Austin Jones and Raleek Brown will have to replace Travis Dye vs UCLA
It was never a surprise that Travis Dye became the more featured, dependable, high-usage running back in the 2022 USC offense compared to Austin Jones. Dye was always the centerpiece of the USC attack, given his versatility and leadership. Dye exhibited complete mastery of the craft, excelling in pass protection and other non-running components of the running back position. Austin Jones did not. That matters, and it has to matter. Lincoln Riley played Dye a lot more for a reason, and Dye’s injury isn’t merely a slight problem for USC; it’s a huge one with UCLA and Notre Dame on deck. It puts the Trojans in a very difficult spot.
However, Austin Jones — while not as good as Dye — is no chump.
Let’s look at what he and Brown can bring to the table with Dye out for the closing stretch of the season:
FRESH LEGS
The reality that Austin Jones has not been used nearly as much as Travis Dye this season provides one notable reality heading into UCLA: Jones is definitely fresh. He hasn’t been overused. He hasn’t taken a terrific pounding. If Lincoln Riley and USC need Jones to empty the tank against UCLA, he is in a position to do so.
RILEY RUNNING
In the second half of the Colorado game, Austin Jones and the running game got a lot of work. Naturally, running the ball was a way of shortening the game and reducing the risk of more injuries with UCLA just around the corner. However, it was also a training ground for Jones and the offensive line, which might need to run more to keep the ball away from UCLA’s offense.
THE SHARED COMPONENT
If there’s one thing Austin Jones does roughly as well as Travis Dye — not 100 percent, but close — it’s hitting the hole with a straightforward north-south burst. That’s where he can be especially effective.
However:
SHORT YARDAGE QUESTION
This is the big question with Austin Jones: Can he get the tough yards on 3rd and 2 or 4th and 1? Dye got all the carries in short yardage, because he’s brilliant in those situations. Now Jones will have to prove he can get the job done. It’s a big unanswered question heading into Pasadena next week against UCLA.
PASS PROTECTION
Can Austin Jones make forward strides in this area of play, where he lagged significantly behind Travis Dye for much of the year? This is a huge concern against UCLA.
OUT OF THE BACKFIELD
Austin Jones in the screen game is an intriguing option, given that UCLA might try to blitz Caleb Williams and apply instant pressure.
This brings up a chess-match element of Lincoln Riley’s plan against the Bruins:
MIXING AND MATCHING
Here’s where Raleek Brown enters the picture: Does Lincoln Riley use Brown as the receiving threat out of the backfield, or will he use both Brown and Jones as pass catchers? Riley doesn’t want UCLA to be able to know when a pass is coming based on who’s in the game. He will likely need to mix and match to a certain extent, but he also needs to emphasize each player’s strengths. This is a fascinating component of the tactical game against the Bruins.
REMINDER
Having played at Stanford, Austin Jones is very familiar with UCLA. In this regard, USC still has a running back who will not have a knowledge deficit in the matchup versus the Bruins.
RALEEK BROWN'S SPEED
While Austin Jones is likely to be the main between-the-tackles ballcarrier against UCLA, Brown as a receiver could be a very potent weapon against UCLA. The screen game worked really well for USC against Colorado. Brown on screens or wheel routes might be the best way for Riley to deploy him against the Bruins.
IT'S ONLY COLORADO
Seeing Brown and other USC running backs thrive in open space on screens against Colorado can’t be viewed as a sure or likely sign of success versus UCLA. Colorado is simply that bad on defense. No one should have the impression that USC is fully ready for UCLA, because missing Travis Dye figures to limit the offense to some extent.
OFFENSIVE LINE
If the offensive line isn’t healthy, what the running backs can do becomes more limited. Andrew Vorhees left this game midway through; we don’t know how much that was due to actual pain versus the USC staff taking precautions before UCLA week. This will be something to monitor. It will affect what Jones and Brown can achieve.
GRIM REALITY
USC hopes Austin Jones and Raleek Brown can be great against the Bruins; they will need to be. Given the state of the USC defense, this is the game in which the Trojans’ offense can’t afford to leave many (if any) points unscored or drives unfinished. The margins figure to be small. This is not the time to miss Travis Dye, but it’s reality for the Trojans.
