Garrett Gives Ervins Some Tall Orders : USC: Former Heisman Trophy winner tells 5-8 tailback he has to show the big guys he’s tough.

His pride broken after a miserable game against Washington, USC tailback Ricky Ervins sought the advice last week of a former Heisman Trophy winner.

Mike Garrett’s message to him was simple and direct.

“I told him to quit being a (sissy) and be aggressive--attack people and hurt them,” Garrett said. “I told him that the toughest people on the field are running backs, not linebackers, and that when he (attacks), he’ll gain their respect.

“The other thing I told him is, it’s the obligation of a running back to make his offensive linemen tougher and make them block. The harder he runs, the more they feel obligated to block.”

Heeding the advice, Ervins led a resurgence of USC’s ground game, rushing for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in USC’s 35-26 victory over Ohio State at Columbus. A sprained ankle forced him to sit out the fourth quarter and might also keep him out of Saturday night’s game against Washington State at the Coliseum.

Two weeks ago, Ervins ran for only five yards in nine carries during the Trojans’ 31-0 loss in Seattle.

After three games, last season’s Pacific 10 Conference rushing champion had 181 yards, having averaged 60.3 yards a game and only three yards an attempt.

“He’d been picking his spots, and that doesn’t work,” Garrett said. “If you pick, either the hole is there or it’s not, but if you attack, you make people overreact, or react, and then things will open up.

“If the hole’s not there, you go in and attack a guy, hit him and explode at him and deliver a blow. So, the next time, the guy’s looking at you and he says, ‘(Shoot), this little (guy) is tough.’ ”

Last season, as USC’s shortest tailback since 1965, when the 5-foot-9 Garrett won the Heisman Trophy, the 5-8, 190-pound Ervins ran for 1,395 yards and 10 touchdowns, gaining at least 100 yards in nine of the 12 games.

He was voted by the media as the most valuable player in the Rose Bowl game after he ran for 126 yards and scored the winning touchdown in a 17-10 victory over Michigan.

Still, Garrett said Ervins hadn’t tapped his potential.

“Ricky’s a guy like myself--he has to grow to play pro ball,” Garrett said. “He has to convince people that he’s good. They look at his stature and say, ‘He’s too small.’

“He has to play letter-perfect to convince people that he can play. And right now, his techniques are about 70% there. He has 30% to go. Attitude is a big factor, and he hasn’t developed that yet. Last week was the closest he’s come since he’s been at USC.”

Despite Garrett’s criticism, Ervins enjoys talking with him. Garrett, director of business development at the Forum, works as a commentator on Prime Ticket’s USC telecasts.

Of the other great USC tailbacks--Charles White, Marcus Allen, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, O.J. Simpson--only White averaged more yards a carry than Garrett, who had 5.27.

“I think (Ervins) had heard that I was not happy with his running,” Garrett said. “I’ve seen him a couple times in passing and he was walking around with his chest out. I didn’t think that was good because I didn’t think he was running very well.”

Said Ervins of Garrett: “He knows what it’s like to be short. He sees a lot of potential in me and he likes to bring it out.”

Ervins also counts among his friends another short running back, Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions. The two met last year and, due as much to their interest in religion as their running ability, became friends. They speak by phone almost weekly.

Last week, though, Ervins and Sanders failed to hook up.

Ervins was downcast after his forgettable game against the Huskies. “You can’t get any lower,” he said.

Among those who offered advice, besides Garrett, was Clarence Shelmon, coach of USC’s running backs, who told Ervins some of the same things as Garrett.

“I never doubted myself,” Ervins said. “But if you’re doing something wrong, you’ve just got to go back and concentrate on the things that made you a success. Coach Shelmon gave me a tape of some of my runs from last year. I looked at it and said, ‘Man, I ran hard last year.’

“I just went into the Ohio State game and ran the same way.”

By halftime, he had gained 164 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Although he sprained his left ankle on the second play of the second half and eventually had to leave the game before the end of the third quarter, Ervins averaged 7.1 yards a carry. He averaged more only twice last season.

“He looked as good as he has since he’s been at USC,” Garrett said.