Trojans Need a Running Start

It has been a while, some would say decades, since USC had reason to feel good about its running game. Coach Pete Carroll hopes that’s about to change.

The Trojan football team opens training camp Monday with competition at several positions, but nowhere is the sense of urgency greater than at tailback and on the offensive line.

“It’s our No. 1 emphasis going into camp that we establish a good feeling about our running game,” said Carroll, entering his second season at USC after coaching the Trojans to a 6-6 record.

“We’ve got to run the ball better than we did a year ago. That will affect everything we do on offense.”

Carroll’s concern is understandable. The Trojans, ranked 19th in the preseason USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and 20th in the Associated Press media poll, figure to need more than the passing of quarterback Carson Palmer to survive a demanding schedule that includes a Sept. 2 opener against Auburn at the Coliseum, followed by road games at No. 6 Colorado and Kansas State.

Once known as Tailback U., USC was left asking “tailback, who?” last season after injuries depleted the running back ranks. By midseason, fullback Sunny Byrd was starting at tailback, a situation that contributed to the Trojans averaging only 87.7 yards rushing per game, worst in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Carroll says a more balanced offense will take pressure off Palmer, a fifth-year senior whose uneven play--he has thrown for more interceptions (33) than touchdowns (32) in the last three seasons--has been partly blamed on a lack of run support.

“We haven’t played well enough in the last couple of years to allow the quarterback to be in that golden spot where you’d like to see him,” Carroll said.

With improved depth at tailback, USC hopes to strike gold with at least one of three seniors competing for the job.

Justin Fargas, an oft-injured transfer from Michigan, played well in spring drills and comes into camp with a slight edge over Sultan McCullough, who sat out the second half of last season because of a strained abdominal muscle that required surgery. The other tailback candidate, Malaefou MacKenzie, has been plagued by injuries and sat out last season.

“All three of those guys have a shot at it,” Carroll said. “I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, if somebody is going to take the spot or we’re going to play a couple of guys or three guys in rotation. We’ll just have to wait and see. But it’s a great situation.”

Of course, without a competent offensive line, it won’t matter who the Trojans have at tailback. Four starters return on the line, led by senior guard Zach Wilson, but the unit’s inconsistency last season could make for some interesting competition in training camp. Four heralded freshmen--Winston Justice, Fred Matua, Kyle Williams and Chris Doyle--are expected to push the incumbents for playing time.

“The young kids will have a real shot at every position,” Carroll said. “We don’t bring in guys to redshirt or sit around for a couple of years. We bring them in to see what they can do, and if they can compete, they jump in.”

Overall, though, USC should benefit from experience. The Trojans have 14 starters back, eight on offense, and 28 players who have started at least once in their careers.

All-American strong safety Troy Polamalu, a candidate for the Thorpe Award, is the leader of a defense that should be quick and physical on the line with the return of tackle Shaun Cody and end Kenechi Udeze, both sophomores.

Coaches will be closely watching the competition at cornerback, where the Trojans must replace starters Kris Richard and Chris Cash. Leading contenders include seniors Kevin Arbet and Darrell Rideaux; junior Marcell Allmond, a former receiver who missed last season after being suspended for fighting with other students, and junior Ronald Nunn, a transfer from San Francisco City College.

“We need those guys to do a really good job because we’re untested there,” Carroll said.

Special attention will also be paid to the progress of defensive tackle Bernard Riley, a senior coming off knee surgery, and outside linebacker Matt Grootegoed, a sophomore who broke his leg near the end of last season.