Highlights from our top interviews following USC's win vs. Arizona ...
Clay Helton
--Ronald Jones II is becoming “a more complete player by the day.”
“As special as the run was, where I was most proud was him catching that ball in the flat and scoring that touchdown. That’s a part of the game he’s really working on, and the pass protection. He learning pass protection, he’s learning how to be a receiver out of the backfield. That’s why he came to USC, to become a complete player. It’s really neat to see his progression throughout the year, he’s a student of the game, he works at it extremely hard. I’m really proud of the game he had today.”
--Jones’ running style brings to mind a former NFL All-Pro.
“He reminds me of the Roger Craig days. His explosion, the leg drive, when he makes contact, his legs explode on contact. A lot of runners, when they make contact their legs die or they drag their feet. We call it the horse kick. When he hits contact, his legs explode, especially through that first level. And then when he gets to the second level, just watch out because it’s hard to catch him.”
Ronald Jones II
“My favorite running back is Chris Johnson. I try to model my game after him, cutback runs and speed, although I'm not as fast as him."
--He said he also idolizes Jamaal Charles.
“The dreadlocks, the 25, Jamaal is from Texas. I watched him as a Longhorn in that game, that Rose Bowl (vs. USC). I go way back. I’ve been watching him all my life, basically.”
--He's been taught to never stop moving his legs when running the ball.
"Coach preaches all week, horse kick and leg drives, to be able to run through the defenders. (He then audibly mimics a horse while he kicks his foot off the ground). Obviously, if I get in the weight room, my horse kick will be stronger."
--He doesn't know who Roger Craig is.
"No, I don’t. That sounded like a quarterback. The only Roger I know is Staubach."
--He's surprised to have broken USC’s freshman single-game rushing record.
“It means a lot considering all the great running backs that have come before me. I was actually surprised. I thought Marcus Allen or OJ Simpson had it. It’s great to go down in history, but I still got a lot of things to work on. It’s exciting.”
--He wasn’t expecting Cody Kessler to target him on his touchdown reception.
“I wasn’t looking but he threw a perfect ball and I put my hands out. Great blocks on the edge again, I just walked in. He was like Soma, I’m giving it to you. But on that play we always have to look back. I looked back with just enough time.”
--He thinks he could have avoided having to stiff-arm a couple defender son his long TD run.
“I could have made it easier, you know, just ran up the sideline. But I got excited, all that space.”
--He currently weighs 192 pounds. — “I definitely added on some muscle.”
--He didn’t envision success coming this fast.
“I’m just grateful. I just got to thank God, and then thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity, for believing in me. And then my players, helping me and making things easier. … I knew I was going to get a few opportunities but coaches tell us to make the most of them. … I definitely have a lot to work on, but I have the best coaches getting me there. I think once I get in the weight room I can be a better all-around player."
--The coaches don’t relay how many carries they plan to give him from week to week.
“They’re just like, Be ready 25, be ready RoJo.”
--He hasn’t set any individual goals for this season.
"Just win the Pac-12 South, have a chance to compete in the Rose bowl. It’s all about the team. We’re trying to get it."
Justin Davis
--The two-back rotation allowed Davis and Jones to “get their rhythm.”
“We work off each other. We can just keep going, fresh legs coming in. It’s a really good running game right now. It’s easier to get a feel of the defense with the more carries you get. I got in my groove a little bit.”
--He believes running the ball more inspires the entire team to play more physical.
“When our O-line is playing as physical as they did, it makes the defense want to play physical. The front seven, the secondary, it makes everybody want to play physical. They see our O-line coming off the ball, our tight ends blocking and we’re just running behind them.”
--Jones is still learning in the pass game.
“That’s the one thing about Ronald. He might be really, really good, but he’s got a couple things to work on. But he’s a future All-American. The sky’s the limit. He’s going to be great. … He doesn’t even know how good he is, not even a tad bit.”
--Jones is entertaining for more reasons than just his running ability.
“You don’t know what’s going on with him until he gets in the game and runs the ball. You see how dedicated he is to get a touchdown. It’s funny watching him and it’s really fun playing with this group of guys.”
--Helton has changed the mindset of the team over the past few weeks because he follows through with his word.
“He’s very … we’re going to do this and we’re going to do this successfully. He said we’re going to run it down their throats and we’re going to keep running it and keep running it. …
“I think we’re establishing a whole new, physical kind of mindset. We’re going to run it at you. We’re going to throw it deep over your head.”
Damien Mama
--Jones makes it easy to block for him.
All you got to do is block somebody for a little bit and he could break. Just get a little seam and he breaks. I’m happy for the little man and proud of him.”
--Mama is almost expecting Jones to break a long run whenever he takes the handoff.
“That’s what I always think, every time he’s back there. We just got to get 2-5 the rock and just block for him. Everything will work out. … If he makes you miss, he’s dangerous.”
--Arizona’s unique alignment might have contributed to USC’s slow start on offense.
“They had an interesting defense, the whole 3-3-5. It’s something we have to pride ourselves on, on winning the ball against that type of defense. It’s a little different blocking scheme than we’re usually used to.”
