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Unproven Maddox steps into featured role

Brian Maddox lead vertical

USC's Brian Maddox

C. Aluka Berry/caberry@thestate.com

Written by SETH EMERSON

semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 09.01.09
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Young guns

The rest of the Gamecocks’ youthful running back corps:

JARVIS GILES

Year: Freshman

Height: 5-11

Weight: 183

Hometown: Tampa, Fla.

Breakdown: Giles was an early enrollee. He had a great spring game, gaining 114 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 12 carries. Giles might offer the best combination of breakaway ability and consistency. He can change direction well and is capable of a burst when he gets into the open field.

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ERIC BAKER

Year: Sophomore

Height: 5-11

Weight: 194

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.

Breakdown: A hernia injury kept him out of the first few weeks of fall camp. Baker is the only tailback other than Brian Maddox who has game experience; he was the team's third-leading rusher last season, with 182 yards on 46 carries in eight games. The highlight was a 59-yard, nine-carry game against Arkansas. Berry might be the best receiver of the tailbacks; he caught nine passes for 108 yards in ’08, including a 42-yarder in the Outback Bowl. The challenge for Berry will be playing catch-up after he returns from his injury.

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KENNY MILES

Year: Redshirt freshman

Height: 5-9

Weight: 183

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Ga.

Breakdown: A redshirt last season, he was the team’s fastest running back — until walk-on Bryce Sherman arrived in August. Miles rushed for more than 2,400 yards as a senior in Georgia's highest high school classification. He might have to wait his turn this season, and then hope to use his elusiveness to stick on the field.

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BRYCE SHERMAN

Year: Redshirt freshman

Height: 5-6

Weight: 155

Hometown: Winston-Salem, N.C.

Breakdown: Sherman serves as a reminder that even in this day and age, a player can emerge out of nowhere. The diminutive Sherman walked onto the football team this summer after coming to participate in track — and he quickly became a factor. Sherman's speed — he was a high school state champion in the 100 and 200 meters — could be used in special formations. The test will be how he handles being hit, and the other rigors of the tailback position.

— Seth Emerson

There are no major knocks on Brian Maddox. Then again, there are few around the South Carolina football program who look at him and say, He's the answer to the Gamecocks' running woes.

As Maddox inherits the role of starting tailback, the responsibility of saving the team's running game falls on a player of whom little is expected but much is hoped.

"I have speed, I have power. I catch the ball. I have a lot of heart," Maddox said when asked if he was ready for his new role.

"Not trying to throw anybody under the bus or anything, but I'm ready to play. I've waited, and now it's time."

Maddox has rushed for 135 yards during his collegiate career, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, with one touchdown. He spent his freshman season behind two veterans, and his sophomore season of 2008 he was the primary backup.

Last year he had every chance to vault past first-teamer Mike Davis, starting one game when Davis was disciplined. But Maddox was unable to show the coaches he deserved more playing time.

Now the coaches have changed: Jay Graham is the new running backs coach, and Eric Wolford is the new running game coordinator and offensive line coach.

And Maddox thinks that might make all the difference.

"I definitely see it turning around," he said. "Because we've got a new running backs coach, as you know, and a new offensive line coach who's great at what he does. And these new schemes and new plays that we're going to throw at defenses are going to really help us."

So is it simply a matter of opening holes and calling the right plays? Is that what has plagued the Gamecocks, and will Maddox be the man in the right place at the right time?

The Gamecocks have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Derek Watson in 2000. The team's leading rusher in the eight seasons since has averaged 673 yards. Mike Davis led the team last season with 573, averaging 3.5 per carry.

Cory Boyd (2003-04, ’06-’07) and Davis rank 10th and 12th, respectively, on USC's all-time rushing list, but their accomplishments spoke more to their longevity, less to their big-play ability.

At 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds, Maddox has the frame to be a full-time rusher, but until the USC passing game proves it can be a force, the team could benefit from Maddox becoming a game-breaker.

"He knows exactly how to do things,” Graham said. “If you tell him to do something, he's going to do it right. The thing with Brian, he's got to be consistent in being a playmaker, because that's what we need."

"I always go back to it — you've got to break tackles to make plays. And he's a guy who physically has the ability to do (that), but he has to it under pressure in game-like situation."

Maddox, a standout in high school at T.L. Hanna in Anderson, said he feels "no pressure at all" entering the season. He's been waiting for his chance and is glad it's here.

And since he knows the offense better than his younger peers — Jarvis Giles, Kenny Miles and Eric Baker — he's been trying to impart his knowledge to them.

"Yeah, I'm helping guys who could take my chance," Maddox said with a laugh. "I'm just working hard, want to contribute to the team. But my chance is out there in front of me, and I'm taking advantage of it."

Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.

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