Tyler remains starting back after Bradford’s breakout game


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Despite a flashy performance from senior Allen Bradford in Saturday’s 32-21 win over Minnesota, incumbent junior Marc Tyler will remain the starting running back for the Trojans’ next game against Washington State on September 25.

Bradford piled up 131 yards on 12 carries, boosting his season average to 8.4 yards per carry. His electrifying 56-yard touchdown run with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter put the Trojans ahead and out of reach 32-14.

Meanwhile, Tyler struggled to make an impact against the Golden Gophers, running for just 33 yards against a defense that gave up 41 points to FCS opponent South Dakota.

“[Tyler] just ran OK,” admitted Kiffin after the game.

If the Trojans want to compete for the Pac-10 title, the running game has to improve. If Tyler doesn’t run wild over Washington State, who is giving up 40.7 points per game, that improvement might have to come from a change on the depth chart at running back.

After this Saturday, the Trojans’ schedule becomes significantly tougher. After a visit from Jake Locker, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and the Washington Huskies, the Trojans travel to No. 16 Stanford on October 9.

While USC has been struggling against the likes of Hawaii and Minnesota, Stanford has defeated UCLA and Wake Forest in its last two games by a combined score of 103-24. The Trojans haven’t even scored a total of 103 points in all three of their games.

The Trojans’ offense has the potential to be very explosive with the rotation of four solid backs and targets like Ronald Johnson and Robert Woods for Matt Barkley to throw to. But so far, the unit has played somewhat like a sleeping giant.

But they need to wake up — because the Trojans are about to enter the nightmarish part of their schedule.