Last season, Morgan ran for 163 yards on 42 attempts. Those stats are very mediocre but when you add in that he was fighting for time behind Marc Tyler and Curtis McNeal, it is impressive that he got any carries at all. One year older, and one year wiser, Morgan has an opportunity to get some serious time in the rotation. Furthermore, his best chance for a Linderella story lies in the always crucial third down. McNeal isn’t really a third down type of back which means the bigger, stronger Morgan will be getting most of those carries.
You also have to factor in that injuries could always occur. Bad luck usually hits you where it hurts most and with only two athletes at the running back position, a loss there would be akin to a kidney shot. Still, if something does happen to McNeal (knock on wood), Morgan will get as good an opportunity as any to do exactly what both Lin and Foster did before him.
So really, Morgan is going to have a Linfinite number of opportunities to show off his stuff next season. What is less sure is whether or not Morgan can step up and make the most of his opportunities.
We haven’t seen much of D.J. but the limited play has been enough to show us what type of runner Morgan will be. The minutes he saw in the Minnesota game showed the fans that Morgan has the ability to break 10+ yard runs. There is no doubt that D.J. is quick, especially for his size. Morgan has shown an aptitude for pounding the rock through the middle of the defense play after play. Of his 70 yards in that game, the majority came from running the ball through the teeth of the defense.
Even when he was in high school, Morgan had a knack for running through the middle and then breaking outside. Many scouts raved about Morgan’s ability to run low, and lean forward just like track runners. D.J.’s lateral quickness is also something to marvel at and it explains why he has found success at the high school and college level bouncing plays outside.
Morgan has the opportunity and skill to make a Linpact for USC this season. He may just find himself breaking out and outright stealing the starting spot away from McNeal. And it only took 9 horrible Jeremy Lin puns to realize it.
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