UCLA running back Paul Perkins steps up as leader and finds his voice

UCLA running back Paul Perkins is out of his comfort zone. He’s talking.

The gift of gab does not come naturally to Perkins, who off the field leans more toward marble statue than soap-box orator. But after a season in which he walked the walk, it’s time for the junior running back to talk the talk.

“I feel like, being in the position that I am, some guys might think I was kind of stuck up or secluded,” Perkins said. “I wanted to get out of my box and talk with some of the younger guys, build greater camaraderie with the team.”

These things used to be taken care of by quarterback Brett Hundley, who spent three seasons as the Bruins’ front man. Perkins was the mysterious guitar player to Hundley’s lead singer last season — picture Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. What Perkins mostly did was run for big chunks of yardage and praise the offensive linemen.

Only now there is a new band leader in Westwood. The Bruins have freshman Josh Rosen as quarterback. The talent is there, the experience is not. That’s where having the Pac-12 Conference’s leading rusher in 2014 will come in handy.

“That’s the advantage our quarterback will have now over what we had here when Brett was a freshman,” offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said. “Brett had to create a lot of plays for us because we were so young around him.”

Rosen will have “a quality running back and offensive linemen who have played some games, the same with the receivers.”

It can keep an offensive coordinator from losing too much sleep. “He just has to manage the game, isn’t that what every coach says?” Mazzone said.

Managing to put the ball in Perkins’ hands would be a good start.

The Bruins were so desperate for healthy runners during the 2013 season they put linebacker Myles Jack in the backfield, with stunning results. Perkins put the “running back” back in the running last season.

He grinded out 80 yards in the opener and capped the season with a 195-yard performance against Kansas State.

Perkins showed extreme patience as a runner, waiting for the play to develop. That led to 1,575 yards rushing, the second-most by a UCLA running back in a season.

He ran the ball but didn’t run his mouth.

There are few things Perkins looked forward to less than group sessions with the media. Root canal might have been a toss-up. Pressed into interview action, he would stagger through some compliments about the offensive line, with his most memorable quote being an off-the-cuff remark.

Teased that he could no longer use the words “offensive linemen,” Perkins smiled and shot back, “then you can’t say ‘1,000 yards.’ ”

Perkins was so comfortable with his quiet self that even a snub by Pac-12 coaches brought a shrug. Leading the conference in rushing only earned him honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team.

“I could care less about accolades from outside the team as long as I have accolades from my team,” Perkins said.

Those get showered on him.

“Paul makes us look good, even when we do badly,” tackle Caleb Benenoch said.

Running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu said Perkins “knows what the 11 guys are doing on offense and what the 11 guys are doing on defense. He makes the right decision to help his linemen set up blocks.”

Perkins’ latest decision is to speak up, not for his own glory but for the team. He still labors through media sessions in front of anonymous people holding video cameras, but he has become a voice in the locker room.

“His personality has come to life,” receiver Jordan Payton said. “He has a lot to say and, when he does say it, it means a lot. Watching his personality come out has been great.”

Polamalu has watched Perkins step into a leadership role at a good time. “There are times he needs to be vocal, and he’ll do it. It’s maturity.”

Rosen is expected to grow into a strong leader, but for now he is a freshman likely to benefit from an experienced offense that has nine returning starters.

Perkins said he deferred to Hundley last season, but knows “I need to take some of that this season. It’s a hard to learn, but I have to do it.”

His skill as a runner gives him credibility.

Perkins was pigeon-holed as a grind-it-out runner, then debunked that image last season with some long runs, including a 92-yard touchdown burst against Colorado and a 67-yard touchdown sprint against Kansas State.

“There are a lot of good runners out there,” Mazzone said. “But to be a complete back, you have to be great at protections, you have to run routes, and you have to be able to catch the ball. I see him putting all those things together.”

Mazzone can add leadership to the list.

“He is somebody that players all respect,” Coach Jim Mora said, “for his work ethic, his attitude, his character.”

And now for his voice.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes