LOS ANGELES — Going into the season, the plan was for USC to use two running backs, a 1A and 1B system to consolidate the running game but give two different looks to opposing defenses.
But in Saturday night’s loss to Oregon State, USC showed a different approach.
Texas transfer Keaontay Ingram got his first start at USC and was the recipient of the Trojans’ first 10 hand-offs. When the game was over, he had carried the ball on 14 of USC’s 18 designed run plays and was on the field for 49 plays compared to fellow back Vavae Malepeai’s 29.
If USC is ready to make Ingram the featured back of the offense, he is ready for that responsibility.
“Most definitely,” he said after practice on Tuesday. “I’m an older guy, veteran guy, I know run fits, I know how safeties fits, I know how linebacker fits, I know gap responsibilities of d-linemen. So if they put that on my shoulders, that won’t be a problem.”
So far, no one at USC (2-2 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) is making any such declarations publicly. Malepeai is a sixth-year senior, a team captain and the Trojans’ leading rusher each of the past two seasons, so no change is going to be made hastily.
As for Saturday’s discrepancy in carries and snaps between Ingram and Malepeai, running backs coach Mike Jinks said it was merely a matter of feeding the hot hand after Ingram had early success.
“When they’re hot, they all know this, they’re not coming out. They’re not coming out,” Jinks said. “So we were gonna keep feeding him as long as we possibly could.”
In the first quarter, Ingram rushed six times for 40 yards. He displayed the physicality and elusiveness that made him such a big addition to the USC running backs room in the spring, even at the cost of seeing Stephen Carr transfer over the summer.
As the Trojans fell behind, they weren’t able to run the ball as frequently, but Ingram finished with 79 yards, good for a 5.6 average per carry. Malepeai rushed four times, all in the second half, gaining just 12 yards.
It’s been a similar trend this season. Ingram has just four more carries than Malepeai through four games, but he has gained 225 yards to Malepeai’s 180. The Texas transfer is averaging 4.9 yards per carry while the returning starter is at 4.3.
Ingram’s services could be needed in this weekend’s matchup with Colorado, too. The Buffaloes (1-3, 0-1) have a strong and physical front seven on defense, one that Ingram’s style of running would be well-suited to face.
“We have to match their physicality,” Jinks said. “He does a great job of running behind his pads. He’s a hard man to bring to the ground, so we’re going to need him to be that guy.”
Ingram, meanwhile, wants to see USC get off to a strong start in Boulder after tepid first-quarter performances the past two weeks against Washington State and Oregon State.
He understands that a lot of the pressure for a fast start falls on the running backs.
“I carry that with pride. I carry that every single game,” Ingram said. “If I can go up with a foot up, I feel like the offense can, too, especially if it’s just a 10-yard spark or a 5-yard spark, whatever the case may be. If we need a spark, I feel like I’m the guy to deliver that. So I carry that on my shoulders a lot.”
