Following practice on Oct. 27, USC Trojans' redshirt sophomore running back King Miller opened up about his performance in Week 8 vs. Wisconsin, the team's mindset following the loss, the rise of Shahn Alston in the running back room and how he’ll continue to have Lincoln Riley’s back.

USC Trojans’ Rough Rushing Statistic

In the 24-7 loss, the Trojans’ offense was shut down, specifically the run game. By the final whistle, they totaled negative 17 rushing yards on 25 carries due to the five sacks and nine tackles for loss by the Badgers’ pass rush. Miller finished the game with 11 carries for only eight yards

“I think, just [from a] personal standpoint, not reading stuff right. I mean, got a lot of stuff going on at once, but at the end of the day, I got to just capitalize on certain opportunities that I didn't. So, that's on me,” Miller said about his performance.

“I think it's more of just relying on techniques, going back to the fundamentals of what got us here at the end of the day,” Miller said about how he looks to improve moving forward. “So just going back to the drawing board with myself and every player that step out there, any [running back] that's back there. We just got to execute better.”

Shahn Alston’s Impact on the Running Back Room

One of the bright spots from the poor offensive night was true freshman back Shahn Alston, who showed off his tough running with seven carries for 28 yards as the Trojans’ lead rusher.

“He's shown it all since spring, since he's been here. He's one of the guys that studies his tail off, recovers his body,” Miller said about the freshman. “When you put him out there, I had no doubt he was going to do exactly what he was supposed to.”

Waymond Jordan’s Key Role Off the Field

A player who was noticeably missing from the Wisconsin game was redshirt-senior back Waymond Jordan, who has 63 carries, 287 yards and two touchdowns through seven games. Jordan started the season as the lead back, but in the past three games, he has taken a backseat to Miller, who is now the leading rusher with 125 carries, 603 yards and four touchdowns. 

“I mean, [Waymond’s] the greatest person I ever met in my life, honestly,” Miller said about Jordan. “He's the biggest leader in this room, greatest attitude ever. He's complimenting guys, making sure everybody's ready to go and he's always ready.”

“Honestly, I think that's more for him,” Miller said when asked if there have been physical limitations on Jordan. “I just love that guy to death. I think he's one of the best players I've ever seen as a running back. He's taught me a lot throughout my journey here, and I think he complements this room incredibly for all the backs.”

Defending Lincoln Riley

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was able to calm the firing speculation after Southern Cal’s big win over Penn State at Beaver Stadium, but after the Wisconsin loss, the flames have been stoked once again. Despite all the outside noise, Miller and his fellow teammates continue to rally around Riley.

“I got utmost trust in that guy. I mean, I wouldn't be here without him,” Miller said about Riley. “He's been the guy that's been here since I was a walk-on and was treating me the same way as I am as a starter. I'm always going to have love for that guy, and I have no doubt in this world that he's the best person for this job.”

“I think when you got a leader like Coach Riley, he kind of tells you already. You gonna obviously analyze it when you get back here in the facility, but after the game he tells you ‘Game's over with. Ain't nothing you can do about. You got a good play, bad play, next play. Can't dwell on this. On for the next week. Got a good opponent this week. It's time to get ready for it,’” Miller said about Riley’s message to the team following the loss.

Returning to the Basics

“Yeah, honestly, I think that was the biggest coaching point, just going back to what brought us here,” Miller said about the Trojans getting back to fundamentals this practice week. “So yeah, just going back. I think that's really what I spent all my time doing – going back to later tapes or going out there focusing on what I could have done better, honestly.”

“I appreciate every year – I mean, all year. [Lincoln Riley’s] the hardest critic on it,” Miller said about the film session of the Wisconsin game. “When you got a guy like that, it's nothing, but it's kind of like you just know you got to build off of that. So going into that, we all took it on the chin. Got right back to studying, got back in the lab and we're getting ready.”

“‘Good play, bad play, next play’ – that's what we preached around this whole facility since the jump,” Miller said about the team’s mentality after the loss. “So, I think that's kind of our mentality going on. We know we could have done better, so it's just going on to what we got to do next.”

Preparing for Ohio State

With the next play mentality in place, the Trojans will be back at home to host No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 31.

“Oh, definitely. I mean, you play in the Big 10. We love competition,” Miller said when asked if there was any anxiousness heading into the game after a loss. “Obviously, we ain't put out what we wanted, going [0-1] last week, but it's time to go 1-0 this week. It's time to prepare, get ready and just show the world what we can do.”

The Buckeyes' defense is currently No. 3 in points (13.4) and yards allowed per game (264.3). When it comes to defending the run, the unit allows an average of 3.1 yards per rush (No. 14), 29.9 rushes per game (No. 10) and 92.9 rushing yards per game (No. 11). 

Headlining OSU’s front seven is senior edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Through seven games, Jackson has racked up 22 tackles (14 solo), four tackles for loss, three sacks, a quarterback hit, 27 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble. 

“They got guys all over the place. It's another great team, another great opponent. Just got a great game plan, got good on good. So, it's going to be a good game,” Miller said about the Halloween matchup.