USC GIVES RUNNING GAME A BIG-TIME FACE-LIFT

USC GIVES RUNNING GAME A BIG-TIME FACE-LIFT

story by Joseph Person

Brian Maddox was a bit player his first two seasons at South Carolina.

But the junior tailback felt the sting of being part of the SEC's worst rushing offense two years in a row.

Now Maddox will play a leading role among a new cast of characters in the Gamecocks' version of “Extreme Makeover, Run Game Edition.”

"It's pretty embarrassing," Maddox said of USC's inability to run the ball in 2007 and ’08. "I think we're going to turn that around this year. I feel pretty good about that."

The overhaul extended to all facets of the USC running game.

Steve Spurrier brought in a new running backs coach and a new offensive line coach, who was given a multi-year contract and the title of run game coordinator. The Gamecocks are using wider line splits, a different blocking scheme and more misdirection runs.

They have a new starter in Maddox, who takes over for the departed Mike Davis, and a couple of new change-of-pace backs in freshmen Jarvis Giles and Bryce Sherman.

But Maddox said the biggest change is the overall approach.

"We've got coaches that care about running the ball this year, and make it a top priority," Maddox said. "We're gonna run hard."

Spurrier and his assistants say there is no single key that will crank up the running engine. It will take all the cogs and pistons firing together: strong offensive line play, backs shedding tackle attempts and a commitment by the coaching staff to stick to it when things aren't so peachy.

"The running game is like chopping wood. You can't just run one play and then expect it to always give you 10 yards," said Eric Wolford, a former Illinois assistant brought in to be the line coach/run coordinator.

"You just keep chopping wood, chopping wood and chopping wood, and, schematically, you'll figure out how they're trying to defend you. And then you come back and kind of tickle 'em somewhere else — on the field on the other side and keep 'em honest."

The wood-chopping analogy fits the 38-year-old Wolford, who set an aggressive tone during preseason drills by occasionally yanking starters out of the lineup for a day, putting his linemen through extra post-practice conditioning and never being afraid to raise his voice.

"We're trying to run the ball, grind it, work hard, knock people down," said guard Steven Singleton, a junior-college transfer who began his career at LSU.

"And that's a good thing that coach Wolford has brought in, is being real physical and wanting to really knock people back off the line of scrimmage and re-align the line of scrimmage. I think running the ball, we're definitely going to be a whole lot better."

First-year running backs coach Jay Graham understands the value of an effective run game in the SEC. The 34-year-old played tailback at Tennessee from 1993-96 and is sixth on the school's career rushing chart with 2,609 yards.

Either by bulldozing defenders or juking them, Graham said USC's backs have to avoid the first tackler.

"In this conference, when you hit that hole in the SEC, you're going to get hit. Probably five of the top 25 defenses in the country are in this conference," he said. "We have to work on pad leverage and how to make plays. If we can beat safeties and do stuff like that, we can be productive.

"I really believe the offensive line's going to put us in a great position to do that. If they get us five yards, we've got to get maybe 10, and sometimes we've got to have that big play — 25, 30 yards."

Graham said he is not as concerned about having a 100-yard rusher in a game as he is keeping the offense out of second-and-long situations.

Of the 11 FBS teams that averaged less than 3 yards a carry last season, USC was the only one to finish with a winning record.

"We have to put our offense in manageable downs and distances," Graham said. "We have to (have) a good average per carry."

USC figures to begin the season with a committee approach at tailback, featuring Maddox, Giles and redshirt freshman Kenny Miles.

"We're going to let 'em all play," Spurrier said. "As long as they know what to do and can carry the ball, let 'em all play until one sort of separates himself from the others."

Giles believes all the backs — including Sherman, a former sprinter on USC's track team — add a dimension.

"Everybody brings something different to the table," Giles said. "B-Mad brings power with his speed. He goes in and wears the defense down, and we just go in — Sherm or me, like quick, agility-type guys — for the big runs.

"I think three backs is great. A lot of schools that use three backs, two backs do a lot more damage because you've always got a fresh pair of legs out there."

After watching the backs spin their wheels the past two seasons, Maddox is ready to get moving.

"Really nothing's changed on our part," he said. "We just have to get more explosive and get through the holes faster, and everything else will take care of itself."