountain of two-loss teams. Again, this assumes Trojan victories over Notre Dame and UCLA.

If you hit any of these parlays in Vegas, drinks are on you. For the rest of your life.

SCENARIO 1: SEC swamps itself, a.k.a. USC's best hope

• Florida loses to the Citadel and/or Florida State.
• Florida beats Alabama.
• Note: Even if Alabama loses to Auburn, it will be a one-loss SEC Champ if it beats Florida -- so it would probably go ahead of USC on "style points."
• FINAL RECORDS: SEC champ Florida (10-3 or 11-2), Alabama (12-1 or 11-2 depending on Auburn game).

SCENARIO 2: Big chaos in the Big 12, Spread Option 1

• Texas loses to Texas A&M.
• Texas Tech beats Oklahoma.
• Texas Tech loses to Baylor.
• Texas Tech loses to Missouri in the conference championship.
• FINAL RECORDS: Big-12 champ Mizzou (11-2 or 10-3 depending on Kansas game), Texas (10-2), Texas Tech (11-2), Oklahoma (10-2 or 9-3 depending on Oklahoma State game).

SCENARIO 3: Big chaos in the Big 12, Spread Option 2

• Texas loses to Texas A&M.
• Oklahoma beats Texas Tech.
• Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State.
• Texas Tech loses to Baylor.
• Oklahoma loses to Missouri in the conference championship.
• FINAL RECORDS: Big-12 champ Mizzou (11-2 or 10-3 depending on Kansas game), Texas (10-2), Oklahoma (10-2), Texas Tech (10-2).

SCENARIO 4: Big chaos in the Big 12, Spread Option 3

• Texas beats Texas A&M
• Oklahoma beats Texas Tech
• Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State
• Texas Tech loses to Baylor
• Texas loses to Missouri in the conference championship
• FINAL RECORDS: Big-12 champ Mizzou (11-2 or 10-3 depending on Kansas game), Texas (11-2), Texas Tech (10-2), Oklahoma (10-2).

SCENARIO 5: Ultimate chaos in the Big 12 and world at large

• Texas loses to Texas A&M.
• Oklahoma beats Texas Tech.
• Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State.
• Texas Tech loses to Baylor.
• Conference championship is between Mizzou and another 2-loss team, leaving the winner totally irrelevant. 
• FINAL RECORDS: It doesn't really matter. The world would be over, anyway. Dogs and cats, living together ... it would just be frightening.

Gasp. I need oxygen like LenDale White after a 10-yard pickup.

All five of these scenarios are unlikely, but there's another one that stands a reasonable chance. It could break the BCS machine for good. All true Americans, including Barack Obama, are rooting for this to happen:

• Oklahoma beats Texas Tech.
• Texas Tech beats Baylor.
• Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State.
• Texas beats Texas A&M.
• Mizzou beats the Big 12 South rep, which would be Texas, Texas Tech or Oklahoma, depending on who has the highest BCS ranking.
• FINAL RECORDS: Big 12 champ Mizzou is 11-2 or 10-3 depending on the Kansas game. One of the three other teams is 11-2. Two of the other teams are 11-1.

Then what? You can't pick a two-loss champ (Mizzou) over a one-loss champ (USC), right? But how do you ignore two one-loss teams that were left out of their conference championship but finished with a better record than the two teams that played in it? They would have the same record as the Trojans (assuming those Notre Dame and UCLA victories) and would have played stiffer competition.

Maybe if this happens, somebody will get physical with the BCS organizers.

-- Adam Rose

POSTSCRIPT (because I don't know how to make a sidebar)

I wasn't kidding -- if you want to check my math on the number of scenarios, I counted 11 games (including potential matchups) with two possible outcomes each. Raise 2 to the 11th power on your trusty scientific calculator (we all carry those around, right?) and you get 2,048. Here are the games:

Oklahoma-Texas Tech
Oklahoma-Oklahoma State
Texas Tech-Baylor
Texas-Texas A&M
Mizzou-Texas or Mizzou-Texas Tech or Mizzou-Oklahoma
Florida-Alabama
Alabama-Auburn
Florida-Citadel
Florida-Florida State

If you're a math wiz, let me know if I over-weighted the three Big 12 championship game possibilities or Florida's remaining regular season games.

(LenDale, back in happier times behind Reggie & Matt’s shadow)

And KLAA-AM’s “Sports Lodge” did just that. Roger Lodge & Dave Smith had ‘SC alum & Tennessee Titans RB LenDale White on their radio show Thursday morning, chatting about the crosstown collegiate rivalry.

To get things rolling, LenDale was told that UCLA alum & Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew had said that he would “not allow” his kids to attend the school known in some Westwood circles as the University of $poiled Children.

So in the honor of fair play, White was given the same scenario: What if his kids wanted to go play in Pasadena for Rick Neuheisel & Co.? (Audio link after the jump)

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Matt Cassel (QB, New England)

LenDale White (RB, Tennessee) led the Titans with 14 rushing yards. That wasn't too impressive, but his touchdown was his 11th of the season. He also made a six yard catch. Tennessee excaped Chicago, 21-14, to remain undefeated.

Mike Patterson (DT, Philadelphia) only had one tackle, but grabbed his first career interception (complete with a 21 yard return) and recovered a fumble in a 36-31 loss to the NY Giants.

Justin Fargas (RB, Oakland) is doing the best under the circumstances, gaining 89 yards on 22 carries and 9 on a reception. He also had a fumble in the Raiders' 17-6 loss to Carolina.

Lofa Tatupu (LB, Seattle) made 9 tackles in a 21-19 loss to Miami.

Billy Miller (TE, New Orleans) nabbed 5 receptions for 65 yards in a 34-20 loss to Atlanta.

Reggie Bush (RB, Saints) is expected back from knee surgery for next week's game against Kansas City.

Willie McGinest (LB, Cleveland) made 7 tackles, one behind the line of scrimmage, in a 34-30 loss to Denver.

Sedrick Ellis (DT, New Orleans) made 5 tackles in the loss to Atlanta. He also got a nice writeup in the Times-Picayune.

Troy Polamalu (S, Pittsburgh) had 4 tackles in a 24-20 loss to Indianapolis.

Steve Smith (WR, NY Giants) caught a 12 yard reception in the win over Philly.

Terrell Thomas (LB, NY Giants) had 3 tackles in the victory over the Eagles.

Keary Colbert (WR, Seattle) made an 11 yard reception in the loss to Miami.

Lawrence Jackson (DE, Seattle) had one tackle in the loss to Miami.

Brian Kelly (CB, Detroit) made on tackle in a 38-14 loss to Jacksonville.

Also played: Thomas Williams (LB, Jacksonville)

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Elise Amendola/AP

He leads the NFL. And he leads the NFL's only undefeated team.