--USC is breaking the spirit of opposing defenses with its ability to run the ball.
“They know it’s coming and they can’t stop it, it’s kind of hard for people to have that confidence going against our offense. This has to be our bread and butter, running the ball. That’s something we got to consistently do, and do well. Every game, that’s how we start our offense, running the ball.”
Su’a Cravens
--Jones set the tone for the offense.
“He hit the hole, didn’t guess, didn’t peek, just got the ball and ran. That’s what we needed in the power game. …
“He reminds me a lot of Jamaal Charles, not because of the hair but just that jump cut that he has and that burst through the hole. He’s going to be special.”
--He wasn’t surprised with how JuJu Smith-Schuster played or the fact he played at all.
“We didn’t think JuJu wasn’t going to play. We knew he was going to play. It was how much he was going to play. JuJu’s a competitor and he’s not known to sit out any game. The guy with a broken hand still doing what he does best.”
--He has a pretty good idea why USC got off to a slow start.
“I think we needed to wake up. I think we were kind of looking past them in the first half. It’s an Arizona team coming off a big loss to Washington. They came out scrappy. If we would have let that game get away from us, it would have been trouble. We had a big interception in our red zone by (John) Plattenburg and I think that really jumpstarted our whole team. …
“He’s kind of our Swiss-army knife out there. He can do a lot of things. He can play nickel, safety and come out on a kickoffs and hit a lot of people.”
--There’s been a different vibe in the locker room the past month.
“I don’t know, we just seem closer now. It’s no-lose November and we got our first win. This could be the start of something special.”
--USC is planning to practice in shorts for the remainder of the regular season, which is welcome news to Cravens.
“It’s no-pad November. It’s beautiful no lose, no pads.”
--He missed part of the first half with an injured thumb.
“I split it open pretty bad on that sack I missed I had a little meat hanging out, so I had to get a couple stitches in my thumb. I came back in. I’m good.”
--Antwaun Woods helped set the tone on defense.
“Antwaun clogged the middle. It reminded me of when Leonard was on the field last year. He’s so big and so talented. There’s not a lot of things you can do when he’s on his game. He shut down inside zone along with our middle linebacker and our ends.”
--Cravens isn’t exactly celebrating the fact USC has won three in a row for the first time in two seasons.
“It’s unfortunate that’s a stat, but it’s good, we’ll take it. It’s tough to win in the Pac-12.”
--He feels like the team is finally approaching its potential.
“As the season goes on and you get later in the season, you’re going to pay better, you’re going to grow as a team, you’re going to mature as a team. I think tonight was one of those games where we grew on the field.”
Clay Helton
--Ronald Jones II is becoming “a more complete player by the day.”
“As special as the run was, where I was most proud was him catching that ball in the flat and scoring that touchdown. That’s a part of the game he’s really working on, and the pass protection. He learning pass protection, he’s learning how to be a receiver out of the backfield. That’s why he came to USC, to become a complete player. It’s really neat to see his progression throughout the year, he’s a student of the game, he works at it extremely hard. I’m really proud of the game he had today.”
--Jones’ running style brings to mind a former NFL All-Pro.
“He reminds me of the Roger Craig days. His explosion, the leg drive, when he makes contact, his legs explode on contact. A lot of runners, when they make contact their legs die or they drag their feet. We call it the horse kick. When he hits contact, his legs explode, especially through that first level. And then when he gets to the second level, just watch out because it’s hard to catch him.”
Ronald Jones II
“My favorite running back is Chris Johnson. I try to model my game after him, cutback runs and speed, although I'm not as fast as him."
--He said he also idolizes Jamaal Charles.
“The dreadlocks, the 25, Jamaal is from Texas. I watched him as a Longhorn in that game, that Rose Bowl (vs. USC). I go way back. I’ve been watching him all my life, basically.”
--He's been taught to never stop moving his legs when running the ball.
"Coach preaches all week, horse kick and leg drives, to be able to run through the defenders. (He then audibly mimics a horse while he kicks his foot off the ground). Obviously, if I get in the weight room, my horse kick will be stronger."
--He doesn't know who Roger Craig is.
"No, I don’t. That sounded like a quarterback. The only Roger I know is Staubach."
--He's surprised to have broken USC’s freshman single-game rushing record.
“It means a lot considering all the great running backs that have come before me. I was actually surprised. I thought Marcus Allen or OJ Simpson had it. It’s great to go down in history, but I still got a lot of things to work on. It’s exciting.”
--He wasn’t expecting Cody Kessler to target him on his touchdown reception.
“I wasn’t looking but he threw a perfect ball and I put my hands out. Great blocks on the edge again, I just walked in. He was like Soma, I’m giving it to you. But on that play we always have to look back. I looked back with just enough time.”
--He thinks he could have avoided having to stiff-arm a couple defender son his long TD run.
“I could have made it easier, you know, just ran up the sideline. But I got excited, all that space.”
--He currently weighs 192 pounds. — “I definitely added on some muscle.”
--He didn’t envision success coming this fast.
