Javorius Allen is coming on strong for USC

Javorius Allen did not expect to hear his name last December when USC’s most valuable player was announced at the team’s end-of-season awards banquet.

“I was a little surprised,” he recalled.

He shouldn’t have been.

Allen emerged after the midseason firing of Coach Lane Kiffin and became the Trojans’ most productive player, scoring 15 touchdowns in the last nine games.

At the midpoint of this season, he is on track for another MVP season — and perhaps national postseason recognition.

Allen, a fourth-year junior from Florida, has rushed for 781 yards and seven touchdowns. He also is USC’s second-leading receiver.

Last week, Allen ran for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns to lead USC to a victory over Arizona. The win put the Trojans back in the top 25 and in position to challenge for a spot in the Pac-12 Conference title game.

“I thought he’d be a guy that would rush for over 1,500 yards and be in consideration for some really cool accolades at the end of the year,” first-year Coach Steve Sarkisian said. “That’s what we’re starting to get.”

Sarkisian’s system is designed to produce high-performance running backs. As a USC assistant, he oversaw offenses that featured Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and the record-setting LenDale White. Last season at Washington, Sarkisian gave the ball to Bishop Sankey, who rushed for 1,870 yards and 20 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, recognizing college football’s top running back.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Allen is on pace for similar totals, and is even prompting a few comparisons to some of the great running backs in USC history.

“We’re starting to see his physical side,” said John Robinson, who was the head coach or an assistant for USC teams that featured Heisman winners Charles White and Marcus Allen and Heisman runners-up Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell. “I don’t know if he ever ran over anybody, but it looks like he’s starting to.”

Javorius Allen has rushed for more than 100 yards in all but one game this season — the Trojans’ loss at Boston College in Week 2. He was limited to 31 yards in 15 carries.

Allen responded by rushing for 115 yards and touchdown the next game, a victory over Oregon State.

But Sarkisian and his staff wanted more from Allen, especially after he crossed the line of scrimmage. They challenged him to start making defenders miss.

Against Arizona State, Allen broke off a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that seemingly sealed a victory. The Trojans lost on a Hail Mary touchdown pass.

Last week at Arizona, his first two touchdowns featured downfield moves that left would-be tacklers in his wake. He also carried Wildcats’ defenders for about 15 yards at the end of one long gain.

“We’ve been harping on him finishing runs,” running backs coach Johnny Nansen said. “And it’s showing up.”

Allen’s ability to quickly identify holes and seams helps offensive linemen when they are blocking opponents, left tackle Chad Wheeler said.

“You’ve just got to hit them back a few inches,” he said, “and he’ll go for 100 yards.”

Allen was a star player at Tallahassee Lincoln High, where he was on the same team with a tight end named Ja’Baris Little. To avoid confusion between Javorius and Ja’Baris, teammates tagged Allen with the nickname “Young Buck,” since shortened to “Buck.”

It took 2 1/2 seasons for most USC fans to learn his name — and for Allen to receive a significant opportunity.

After arriving in 2011, he spent most practices as a member of the service team, which plays the role of upcoming opponents to prepare the first-team defense.

Former defensive line coach Ed Orgeron oversaw the service team and observed Allen’s work ethic and durability.

While tailbacks such as Silas Redd, Curtis McNeal, Tre Madden and Justin Davis got game opportunities — and produced — under Kiffin, Allen kept working and never complained publicly about his lack of playing time.

When Orgeron was promoted to interim coach after Kiffin’s firing, Allen got his chance and ran with it.

“Two years buried on the depth chart and he just came to work every day,” said Davis, a sophomore. “And look where he’s at now. That’s a testament of what hard work gets you.”

Allen comes from humble means. So when his breakout 2013 season ended, he seriously considered making himself available for the NFL draft.

“It was difficult,” he said, “especially thinking about your family. You want to be able to help them as quickly as you can.”

He met with Sarkisian and discussed his situation. Allen said they built a bond — “just talking man to man” — and he decided it was important to return and complete his sociology degree.

“It will mean a lot to be the first one in my family to have a college degree,” he said.

Allen said he would wait until the end of this season to decide whether he will turn pro. But this will almost certainly be his final college season.

NFL scouts typically evaluate seniors. They delve into studying draft-eligible juniors once they declare for the draft. But they are aware of Allen.

“I liked him last year,” said one scout, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized by his team to speak publicly about players. “He looked like an NFL runner. He’s a big kid, runs the ball hard. He’s got good vision.”

Said another: “He’s extremely powerful, extremely determined, and he’s productive…. I’m excited to do the tape on him and grind it out.”

Allen said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about the draft or his achievements, even last week’s career-best performance.

“I enjoyed it for an hour of two,” he said. “But that’s history. It’s in the past.

“Nothing you can really dwell on.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesklein

Staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.