The offense got off to a strong start, but they were inconsistent and fumbled more than they should have, but on the bright side, coaches opened up the playbook and allowed Matt Barkley to complete some deep passes. However this offense, and the receiving game in particular, needs to play better. Trojan fans eagerly await the return of the fastest receiver, Ronald Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury in the scrimmage game in August.

This defense is impressive. They almost held the Cougars to a shutout if it were not for Aaron Corp's fumble late in the game. Defensive back Marshall Jones and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo each suffered season ending injuries in this game. Injuries are part of the game, and this is why it never hurts to have depth like USC does. Pete Carroll and coaching staff "stockpile" talent, and given the current waves of injuries, this is when the depth is tested.

“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

At Pete Carroll's weekly press conference, I asked about young offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian [partial clip above]. Later on, I followed up with some of the questions that readers from this blog have had in comments and emails. Carroll made it clear that he's confident in his staff. In his assessment, the real issues have been injuries, inexperience, and even himself. At the same time, he doesn't like the simplicity of the blame game and thinks it's often more complicated. We'll have more on that coming up. For now, here's some perspective on his staff ...

Steve Sarkisian is in his first year as offensive coordinator. John Morton has never coached college kids before [editorial note: he coaches wide receivers, a unit that has struggled this year]. Do you worry about the experience level of some of your coaches?

No. I've been around young guys and old guys. Some guys just have a knack of communicating with people and they're almost seamless in the way they deal with it because they communicate so well. These are both terrific guys. They're great communicators. That's why Sark has always been the guy, since Norm left, that talked to the team and set the plan in motion. Even when [Lane Kiffin] was the coordinator, Sark was always the guy who was in front of them all the time. There are certainly some first time things happening, though. You can't avoid that.

Any that really concern you?

No. These guys are great at what they do. You guys [the media] don't realize how involved everybody's been all along and how much these guys have done. All through our planning, for the years that we were here -- when Norm was here, and Lane, and Sark -- those guys all mixed together. They all did everything. Norm did a great job of raising those guys up ... and when he left we had the biggest year in the history of the school. They've been so intricately involved, there hasn't been a transition ... Except for when Sark was with the Raiders, he sent every play in to the field. Every single one, in every big game and situation, he was the last word that put the play into motion. He continues to do that now, so it isn't a big change. I know everybody thinks it is, but it's not that.

So Sark's a communicator. What about a tough guy, a bad guy out there?

He's [Sark's] real tough. He's very hard on these guys. He's a hard-line, competitive guy. He's been a great competitor in his career (when he played) and he's carried it over to his coaching, and it comes across quite clearly. These guys respect him. They do everything he asks them to do. He has a good sense for how to mix all of it -- sometimes you're teaching, sometimes you're motivating, sometimes you're disciplining. He's just a natural at it.

A lot of people have been grumbling about the lack of a dedicated special teams coach. Does that bother you?

It's an area for us to improve, yeah. All the years in the NFL, we always had somebody. It's more focused than you might think. Dave Watson does a ton of the stuff. He does like 80% of the stuff. He's the one who's most focused [on it]. T-Mac [Todd McNair] is the one that talks to him and delivers the message to him. So it's more so than you think. David is doing it for his first time, that's new for us. He still relies on Nick [Holt] to do his aspects of it and Pat [Ruel] to do his aspects of it .... But the organization of it, the handling of the stuff on the sidelines, the game plan, the actual in-game communication is really handled by Dave Watson.

That's an area we've known for years we can improve at. I had a guy in here a year ago and it didn't work out. We haven't been committed to that.

If you had one more coaching position allowed under NCAA rules, what would be your first hire?

I would definitely hire a special teams guy. We're raising Dave to be that. He's in the process of becoming that, so I think it's working out. This is the best we've been on special teams, I think, since we've been here. I think we've been really good. Returns are solid. Our coverage is good. We're kicking the ball well, punting the ball well, handling it, creating turnovers. This is the best we've been all around -- and we should be. We should be good. We've got a lot of good players to choose from. But you can always get better. If you realize the scope and the depth that long-term NFL coaches have in special teams, they're incredibly gifted in what they bring. There is value there.

You've lost a lot of talent over the years ... Chow ... Orgeron ... of the guys you've lost in coaching, who do you miss the most?

I think we miss Lane the most. He's been here since the first day. The fact was that he was on offense, and I'm on the other side of the ball. He's an extraordinary coach.

Stafon Johnson was supposed to be running a play with the service team one day last fall, but he decided to sit this one out. Coaches got in his face and yelled, but he wasn’t budging. Another tailback in a black shirt eventually had to get in the huddle. It wasn’t the greatest boost to team unity. “He can keep going against the coaches all he wants, but after a while it’s only going to hurt him,” USC running backs coach Todd McNair recalls thinking… continue

Pete Carroll is looking for a big tailback.

Sure, Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable and Emmanuel Moody have all been impressive, but none of them weighs over 210. And Chauncey Washington is still nursing a hamstring.

Step up Allen Bradford. He played linebacker in high school, and was recruited by USC as a safety. But now he is lining up in the backfield.

Wearing #21, LenDale's old number, running backs coach Todd McNair said, "He's like the other No. 21, only with more violence."

In one of his first charges up inside against the first team, Bradford got underneath and stood up 247-pound Rey Maualuga in a violent collision, which Maualuga often gets the best of.

"I'm going to have an impact," Bradford said. "It's either hit or be hit."

The New Thunder [Press Enterprise]

Todd McNair talks about their unique running styles:

"Moody is very sudden, very, very quick. Similar to No. 5 (Bush) in his start-and-stop ability. Same mentality, too. He looks to get it outside in a hurry, is looking to rip off some big runs."

"Stafon Johnson seems to be a more polished inside runner, a lateral, slalom runner. He's moving faster than he seems. He has sort of a smooth, slow gait, but he's moving."

"C.J. is a slasher, more in the Hershel mode. He's more slightly built at 190 (pounds), but he can run with power."

And now freshman Allen Bradford has switched from safety to tailback. In his first carry, he ripped off a 40-yarder down the sidelines.

Freshmen hope for similar run at USC [The Daily Bulletin]
Bradford Looks Good in Switch to Tailback [LA Times]

"Stafon has great vision, strong legs and low center of gravity," running backs coach Todd McNair said.

Carroll was impressed with his freshman receivers too, particularly Vidal Hazelton and Travon Patterson.

Patterson had four catches for 76 yards and a 28-yard kick return.

Hazelton made two catches for 28 yards and returned one kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. He also provided one of the afternoon's best highlights, running a slant route, spinning off a linebacker, making the catch and putting a stiff-arm on a safety for some extra yards.

C.J. Gable also returned a kick for 100 yards to go along with 8 carries for 64 yards.

Complete scrimmage stats [USCTrojans.com]
Back in the game [OC Register]
Booty's batting average poor [LA Daily News]
2006 Fall 8/9 b [USCFootball.com]