Two weeks ago, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian challenged his running backs Buck Allen and Justin Davis to break more tackles. The duo has since done that and Allen has been especially impressive.
"[Coach Sark] challenged me to make guys miss in the open field," Allen said after rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night at Arizona.
"I'm a guy that loves challenges. I'm not going to back down from that at all. I'll take it head on. I thank him a lot for that, for bringing that to my attention and not letting me get by with that. He seen that I could get better and that I got more in me."
In the game, Allen had some particularly fantastic runs, including a 34-yard touchdown run and a 48-yard touchdown run, but the most impressive came on a fourth-quarter drive that ended in a punt.
During the weekly Pac-12 Football Weekly show, analysts Rick Neuheisel and Jake Plummer break down a "Fundamental Play of the Week." This week, the Pac-12 Networks group broke down USC running back Buck Allen's monster 32-yard run in the fourth quarter of the Trojans' 28-26 win over Arizona last Saturday.
Offensive lineman Toa Lobendahn said after the game he couldn't even keep up with Allen while the redshirt junior was literally pulling defenders down the field. Allen, on the other hand, made it sound like it was a pretty simple run:
"Just never stop moving your feet. Coach [Johnny] Nansen is always preaching just keep driving your feet and good things happen. That's what I did," he said. "I can just read guys and they momentum, which way they're going. That's just a gift that God gave me."
Allen had to wait for his opportunity under Lane Kiffin, but finally got a chance last year under interim head coach Ed Orgeron and has truly embraced it.
"Good things come to those who wait. My grandma always tells me that," Buck Allen said. "I kept that in the back of my head. My opportunity came, and I took advantage of it. I just want to help my team win."