Up Next: Darnold? Buffs must beware of Trojans running back
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Dozens of NFL scouts and executives have a man-crush on USC redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next April’s NFL Draft if he decides to leave school.
Between the frenzy surrounding Darnold and Stanford running back Bryce Love through the first 10 weeks of the season, Trojans running back Ronald Jones II has been lost in the whirlwind.
However, the Colorado defense should remember these four words as they prepare for Saturday afternoon’s Pac-12 South division clash with the Trojans at Folsom Field – Beware of Running Back.
Darnold’s exploits are a major reason USC (8-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-12) is averaging 492 yards of total offense per game and is just one win away from clinching the Pac-12 South crown, and securing a spot in the early December conference championship game.
But Jones has played a large role, too. In nine games, Jones has 1,082 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 159 carries, an impressive average of 6.81 yards per carry. He is fifth in the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 120.2 yards per game, just 13.2 yards fewer than Colorado RB Phillip Lindsay (133.4 yg).
“I’ve been fortunate to be around some good running backs,” Clay Helton said Sunday during a teleconference with reporters following USC’s win over Arizona. “The explosiveness Ronald bring reminds me a lot of (former Memphis and NFL RB) DeAngelo Williams. He is one of those guys that every time he touches the ball you hold your breath because you knew he could go (all the way).”
Jones’ average per rush is third highest in the Pac-12 behind Arizona QB Khalil Tate (11.4) and Love (9.6). Jones has amassed 410 rushing yards in the past two games against Arizona State (216 yards on 18 carries) and Arizona (career high 27 carries for 194 yards) as USC has solidly bounced back from the 49-14 loss at Notre Dame Oct. 21 with 672 rushing yards in the last eight quarters.
In the process, Jones became the first USC running backs since LenDale White in 2004 and 2005 to have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
“He is a tremendous runner with tremendous vision,” Helton said. “He is hard to get on the ground. When he gets to the second level, he is hard to catch him. He is able to make the last man miss and he has true elite speed. He runs away from everybody.”
Against the Sun Devils, Jones had 67 and 64-yard TD runs. A week later, he had three short TD runs in a 49-35 win over Arizona, two coming late in the game after the Wildcat had rallied from a 22-point deficit to tie the game at 35-35 midway through the fourth quarter.
You could easily argue Saturday afternoon’s game in Boulder features the two most underrated running backs in the Pac-12: Jones and Lindsay. Major difference between the two ball carriers? While Lindsay has 263 rushing attempts (26.3 per game), one of the highest figures in the nation, Jones has carried the ball over 100 times less, 159 to be exact.
Jones is averaging 17.7 carries per game, naturally leading one to wonder how many additional yards he would have if he was fed the ball as often as Lindsay, or even another five of six times per game.
Answer: A lot.
In fact, Jones has already equaled his rushing total from last season when he had 1,082 yards on 177 carries (6.11 yards per rush), but has done it in 18 fewer carries. Last Saturday night, he had a 98-yard TD run nullified by a holding penalty.
“He got to the second level, broke arm tackles and finished runs,” Helton said of Jones after the win over Arizona. “We had a very aggressive run plan. Players win ballgames and they won it (Saturday).”
For sure, figuring out how to limit Darnold in the passing game will likely demand the majority of time from the Colorado defensive staff this week. But stopping Jones is essential too.
Beware of the running back.
PAC-12 WEEK 11 SCHEDULE (Nov. 10-11)
Washington at Stanford, 8:30 p.m. (FS1)
USC at Colorado, 2 p.m. (Fox)
Washington State at Utah, 3:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Arizona State at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Oregon State at Arizona, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
PAC-12 SOUTH STANDINGS:
USC 6-1 (8-2)
Arizona 4-2 (6-3)
Arizona State 4-2 (5-4)
UCLA 2-4 (4-5)
Utah 2-4 (5-4)
Colorado 2-5 (5-5)