USC vs. Stanford Report Card: Grading the Running Backs

The USC Trojans found a way to beat the Stanford Cardinal Saturday by a score of 13-10 with running back Javorius “Buck” Allen leading the way on the ground.

Allen stormed his way to 154 yards on 23 carries after shaking off a fumble on his first play of the game.

That fumble is one of the only knocks on Allen in a performance which gave much needed life to a stagnating USC offense.

The redshirt junior accounted for three first downs on USC’s first scoring drive alone and eight of the Trojans’ 16 first downs overall.

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He also provided one of the most important plays of the game.

After four straight possessions ending in punts, Allen, who had been threatening to break one long for much of the game, burst through for a 50-yard gain in the third quarter which set up Andre Heidari‘s game-tying kick.

His 154 yards were the most ever against a David Shaw defense.

Allen’s counterpart Justin Davis didn’t exactly stand out, but he did come away with a key third down catch on a swing pass which brought the Trojans to the goal line on their first drive, then punched in the lone USC touchdown of the outing from there.

The concern is that Davis was stuffed for three or fewer yards on five of his eight carries and while he continues to exhibit a nose for the endzone, he will need to prove he can produce more in support of Allen if he wants to continue to see carries when Tre Madden returns from injury.

In the end, matched up against one of the best defenses in the Pac-12, USC’s running backs provided the most positive contributions to the contest.

Grade: A

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