FOOTBALL

Was Markese Stepp Really Too Tired?

I want to revisit the spin from Graham Harrell that Markese Stepp was too tired to carry the ball more than 10 times last night.

Stepp was asked if he was “a bit winded at times” during the game.

“Sometimes,” he said. “When you are carrying six people you tend to get winded, that’s a lot of people.”

Of course, you are going to get tired at times when you are running the ball. But Stepp was held out for entire series during the game. He didn’t even get his first carry until the third series of the game.

To claim he could not handle more than 10 carries is ridiculous. Was Stepp tired after taking half the Notre Dame defense into the end zone? Probably.

But did that mean he couldn’t play more Saturday night? Of course not. Harrell knows this too.

  • Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Sunday morning he was on the field before the on-side kick because he wanted a timeout and then tried to move a player.
  • USC is ranked 104th in rushing defense (4.9 yards per carry). Notre Dame averaged 153 yards rushing in its previous eight games and gained 308 vs. the Trojans.
  • USC received four votes in the AP Top 25 poll.

21 thoughts on “Was Markese Stepp Really Too Tired?”

    1. From the moment Graham Harrell said the words “Stepp was pretty winded” he became just another member of the Helton Clown Troop….
      #Helton,Clancy,Baxter,Harrell:TheyAllSoundAlikeNow

      Liked by 7 people

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      2. Helton’s Mind at work: Stepp’s done fine so far. Why push it? Something terrible could happen….
        #Clay’sJustInvokingTimeHonored”Unlucky11thCarry”Rule……

        Liked by 4 people

      3. Those days are long gone now, amigo. Players are bigger and faster nowadays, so a player wouldn’t last taking that kind of a pounding.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I get a kick out of people who say a running back can’t be featured anymore at the college level… lol 😂. Hell, some NFL teams still feature the run game, and the last I checked, Wisconsin is 6-0 by keeping the ball on the ground. Clay Helton is just a hard headed fool, who has a one track mind. Nick Saban had to put his foot up Lane Kiffin’s ass , because he didn’t run the ball when he was suppose to. If Markese was featured in a play action offense, the Trojans would be undefeated

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Fan Boy— Helton shrewdly says he doesn’t use Stepp more extensively because he’s afraid Stepp might fumble, or become exhausted, etc. So to “protect” Stepp, he limits him to no more than 10 carries a game [implying that it would be catastrophic for Stepp to run it 15, 16 or 17 times]. The real reason, of course, is Helton doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of the other tailbacks. That soft approach to decision making is why he kept Callaway on staff and Toa at center. [& Nobody will ever convince Helton that this isn’t how successful leaders operate]……

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      6. Fan Boy,

        I get a kick out of people who think that college players are pros. They don’t get paid enough to take a pounding like pros do. It is easy for fans to say , “ Pound them into the ground for the glory of our school, “ when they have nothing to lose. There has got be a better, smarter way for all involved to come out on top. Until they choose to be pros, protect the players.

        No disrespect.

        #CTEisreal

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  3. The entire team only had 27 rushing attempts across the three backs.

    A major positive intangible with Stepp in the huddle is that everyone knows the guy will carry six tacklers with him, every time. He will not give up and his enthusiasm is contagious. Stepp’s work ethic and will to win makes everybody else on the team better.

    I really do believe that even with Helton, Harrell, Pendergast, et. al., and the coaching gaffes, that the talent is so good that if they had just run Stepp more to control the game, then the Trojan record could be as good as 5-1.

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    2. Just imagine if we had road graders like Bama or Clemson or Wisconsin with this guy running the ball, the other D would wilt by the 3rd quarter but you can’t throw it all over the filed if you do that, my bad

      And 67, with proper coaching and player management SC would be undefeated

      Liked by 5 people

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      1. Yes. Same story as 2017. That Sam led team could have gone all the way too —if not for Tee Martin, Callaway and Clay’s little brother.

        Liked by 6 people

    3. I want to agree with you, 67, but those days are a distant memory ( the days where a player gets 15 to 20 carries per game ).Everyone rotates backs and the players know this.

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      1. Good backs carry it 20 or more times a game, even today. Yes, the days of 35 carry games are over but Gomer & Opie ran it 27 times THE WHOLE GAME, that’s a joke

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Where did you deduce that.? Good backs carry it 20 times per game,?Reggie Bush ( or any other great SC back this century) didn’t need 20 carries a game. No disrespect, but stop living in the last century.

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