“I’m just grateful. I just got to thank God, and then thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity, for believing in me. And then my players, helping me and making things easier. … I knew I was going to get a few opportunities but coaches tell us to make the most of them. … I definitely have a lot to work on, but I have the best coaches getting me there. I think once I get in the weight room I can be a better all-around player."
--The coaches don’t relay how many carries they plan to give him from week to week.
“They’re just like, Be ready 25, be ready RoJo.”
--He hasn’t set any individual goals for this season.
"Just win the Pac-12 South, have a chance to compete in the Rose bowl. It’s all about the team. We’re trying to get it."
Justin Davis
--The two-back rotation allowed Davis and Jones to “get their rhythm.”
“We work off each other. We can just keep going, fresh legs coming in. It’s a really good running game right now. It’s easier to get a feel of the defense with the more carries you get. I got in my groove a little bit.”
--He believes running the ball more inspires the entire team to play more physical.
“When our O-line is playing as physical as they did, it makes the defense want to play physical. The front seven, the secondary, it makes everybody want to play physical. They see our O-line coming off the ball, our tight ends blocking and we’re just running behind them.”
--Jones is still learning in the pass game.
“That’s the one thing about Ronald. He might be really, really good, but he’s got a couple things to work on. But he’s a future All-American. The sky’s the limit. He’s going to be great. … He doesn’t even know how good he is, not even a tad bit.”
--Jones is entertaining for more reasons than just his running ability.
“You don’t know what’s going on with him until he gets in the game and runs the ball. You see how dedicated he is to get a touchdown. It’s funny watching him and it’s really fun playing with this group of guys.”
--Helton has changed the mindset of the team over the past few weeks because he follows through with his word.
“He’s very … we’re going to do this and we’re going to do this successfully. He said we’re going to run it down their throats and we’re going to keep running it and keep running it. …
“I think we’re establishing a whole new, physical kind of mindset. We’re going to run it at you. We’re going to throw it deep over your head.”
Damien Mama
--Jones makes it easy to block for him.
All you got to do is block somebody for a little bit and he could break. Just get a little seam and he breaks. I’m happy for the little man and proud of him.”
--Mama is almost expecting Jones to break a long run whenever he takes the handoff.
“That’s what I always think, every time he’s back there. We just got to get 2-5 the rock and just block for him. Everything will work out. … If he makes you miss, he’s dangerous.”
--Arizona’s unique alignment might have contributed to USC’s slow start on offense.
“They had an interesting defense, the whole 3-3-5. It’s something we have to pride ourselves on, on winning the ball against that type of defense. It’s a little different blocking scheme than we’re usually used to.”
--USC is breaking the spirit of opposing defenses with its ability to run the ball.
“They know it’s coming and they can’t stop it, it’s kind of hard for people to have that confidence going against our offense. This has to be our bread and butter, running the ball. That’s something we got to consistently do, and do well. Every game, that’s how we start our offense, running the ball.”
Su’a Cravens
--Jones set the tone for the offense.
“He hit the hole, didn’t guess, didn’t peek, just got the ball and ran. That’s what we needed in the power game. …
“He reminds me a lot of Jamaal Charles, not because of the hair but just that jump cut that he has and that burst through the hole. He’s going to be special.”
--He wasn’t surprised with how JuJu Smith-Schuster played or the fact he played at all.
“We didn’t think JuJu wasn’t going to play. We knew he was going to play. It was how much he was going to play. JuJu’s a competitor and he’s not known to sit out any game. The guy with a broken hand still doing what he does best.”
--He has a pretty good idea why USC got off to a slow start.
“I think we needed to wake up. I think we were kind of looking past them in the first half. It’s an Arizona team coming off a big loss to Washington. They came out scrappy. If we would have let that game get away from us, it would have been trouble. We had a big interception in our red zone by (John) Plattenburg and I think that really jumpstarted our whole team. …
“He’s kind of our Swiss-army knife out there. He can do a lot of things. He can play nickel, safety and come out on a kickoffs and hit a lot of people.”
--There’s been a different vibe in the locker room the past month.
“I don’t know, we just seem closer now. It’s no-lose November and we got our first win. This could be the start of something special.”
--USC is planning to practice in shorts for the remainder of the regular season, which is welcome news to Cravens.
“It’s no-pad November. It’s beautiful no lose, no pads.”
--He missed part of the first half with an injured thumb.
“I split it open pretty bad on that sack I missed I had a little meat hanging out, so I had to get a couple stitches in my thumb. I came back in. I’m good.”
--Antwaun Woods helped set the tone on defense.
“Antwaun clogged the middle. It reminded me of when Leonard was on the field last year. He’s so big and so talented. There’s not a lot of things you can do when he’s on his game. He shut down inside zone along with our middle linebacker and our ends.”
--Cravens isn’t exactly celebrating the fact USC has won three in a row for the first time in two seasons.
“It’s unfortunate that’s a stat, but it’s good, we’ll take it. It’s tough to win in the Pac-12.”
--He feels like the team is finally approaching its potential.
“As the season goes on and you get later in the season, you’re going to pay better, you’re going to grow as a team, you’re going to mature as a team. I think tonight was one of those games where we grew on the field.”
