FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Running Back Rotation Settling

Another thing about training camp and now the week before the first game is the establishment of tailback MarShawn Lloyd.

He showed in glimpses of the spring game that he was the best tailback and, frankly, was a reason Raleek Brown got moved to slotback, although that will never be said publicly.

Lloyd is more of a breakaway threat than Austin Jones, who actually thrived when Travis Dye got hurt last season, and best pass-catching back.

The question is who rotates with Lloyd and Jones? Darwin Barlow didn’t get a chance last season. The coaches would like to see one tailback emerge between freshmen Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson.

103 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Running Back Rotation Settling”

      1. True but we have outstanding RB’s that will probably not see much action this year(Darwin Barlow). The RB room is loaded.

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    2. Didn’t I tell you Bozo’s that those pineappleheads are delicate and fragile?

      Tuliapoopoo once again is out for season, she got hurt same as every year…she’s done, her career is over. She never lasted a full season without a sprained toenail or some other small injury sidelining her.

      She’s still eligible to eat all she wants from the buffet lines which is the only thing she and the rest of the pineappleheads are good at.

      Chalk up another bust from Mater Dei high school

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      5. Tebow needs to act superior due to the inferior life that restricts joy from ever happening. I’m so glad that I don’t crave attention to the point of being happy at anyone misfortune, including tebow.

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    1. It’s tempting — but think back to the Pac 12 Playoff….
      #We’dHaveBeenSoMuchBetterOffWithAShortRunByRaleek
      #[AndWe’dHaveGivenMisterOwnsSoMuchLessToEnjoy]…

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      1. But MG, Clownster BB/FB loss/loser schadenfreude is soooooooooo delicious…I mean what can I say?

        But I can say categorically, I’m not a fan of Maui’s misfortune and misery.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Waiting for Original Gabby to pull off his alter egos like Fake Gabby going at it with Tewbowobama, Slow Cal n etc. It’s coming by 12:00 it will be 100 replies with his alter egos. I just woke them up? Be good Gabby allow others to give opinions without reading through psychotic rants on senile joe n trumphet.

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  5. Lloyd will be the starter, Jones back up. Now the question is who gets carries after that. Last year we averaged around 20-25 carries a game. Say Lylod gets about 15-17 carries, Jones 5-7? If one of those players gets it’s going they will get the bulk of the carries. I see one of the freshman redshirting . If Barlow doesn’t play, he will be TP player or do it after the next TP window.

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    1. Eric: Under your scenario, there are no carries left for Raleek. I think your probably correct. The transfer to slot is somewhat of a demotion. I would rather see passes to Branch or Lemon out of the slot than Raleek. His days appear numbered.

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      1. It will be simple sets with Raleek going into motion then getting a hand off or bubble screen sets again with motions. Remember, USC ran sets with Travis Dye motions out of the backfield and suddenly, it’s an empty backfield with Dye lined up wide for a mismatch. I’m sure Riley will allow Raleek to run from RB because he’s improved his pass blocking and knows how to chip coming out of the backfield. It’s remarkable what competition will do to make players better.

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  6. The cliche “only the survivors survive’ has football illustrating
    this idea with 6 great kids out of high school vying for 2 available jobs And surely these”Mr High School’ guys dreamt NFL
    And along comes SC football reality

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    1. Reality is when the RB room gets decimated with injuries. Has the past been forgotten already? I can remember when walk ons were getting PT. I am sure that before the season is over we will have seen Raleek at rb and slotted. The freshman will sort themselves out and it could be nobody red shirts.

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      1. True, a lot of attrition at the running back position
        Imagine running at (and not away) from angry 250-pounders
        Petros ‘Pap-a-Dak’ said after games he could not get out of bed
        for 2-days

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    2. GEORGE — “A LONELY NATION TURNS IT’S EYES TO YOU, WOO WOO WOO…..”
      — Courtesy of Paul Simon [and, I suppose, the other guy too]

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. In LR pass heavy offense, the RB is a luxury position. Brown will be used all over line up in the backfield, go in motion, or the slot, army swiss knife type of player. We know what type of player he is? We have so many weapons on offense it’s going to bring out the best in each every player at all positions. They must perform at a championship level or they won’t play that’s all folks!!!! Hey MG, I’m glad you n your family are coping with the worst fire disaster in US history. Hopefully the Biden Administration will clear up all the debris, because thei are predicting a lot of rain for the eastern tropical Pacific region. We are in a El Nino jet stream weather pattern. Stay safe buddy.

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    2. Oh, Michael can tell ole Ancient President himself when he shows up for the obligatory “our hearts are with you” while the silly govenor Jeff Whatshisjob nods approvingly. I can’t wait to see their faces when somebody asks about the brush clearance fiasco or sirens not working but the water pumps were on-because the power company continued to charge for electrical usage during a firestorm? That’s some PG&E stuff right there.

      Or maybe Oprah can declare her run for President. She’s at the emergency shelters with a camera crew anyways. Might as well put it to good use?

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      2. I am such a loser….only a real sociopath would make thousands of posts under another blog member’s name….someone blow my head off

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    1. SC-Utah 1 (One) saw controversial ‘roughing the quarterback’ penalties, but refs usually lean towards ‘protecting the quarterback’
      and they often get close calls.
      Even conceding the Trojans have a legitimate gripe there is no question the Utes were in that game all the way and the outcome could have gone either way with-or-without the debatable calls

      And then SC-Utah 2 was pretty even until ‘Celeb’ came up gimpy
      And Troy was then slaughtered

      I don’t get this optimism that Utah is beatable by SC.

