USC is counting on a decimated running back unit to keep overachieving against Oregon

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USC running back King Miller carries the ball while evading Northwestern players at Coliseum on Nov. 7. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Last month, in the span of a single half, USC’s top two running backs were lost to serious injuries. For Eli Sanders, the knee injury he suffered against Michigan prematurely ended his season. For Waymond Jordan, ankle surgery meant missing most of the Trojans’ critical stretch run.

For USC, it made for a particularly cruel one-two punch. Through the season’s first six games, the Trojan duo had been a top 10 rushing attack in the nation, trending toward the best rushing season USC had seen in two decades. Then, in less than an hour’s time, a promising start had instantly been derailed by injury.

“That could almost be a death sentence,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said Wednesday, reflecting back on that moment.

But with just two games left in the season, the Trojans rushing attack is still very much alive. And USC’s College Football Playoff hopes are still clinging to life because of it.

“It’s gone remarkably well,” Riley said of USC’s rushing attack since. “I don’t know that anyone could have predicted that to be completely honest.”

Certainly no one anticipated the arrival of redshirt freshman walk-on King Miller, who has been a season-saving revelation since being thrust into the role as the Trojans’ lead back. Miller is averaging 113 yards per game since Jordan and Sanders went down, which, extrapolated over the course of a full season, would tie with Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson for best in the Big Ten. He’s also one of just two Power Four running backs with over 90 carries this season to average over seven yards per rush.

His unexpected coronation, coming at the most critical point of USC’s season, is part of why the Trojans are just two wins away from their first playoff bid. And if they have any hope of continuing that run, Miller will have to lead the Trojans rushing attack into its toughest battle yet at Autzen Stadium, where No. 8 Oregon has held opposing offenses to just 90 yards rushing per game.

There was a brief glint of hope leading into this week that Jordan, who underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle five weeks ago, might be able to return for USC’s trip to Eugene. Jordan was listed as “questionable” on the team’s injury report last Saturday and dressed for practice this week, both signs of progress. But Riley admitted on Tuesday that it was unlikely Jordan would be ready for the game, as he’s still getting comfortable cutting on his surgically-repaired ankle.

“He’s getting closer,” Riley said. “But for a back, that’s not a great injury.”

There were a number of other injuries, too, that presumably should have led to USC's undoing on the ground. In addition to its battered backfield, the Trojans have been without left tackle Elijah Paige for half the season due to a knee injury — and could be without him again Saturday. Center Kilian O’Connor missed three games with his own knee issue, and guard Alani Noa was sidelined for most of the Nebraska win.

But the Trojans have yet to take a step back. The offensive line has shuffled positions with surprising success, and Miller has exceeded all expectations, clearly earning a place in USC’s future backfield plans.

“Just trying to learn to be confident in whatever I’m doing,” Miller said this week. “You’ve got to be confident no matter what it is.”

Miller may, however, have met his match this week with Oregon. While USC has kept near the top of the Big Ten, even after losing its top two running backs, the Ducks have boasted arguably the best rushing attack in the nation all season. Only Navy averages more yards per carry than Oregon (6.33) or has more 20-plus-yard carries (28).

Two of Oregon’s trio of backs, senior Jordan Whittington and freshman Dierre Hill Jr., are averaging over eight yards per carry this season. The other, Santa Ana Mater Dei product Jordon Davison, is still averaging seven yards per attempt as a freshman. Plus, he has 12 rushing touchdowns.

The numbers aren’t exactly encouraging for the Trojans, who have been distressingly vulnerable against the run for long stretches of this season. USC is allowing more than 200 yards on the ground on average over its last four games, none of which came against offenses that rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing.

The best backfield USC faced during that stretch, Notre Dame, rolled over the Trojans for over 300 yards rushing. And the Irish are averaging 41 fewer yards per game on the ground than Oregon this season.

But in each of its three games since that Notre Dame nadir, the Trojans have come out looking like a totally different defense in the second half. None of their last three opponents — Iowa, Northwestern or Nebraska — managed more than a field goal after halftime.

USC won’t have the luxury of waiting that long this week, up against one of the few offenses in college football scoring at a more efficient clip. For the Trojans to keep their playoff hopes alive another week, it starts with dictating how things go on the ground.

So far this season, that’s gone better than USC’s circumstances might have suggested.

“We’ve had some big challenges,” Riley said. “We’ve been able to respond. It’ll obviously be important in games like this. Being able to run the football, being able to stop the run is always key, no matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing, what year it is.

"We’ve been clutch there. We’ve been able to do it. Hopefully we can get it done this time.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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USC is counting on a decimated running back unit to keep overachieving against Oregon

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