The LA Times recently announced a decision by the coaching staff that I, honestly, found astonishing. Word around Howard Jones Field is that "heralded" red shirt junior Marc Tyler will start the season opener at running back, ahead of the only player on the depth chart with more than 21 carries last year, Allen Bradford. I must be up front- I have not been out watching all of the practices nor writing the practice reports, but I still think this decision is a travesty.
Sure, Bradford came out of high school as the best linebacker, that's right- linebacker, in the nation, while Marc Tyler came out as the number 2 running back in the nation with his recruiting class (ironically, behind Joe McKnight, a position he would become accustomed to)*. Bradford put up a solid senior season in high school while Tyler, albeit quietly, beat out everybody's All-American Jimmy Clausen for the California Gatorade Player of the Year award. But don't be fooled. Bradford rolled up nearly 4500 yards rushing in high school over a three years, including a senior year of nearly 2000 yards and 29 touchdowns. Maybe he should have been rated a running back.
Quite simply, Allen Bradford has earned it. He worked over the practice squads while Tyler nursed a spiral fracture. He took it to the second- and even first-team defenses while Tyler took it to the training room. Bradfard waited patiently behind Pete's golden boy, and when finally given the opportunity, shined with 6.1 yards per rush in 2009 in an anemic offense led by a freshman quarterback. Bradford has all of the tools along with perfect size and surprisingly blazing speed. Don't get me wrong, he's no Noel Devine, but think more Stafon Johnson in 2007 with more power. Or maybe all that Chauncer Washington wanted to be (and all Pete wanted him to be) in 2006. He's a red shirt senior. He's a team leader. He would be a preseason all-conference first- or second-team in any conference that doesn't have two Heisman contenders at the same position. He's worked his butt off to emerge from the dog house to main stage. He should get his chance to really show the rest of the Pac-10 his bark.
Allen Bradford is the starter, in my mind anyway.
*Recruiting information based on Rivals rankings.
Totally agree with your assessment. Bradford is a workhorse and a running back that would probably be getting Heisman consideration if he were in a one-back system at another college. I really think you can give him the same number of carries that Stanford gave Toby Gerhart last season or that Michigan gave Mike Hart in previous years. He's that type of back. And I really thought Kiffin would try to showcase that like he did with Montario Hardesty at Tennessee. But I guess everyone that watches SC gets sucked into the running-back-by-committee mindset simply because it is possible. From a pure running back perspective (running, blocking, minus receiving), I think Bradford is the best running back out of SC since LenDale White.
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