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      1. Good point. Due to that asshole Whittingham, Utah plays for the whole 60 minutes…and never quits….and hits hard all the way.
        #CoachWhittinghamIsTheEvilestThingOnEarth…
        #…AndQBCameronRisingIsn’tFarBehind

        Liked by 3 people

      5. What I don’t understand is how the Glory Hog got away with informing LR he would not come out the game for a healthy QB.

        Upshot, SUCC snatches defeat from the jaws of victory and the forfeiture the 75% bozo win chance for a CFP invitation.

        But hey, the Glory Hog got the H/T and team got the Williams, f**k the team shaft.

        Oh Well, bozo FB just can’t help capping itself in da’ foots..

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      7. USC returning production is 11th best in the nation. Utah’s? 25th. USC’s playing at the Coliseum, not high altitude where old, dumb referees lose oxygen and cognitive abilities and make ass-backwards penalty calls. Finally, FPI has USC at 7th and Utah at 15th. Even the talent indicators suggests that USC has more overall depth than Utah. Let’s see the week of the game if you still feel that Utah can still defeat USC. The Pac 12 factor for both school leaving will cancel out. The coaching factor will even out as well because USC was badly outcoached in the rematch. THAT’s what people on this board refuse to admit but, Kyle has the best coaching staff in the Pac 12 even to this day. . .but Riley’s getting better.

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  10. I remember a time when USC had 10 or so great running backs, and a guy named Moody transferred to somewhere in the Everglades. At the time there was no portal so he had to sit out a year. He wanted to be the featured running back. His team won a “national championship” in spite of his great ability, he never caught on to the style of offense they ran. Sitting out a year also slowed his speed.
    He was never heard from or seen again
    Moral of the story, it is better to make hay while sun shines, than to get lost in the Everglades.
    Running back rotation can be a good thing.

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    3. Economizing on carriers per back is the way to go, given that RBs have such a short career, just 2.5 years in the NFL.

      RB coach Kiel McDonald talked about how much better pass blocking is this year, and that they now have explosiveness. This should be a unicorn season for USC offense.

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    1. P. T.
      As Mister Owns has pointed out in a different context, Caleb probably wouldn’t be good with that…..
      #LetCalebBeCaleb

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      1. Joe has been making stuff up for 50 years, ranging from his college grades to plagiarism in his law school essays and his political speeches. But now, he really seems to believe the fantasies.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. One of my favorites is him having been appointed to the Naval Academy in 1965, even though he graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, before attending law school at Syracuse University.

        The Academy doesn’t grant graduate degrees. (insert Price Is Right “Wah-wah-wah” sound here.)

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I have been asked repeatedly to stop with the Biden rants but i am too much of a sociopath to stop….i am fucking the blog up

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  14. To MG’s Utah coach Whittingham’s remarks
    He looks like an ex-football player and has rugged handsome looks
    (But probably not BK’s type)
    He said last year that every player is “banged or nicked up” toward the end of the season, but he respected those who did not whine.

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    1. Good catch, John —
      …And you know who he was responding to when he said “don’t whine about late season injuries!”? Answer: CLAY HELTON [who was making excuses before the USC/Utah game]….

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    1. That may be true, but as a solo artist he doesn’t come close to the comedy duo of Biden & Harris. They’re right up there with:

      Abbott & Costello
      Laurel & Hardy
      Rowan & Martin

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. This isn’t about Dumb, So Cal. Neither Trump not Biden are geniuses.
        #ButBidenIsSellingOutOurCountryThruHunter…
        #..That’sAWholeDifferentDeal

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sad that many who claim to believe in our country’s most fundamental values don’t call him out for being the traitor he so obviously is.

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      5. They both suck. It’s not the China deal that should concern you about the Bidens. It’s the fact that Chinese individuals with ties to the communist party have been buying American real estate to the point that $2 billion worth of land is controlled by the Communist party and no one is doing anything about that, including this administration. The rich has sold out America and people keep fighting their battles for them. Even though the jokes on everyone who isn’t part of the 1%.

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      8. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Plow Horse & Pudly & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Plow Horse & Pudly & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

        Cowardly Gabby aka TebowObama is so evil she attacked a member of the blog who just survived the Maui fire. They don’t come any lower that at except perhaps a Clinton intern like this:

        Like

      9. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as TebowObama &So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as TebowObama &So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

        I AM SO INFATUATED WITH GABBY…I WOULD LOVE FOR HIM TO SLIT MY CHEEKS….MY PANTIES ARE MOIST

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  17. SoloT was 3rd or 4th string? He has been injury prone since HS, wish the best of luck. Take your degree n be a graduate asst coach, you’ve been there forever like 7 years now?

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  18. 4321

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. How come the article doesn’t mention NCAA sanctions against the Pac’s premier team, the arrival of a man named Haden, the hiring and retention of a man named Helton [temporarily destroying USC’s brand…and, as a result the entire Pac]…??
      #MaybeSomebodyWillDoAWholeBookOnThatSomeday…
      #…[MaybeIt’llBeScott]

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    1. Music to all our ears. Rice got over his nerves and the pressure of being ‘the Star’s kid’ about halfway thru last season & he’s been on fricking fire ever since…

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    2. You have to preach, you evil libtard freak. You want a Civil War.

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      2. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & Diane Age Nine & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & Diane Age Nine & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

        Cowardly Gabby is so evil she attacked a member of our blog after he survived the Maui fire and she still shows her face here today.

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      3. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as TebowObama &So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as TebowObama &So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

        I AM A MASSIVE SHIT TALKER…I love being an instigator because i suffer from little man syndrome

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