Maturity Matters

The importance of scrimmage stats proved their worth this week when freshman tailback Stafon Johnson went to the scout team. Johnson gained 323 yards in 39 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry in four scrimmages.
The current No. 1 tailback, freshman C.J. Gable, gained 211 yards in 25 carries, for 8.4 yards per carry. Emmanuel Moody, probably the No. 3 back, gained 191 yards in 26 carries (7.3 yards).
So whats the difference? Among the many factors that go into such decisions, one insider said maturity played a key role. That meant knowing what youre supposed to be doing, whether on the field or in a meeting.

Giving the coaches one less reason not to play you is sometimes as important as providing a reason to play you.
Its so early in the careers of all the tailbacks that any little edge helps the coaches rank one back over another. And things change quickly. Tailbacks coach Todd McNair told the freshmen this week that decisions are not “etched in stone.
Pete Carroll said the order could change during the bye week after Arkansas. It would hardly be the first time.
But USCs program is so high profile these days, when the most-hyped tailback gets placed on the scout team, a lot of people wonder why.