Poll: Which RB should get the most carries for USC?
“I can’t talk today. I might say anything.”
C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight were kidding. Sort of. Before I even approached the two running backs they were declining interview requests from an SID.
With most everyone giving their two cents on USC’s running back rotation — Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team is “still searching” — I figured it’d be a good idea to see what the four so-called co-starters thought.
One-on-one with Stafon Johnson:
Question: Do you know your role and what is it?
Stafon Johnson: I have a different role every week. I don’t really set my mind on one role. When I get in I got to make the best out of it. I don’t know exactly what it is. Whenever I get a chance to get, just make it happen. Whatever it is, third-and-10, third-and-2, second-and-2, no matter what it is I want to make it happen. If you need me at third down, second down, first down, whatever it is, you got to make it happen. That’s the way I look at the situation.
I got no problem with it. At the end of the day if you get a W, what else can you complain about? It’s all part of helping the team. By me saying I want other things, that’s not going to nothing other than make us worse. At the end of the day, if we got that W , if me getting the ball on third-and-2 is helping the team then that’s what it is.
Q: How can you be most effective?
Johnson: It don’t matter. When I get the ball, it don’t matter if it’s late in the first or early in the fourth. It don’t matter to me. It’s all part of the game and it’s all needed. If it’s first-and-10, you need four or five yards to put it at second-and-5 to make it easier for your quarterback. It doesn’t really matter.
Q: Is that easier for you to say because you’re more involved?
Johnson: Certain games have certain people to be involved It depends on the game plan. Sometimes you got to game plan with speed. Sometimes you got to game plan with pounding the ball. Different people have different times of getting into the game.
Q: But doesn’t this make you wonder about your role when there were several times last year you effectively carried the load as the lead back?
Johnson: Like I said, different games. Different games require different things. We only played three games. You can’t really say. It’s too early right now to say I wish I would have had this, I wish I would have had that. We only played three games. Two of the games it was real stocky inside and we went to our speed and perimeter area. That’s what we did. We exploited that.
Q: What about this past week when you had the hot hand and only got seven carries?
Johnson: We were down 21-0 and needed to make something happen fast, play-action pass, throw the ball downfield and using our speed. You can’t really say nothing. We were down 21. We got to pass and make something happen. Running the ball at that time probably would have been efficient but it’s eating up the clock. You got to get something fast.
Q: How many carries do you need to get into a rhythm?
Johnson: I feed off of energy. I feed off the crowd. It doesn’t really matter if I get the ball once. That one time can probably set me on fire. Of course once you get that first carry if you get seven yards, you feel good about yourself.
Q: Is the rotation keeping the rushing game from being at its best?
Johnson: You can’t say that. You can’t say that. Different games require different things. It’s too early. It’s only been three games. When the 11th game comes around you can say that. But right now it’s early.
Q: Do you think somebody should get at least 10 carries, even if it isn’t you?
Johnson: We all bring to the table certain things. Our coaches try to exploit that to the best of our abilities. You don’t know who can get the bulk of the carries.
Q: Right. But don’t you think the team would be better-suited with someone getting more if they are playing well on a particular day?
Johnson: We feel strong when all of us are getting the touches, when all of us are getting an equal amount. It helps us to stay fresh. Everybody as a whole is one big back.
Q: How do you keep a good attitude about the situation?
Johnson: I’m good. I’m good. We’re winning. We lost Thursday, but we saw what we did wrong and it’s early.
Q: Has this situation ever bothered you in the past?
Johnson: Probably two years ago when I was immature and not really knowing what’s going on, coming out of high school and being the man. But now I’m matured, I kind of know what’s going on. What’s best for the team right now is for all of us to come to the game and be prepared to play ball.
Q: But after Thursday, knowing there was the potential for you to have a big night, were you thinking you should have gotten a few more carries?
Johnson: That’s not up to me. That’s not up to me to distinguish that. We were down 21. If we run the ball it probably could have worked. It’s like a 50-50 chance. If we would have won the game, oh, ‘They made the greatest play calls in the world.’ But since we didn’t and we lost, it (was) an issue. So you can’t really say that. You can’t really say because you never know the phase of the game. The coaches know what they’re doing.
Q: You don’t think it would have been an issue if you would have won?
Johnson: I honestly think it would have never been brought up if we would have won the game because the runs we did set up the pass. We were down 21, we needed something fast. It just didn’t work as we wanted it to work.
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