Jones has proven that he could have been the workhorse all season long if not for Travis Dye’s presence.
LOS ANGELES – Two weeks ago, when running back Travis Dye went down with what everyone immediately knew was a season-ending injury, it felt like a death-blow to USC’s playoff hopes. The Trojans had relied on Dye to keep the offense balanced and were facing their toughest stretch of the season without a key weapon.
But after wins over No. 16 UCLA and No. 15 Notre Dame, backup running back Austin Jones has proven that he could have been the workhorse all season long if not for Dye’s presence.in a 38-27 win for the Trojans. His 154 yards on 25 carries were a career high as he kept USC moving and didn’t allow Notre Dame to key in on quarterback Caleb Williams and the pass game.
“No surprises,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “These guys aren’t surprised by what Austin does. Austin has stepped up and boy, he ran physical tonight. You talk about establishing the run game, that to me was the game.” Jones was a starter for two years at Stanford, so he always had the experience to replace Dye. But through 10 games, he had 27 carries for 181 yards. After Saturday, he’s run the ball 46 times for 274 in the two games since Dye’s injury.
“I stayed ready and I just want to go out there and have. I love this game and I love this team,” Jones said. “I told them at the beginning of the season I’m gonna give whatever I got no matter what I got to do. Whether that’s major role or not as a major role, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to go out there and have fun.”
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