University of Southern California Pete Carroll didn't mean for his running back situation to look like an escalator accident -- too many people piled up and no room for anyone to squeeze by.
It just sort of evolved that way.
Three years after the dynamic backfield of LenDale White and Reggie Bush went off to the NFL, none of the super prep heir apparents -- from senior Stafon Johnson, to juniors Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable, to sophomore Marc Tyler, to freshman Curtis McNeal -- has managed to separate himself and run away. Literally.
So once again it appears that the Trojans -- as well stocked with blue-chip running backs as any team in the nation -- will give the ball to their Tailback of the Moment, then ask for it back like a library book.
"Coach Carroll says he wants one of us to get out in front -- that someone has to be the man," said Gable. "But so far it looks like we've been pretty equal."
McKnight, the Louisiana Flash with the most Bush-like moves, will take the field first in Saturday's opener against San Jose State. After that, who knows?
"Joe will start in this one," said Carroll, sounding nothing like the coach who pronounced Matt Barkley as his starting quarterback last week. "Hopefully our backs can carve out roles so they can be effective. I can't tell you who will get the most carries."
Johnson had the most yards last season, with 705, the fewest for a team leader since the first year of the Carroll Era, 2001, when Sultan McCullough had 410 yards in six games.
We're a long way from the golden age of Tailback U., say 1981, when Marcus Allen's team record 2,427 rushing yards represented 72 percent of USC's ground yards.
Johnson had 28 percent of the total in 2008.
At the moment, the list of potential rushing leaders is four. This week, Carroll pretty much eliminated Tyler and McNeal, the underclassmen.
"Joe had a great camp, along with C.J. and Stafon," Carroll said. "Allen may have had the best showing of anyone."
That would be junior Allen Bradford, who came to USC as a defensive player, got caught in a logjam on that side of the ball, then moved into the tailback shuffle, too.
With freshman Barkley starting, the Trojans' ground game should be on its best footing. Hard not to with a talented, experienced line and so many veteran backs.
But age-old football wisdom also says that running backs do best when they get in a rhythm, touching the ball 20 to 25 times a game.
The USC method has been to let plenty of guys share, perhaps trying to keep them happy -- and in the program. Even so, Emmanuel Moody transferred two years ago and Broderick Green left last year.
"(Rotating) three or four guys isn't unusual for us," Carroll said, adding that he isn't against establishing one horse. "If it goes one way, that's what we'll do. We're just trying to win."
Meanwhile, the backs are just trying to cope, and not grumble.
"Naturally, everyone wants 20, 30 carries a game," Johnson said. "But you know when you come here it's going to be competitive. Everyone is just as good or better than you."
Said Gable: "I got mad last year and it didn't get me anywhere. You have to learn to deal with it.
"The competition here is only going to make me better. When I go to the NFL, I probably won't start right away, either."
Like the others, he shouldn't be too beat up, either.
(Contact Gregg Patton at gpatton(at)PE.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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Must credit The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif.
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