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Raleek Brown’s big Cotton Bowl is a sign of things to come, and not surprising to his USC teammates

matt wadleigh
·3 min read
8

The USC Trojans played the Cotton Bowl without Jordan Addison and Travis Dye, so somebody was going to need to step up.

Brenden Rice dazzled with a career-best performance, and running back Raleek Brown made plenty of noise as he gave everybody a preview of what is to come in 2023.

Brown, the freshman, ran for 61 yards and a score on six carries and added two catches for 24 yards. On the surface, those don’t seem like eye-popping numbers.

However, Brown’s big plays were not surprising to his teammates.

Back in September, Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times gave plenty of insight into Brown, and his teammates had already seen what he could bring to the field.

On Monday, Brown showed up on the big stage, and Trojan fans got a glimpse of what the running game might look like in 2023.

Here are some of Brown’s best plays and what his teammates said about him:

JETS

DYNAMIC

HURDLE

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; USC Trojans running back Raleek Brown (14) hurdles Tulane Green Wave defensive back Lance Robinson (7) during the first half in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

RALEEK TD

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; USC Trojans running back Raleek Brown (14) celebrates with teammates after running for a touchdown during the first half against the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

LIGHT IT UP

SCORE

TAHJ WASHINGTON ON RALEEK BROWN TO THE LA TIMES

Tahj Washington in the L.A. Times article:

“It’s something I [saw] Day 1.”

AUSTIN JONES

 

“It amazes me. [I was] just sitting back in fall camp, like, ‘This dude is real.’

CLAY HELTON

 

“He was electric. You knew if he stayed the course, he was going to be a big-time player.”

LINCOLN RILEY AND JALEN HURTS BOTH SAW RALEEK AT AN OKLAHOMA SUMMER CAMP IN 2019

 

“Jalen was hoping we could sign him then,” Riley said. “Jalen was disappointed when I told him he was a freshman in high school. To this day, Jalen still asks me about him.”

GROWING PAINS

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Raleek Brown (14) carries the ball agaisnt Utah Utes defensive end Gabe Reid (91) in the first half of the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

REMEMBER THIS MOMENT FROM WEEK 1?

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Raleek Brown (14) poses after scoring a touchdown in the first half against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LEARNING CURVE

Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Raleek Brown (14) runs the ball against UCLA Bruins defensive back Alex Johnson (36) during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Raleek Brown made plenty of mistakes in 2022 … and that’s fine. He was a freshman. He had to be thrown into the fire. He needed to see firsthand what it was like to adjust to the speed of the college game within Lincoln Riley’s system. The Trojans should get a fully-formed player for 2023, which is very exciting to contemplate.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire