USC freshman tailback Ronald Jones II keeps climbing ladder of success
USC freshman running back Ronald Jones II has rushed for 710 yards this season.
Three rungs, maybe four.
Climbing the ladder ever so slowly, keeping a wary grip, Ronald Jones II went just far enough to peek his head and shoulders over the top.
The freshman tailback had been ushered to the sideline shortly after USC’s victory over Arizona and presented with the honor of conducting the marching band from an elevated perch.
The only problem: His fear of heights.
“I wasn’t ready for that,” he said.
It might have been the only tentative moment for a young player who delivered a breakout performance Saturday, making good on the promise he has shown through the first two months of his college career.
The thing about Ronald, it’s so funny that he doesn’t even know, like, that he’s this good.
— Justin Davis, fellow USC running back about Ronald Jones II
USC running back Ronald Jones II slips a tackle from Arizona safety Demitrius Flannigan-Fowles during the second quarter of a game at the Coliseum on Nov. 7.
His 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter all but clinched USC’s 38-30 victory, giving him 177 yards rushing for the night. Just as important, he showed versatility on a short reception for another score.
“He’s a good player,” Arizona linebacker Jake Matthews said. “I think he’s going to be really good.”
Technically, the 18-year-old Texan has been listed beneath upperclassmen Tre Madden and Justin Davis on the depth chart this fall, but has generated an ever-growing buzz.
It started among teammates during summer workouts, when quarterback Cody Kessler noticed an “it” factor.
“It’s not something you can really work on,” Kessler said. “He definitely has that.”
Heading into the Arizona game, Jones led the Trojans with 533 yards and a gaudy 7.6 yards-per-carry average. Interim Coach Clay Helton credited a particular quality.
When some runners make contact with a defender, their legs slow and their feet drag; Jones has a knack for accelerating through tackles. Helton calls it “the horse kick.”
The coach compares him to former San Francisco 49ers great Roger Craig. Jones mentions another influence, saying he has tried to pattern himself after a fellow Texan, Jamaal Charles.
Thus the No. 25 on his jersey and the shoulder-length dreadlocks.
His Saturday evening at the Coliseum got off to a slow start with two carries for three yards in the first quarter. As his team fell behind by two touchdowns, he began to heat up.
First came a couple of tough runs for five yards each. Then, midway through the second quarter, he strung together a series of longer gains, weaving behind blockers and using his speed to get outside.
The five-yard touchdown reception, on a run-pass option to the left flat, was a little tougher than it appeared.
“The ball was really supposed to go to someone else,” he said. “I wasn’t looking.”
USC freshman tailback Ronald Jones II conducts the Trojans marching band after a 38-30 victory over Arizona on Saturday.
His quarterback passed to him, anyway.
“I knew right when he was running out there that he wasn’t really paying attention,” Kessler said. “So I threw it to where I hoped it would hit him in the stomach.”
The coaching staff has talked repeatedly about Jones’ needing to become a better all-around player. A portion of his practice time has been spent catching balls spit out by a Jugs machine.
There has also been an emphasis on blocking schemes and picking up blitzers in pass protection, the grunt work that earns a running back more time on the field.
“If you want to change your role, do all the things right,” Helton said. “He’s accepted that.”
When it comes time to watch film of the Arizona game, Jones expects to be chewed out for missing at least one block, maybe more, but that won’t be what fans remember.
His big play came midway through the fourth quarter on a run that required an amalgam of skills.
Starting through a hole on the right side of the line, Jones figures he should have cut toward the sideline. But he got over-excited and used that explosiveness to flash straight ahead into the secondary.
Next came the moves, with jukes to the left, right and left again, a jittery sequence that spun Arizona safety Jamar Allah around backward.
Finally, Jones employed his power to blow through a hit by defensive back Anthony Lopez and Allah’s final, desperate grab.
“I thought we handled him pretty well,” Matthews said. “Till the end.”
All those rushing yards equated to a freshman single-game record for a football program that has produced the likes of Ricky Bell, Charles White, Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush.
Reporters surrounded Jones outside the locker room, asking questions until well after his teammates had left the stadium. The teenager — who has endured homesickness and a craving for Whataburger, a fast-food chain back home — answered patiently, with quiet humility.
“I definitely have a lot to work on,” he said.
Helton has steadily increased his carries through the first nine games of the season and vows to use him even more if he continues to work on his overall game.
“The thing about Ronald, it’s so funny that he doesn’t even know, like, that he’s this good,” fellow tailback Davis said. “Once he gets his head right and everything, he’s going to be a future All-American.”
If that happens, the Trojans will have a new star at tailback. And Jones will have to get used to climbing ladders.
Twitter: @LATimesWharton
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