McCullough Revives Days of ‘Tailback U’

Like that white horse familiar to USC fans, the Trojan running game galloped into the Coliseum on Saturday and rekindled a sense of power and pride.

It was a brief flashback to past triumphs, when USC routinely ran the ball down the throats of opponents behind what seemed like an endless procession of stellar tailbacks -- Garrett, Simpson, Bell, White, Allen.

But as any USC fan can attest, the running game has been more miss than hit in recent seasons. Just like the horse, which appears and then retreats into the tunnel after a USC touchdown, the running game has frequently disappeared after showing signs of becoming a force.

So, what will be different this time? After the Trojans’ rushing success in a 30-28 victory over California, it’s difficult to tell. If nothing else, they appear to have settled on a tailback who gives them the best chance of moving the ball.

By rushing for 176 yards in 39 carries, Sultan McCullough may have ended USC’s tailback-by-committee experiment.

“I don’t like rotations,” McCullough said.

USC shouldn’t either. Not anymore.

When the season started, Coach Pete Carroll said he wanted to give his three senior tailbacks -- McCullough, Justin Fargas and Malaefou MacKenzie -- a chance to run the ball. With MacKenzie becoming more of a pass-catching threat and playing some fullback, McCullough and Fargas split the bulk of the carries in the Trojans’ previous games against Washington State and Oregon State.

Saturday, Fargas carried once.

“We wanted one guy to get a feel for the game,” Carroll said.

Some might question what took so long for coaches to settle on McCullough. After all, he has been the Trojans’ most consistent rusher the last three seasons. His 176 yards against Cal tied a career best and was the 11th 100-yard game of his career.

But the former Pasadena Muir High standout has also been inconsistent. Despite having sprinter’s speed, McCullough often has resembled a jumble of wasted motion -- too many stutter steps and head fakes; too often running to the outside rather than finding a seam and cutting downfield.

He was at his best against Cal, running hard and with purpose. It was the type of effort 19th-ranked USC could use the next two weeks in pivotal Pacific 10 Conference games against No. 22 Washington and No. 6 Oregon.

The offensive line also stepped up against a not-great-but-decent Cal defense, quieting its critics, at least for a week.

“We knew we were going to run the ball -- there was no option,” freshman tackle Winston Justice said. “If we were going to win, we were going to run the ball.”

And the Trojans did it the way they used to -- by wearing down Cal’s defensive front.

“You could tell on their faces they were giving in,” guard Lenny Vandermade said.

In posting their sixth consecutive victory at the Coliseum, the Trojans achieved season-high totals for yards (466), rushing attempts (51) and time of possession (38:32), and tied season bests for first downs (28) and plays (90).

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Before USC’s running game got going and its defense buckled down, Cal appeared on its way to a runaway victory. The Golden Bears were leading, 21-3, in the second quarter and had a first down at the Trojan 32 when quarterback Kyle Boller fumbled and the ball was recovered by linebacker Matt Grootegoed.

USC went on to score on four of its next five possessions.

Afterward, Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said Boller had injured his left (non-passing) hand on the first series and re-injured it after he fumbled.

When it was suggested that the turnover allowed USC to escape Cal’s stranglehold, Tedford disagreed.

“Our foot was only on their throat for a very short time,” he said. “We scored 21 points and after that ... they came back. They’re a great team.”

But the Trojans can be better, especially early in games, said receiver Kareem Kelly.

“We sputter too much at the beginning of games,” Kelly said. “We can’t do that against teams like Washington.”

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Defensive tackle Shaun Cody and offensive tackle Jacob Rogers each suffered injuries to their right knees Saturday and will undergo MRI exams today, Carroll said.