I realize times have changed and the game is different but did you know Marcus Allen averaged 37 carries a game when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1981?
Now we have offensive coordinators claiming Markese Stepp cannot handle 10 carries vs. Notre Dame.
Below are Allen’s stats from his senior year. He had five games with 40 or more carries.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Att | Yds | YPC | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Plays | APY | YPP | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/12/81 | Tennessee | W 43-7 | 22 | 210 | 9.55 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 5.25 | 0 | 26 | 231 | 8.9 | 4 |
| 9/19/81 | at Indiana | W 21-0 | 40 | 274 | 6.85 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 8.33 | 0 | 43 | 299 | 6.7 | 2 |
| 9/26/81 | #14 Oklahoma | W 28-24 | 39 | 208 | 5.33 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 5.00 | 0 | 42 | 223 | 5.3 | 2 |
| 10/3/81 | at Oregon State | W 56-22 | 35 | 233 | 6.70 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 13.00 | 0 | 37 | 259 | 7.0 | 3 |
| 10/10/81 | Arizona | L 10-13 | 26 | 211 | 8.12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.00 | 0 | 27 | 213 | 7.9 | 1 |
| 10/17/81 | Stanford | W 25-17 | 40 | 153 | 3.83 | 1 | 4 | 69 | 17.25 | 0 | 44 | 222 | 5.0 | 1 |
| 10/24/81 | at Notre Dame | W 14-7 | 33 | 147 | 4.45 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 3.00 | 0 | 37 | 159 | 4.3 | 1 |
| 10/31/81 | Washington State | W 41-17 | 44 | 289 | 6.57 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 | 1 | 46 | 311 | 6.8 | 4 |
| 11/7/81 | at California | W 21-3 | 46 | 243 | 5.30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 46 | 243 | 5.3 | 3 |
| 11/14/81 | at #7 Washington | L 3-13 | 38 | 155 | 4.07 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2.50 | 0 | 40 | 160 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 11/21/81 | UCLA | W 22-21 | 40 | 219 | 5.48 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 5.00 | 0 | 44 | 239 | 5.4 | 2 |
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
“Who goofed, I’ve got to know.” ~Howard Cosell
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Chances are the answer to that question will always be the same…..
#..It’sSpelled:H-E-L-T-O-N
#[ExceptWhenIt’sThePac12Officials]….
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Here is what I remember…….USC up by 3 with 7:00 on the clock. We have the ball. We stop passing the ball and run run run. They know its coming and it does not matter. Use up 4 to 5 minutes. We drive it in for a TD and await the pitiful attempt for them to score with 2:00 left on the clock…..if they happen to make it, a pitiful on side attempt. Everybody knows the chance of both happening is close to zero. This happened several times with CPC. We were bigger, stronger, faster, more determined and better coached. So in the final minutes you knew who was going to turn it on.
What happened on Saturday was exactly what was described above except ND did it to us.
This is what good teams do to others.
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Wolf
Please check your facts
USC was #1 & Oklahoma was #2 when they played in 1981, It was a great game. Mazur to Cornwell td pass with 7 seconds left in the game.
I will bet you any amount of $ that OK was ranked #14.
You really are bad at your job Mr Wolf.
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You should’ve stopped at times have changed, SW
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Game has changed your OC has to be a real idiot this day and age to give
any player 40 carries ( see idiot Kiffin at Bama )
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When players can bolt for the transfer portal on a whim, coaches have to spread the carries. No wonder, however, when Devon Williams left for the transfer portal when Drake London apparently beat him out as the 4th receiver and the starting three get nearly all the reps.
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A big problem against ND was that SC only had 27 rushing attempts, and 35 pass plays for a total of just 62 plays.
The spread should afford the offense at least 70 plays, perhaps more. And with a balanced attack, this means somewhere around 35 or more rushes per game.
With VM out, I would think that Stepp should be easily getting 15 carries per game.
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No one carries the ball >40 anymore anywhere— no one
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Well according to John McKay the ball isn’t heavy, so maybe Stepp should get more carries. My guess is Stepp has a better union than Marcus Allen.
By the way USC used to have a fullback and a tailback. Good money says that scheme would work again because nobody’s doing it out west anymore.
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You can still have a run dominate offense, just pound the ball with two rotating backs . I don’t think ruining backs want 35 to 40 carries a piece anyway , but to say it’s it’s not effective anymore is foolish. Nick Chubbs , and Sony Michelle ran Georgia to to playoffs by doing it, and Wisconsin is currently 6-0
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