Keaontay Ingram said he feels “great” after rolling his ankle and sitting out the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s loss to Arizona State. But the USC workhorse may soon find himself dealing with stacked boxes the rest of the season after the Sun Devils provided a blueprint to bottle him up.
Ingram expects as much, at least. After rushing for 342 yards over the previous two weeks, he was held to just 54 yards in 14 carries against Arizona State.
“In the box, they always had one extra hat, regardless if that might be a linebacker or a safety,” Ingram said. “Also they were stunting a little bit and also adding a cornerback in there for free runs. It was a little different. Nothing too much we haven’t seen throughout the season, but it is kind of hard to run against a loaded box.”
Those loaded boxes aren’t likely to let up until USC proves its passing attack is a threat without top option Drake London. In London’s first game out, the Trojans struggled to move the ball at all through the air, passing for a season-low 220 yards.
The hope was that Ingram’s emergence might help USC further emphasize the run to make up for the loss of London. Without Ingram or sophomore Darwin Barlow, who injured his hamstring, Vavae Malepeai handled the lion’s share of carries in the fourth quarter. He finished with just eight yards in five carries.
With Saturday’s game against Cal postponed until Dec. 4, Ingram said the extra week should help him get fully healthy ahead of next Saturday’s rivalry matchup with UCLA.
“That’s tremendous for me,” Ingram said of his weekend off. “I’m taking full advantage of it.”
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