D J Morgan

USC won't practice in pads until Saturday, so getting an accurate read on how players operate under full-contact conditions will have to wait. Still, the Trojans' second spring workout came to a momentary standstill Thursday after sophomore tailback D.J. Morgan took a handoff and blazed untouched more than 70 yards to the end zone. The burst and acceleration that were trademarks before a major knee injury in high school seemed to have suddenly reappeared. Well, not so suddenly.

USC was once celebrated as Tailback U. Now, after recent player movement, it might be more aptly dubbed Tailback Who's Left? USC's backfield, already thinned by Amir Carlisle's transfer last week, will be even less crowded when the Trojans open spring practice in March. George Farmer, moved from receiver to running back last season, is returning to receiver, leaving the Trojans with only three scholarship tailbacks. "We made a decision to move George solely back to receiver," Coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday, "and we are extremely excited about his impact this season at receiver catching the ball from Matt Barkley.

Just in time for the Pacific 12 Conference opener, tailback intrigue is back at USC. Senior Marc Tyler , who was suspended for the season opener because of several off-season incidents, has been reinstated and will play against Utah, Coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday. Tyler, the Trojans' leading rusher in 2010, joins a mix that has D.J. Morgan atop the depth chart, Dillon Baxter fresh off a meeting with Kiffin about his lack of playing time and Curtis McNeal hoping to build on his performance in the opener against Minnesota.

USC tailback D.J. Morgan took advice from Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen and ran with it. Morgan said Allen recently told USC tailbacks that when he played for the Trojans, he sprinted 60 yards on practice carries. So the next day, Morgan did the same on his first five carries. "I was just gassed," he said. "I was like, 'Man, he couldn't have done that.' My legs got tired and burnt out for the rest of practice. "But the next day I was better. It helped me, and from then on I started hitting it — and I haven't looked back since.

USC's starting tailback job is turning into a moving target. That, at least, is the way Coach Lane Kiffin is playing it publicly. Redshirt freshman D.J. Morgan started the first scrimmage, sophomore Dillon Baxter moved ahead with a strong performance, and Friday, Kiffin said junior Curtis McNeal was in the lead. Whether that's true or just another motivational ploy by Kiffin to keep the trio and freshman Amir Carlisle on edge won't be known until the Trojans open the season Sept.

It might have been the quietest 160 yards ever amassed by a USC tailback. And that suited D.J. Morgan just fine. Morgan, a redshirt freshman, said Tuesday that he was happy to show coaches he could withstand carrying the ball 24 times during the Trojans' first scrimmage the night before. Sophomore Dillon Baxter garnered most of the attention afterward for his solid performance, but it was the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Morgan who started the scrimmage and will continue to push for a starting role in the Sept.

The line of fans waiting for Matt Barkley's autograph stretched the width of the Coliseum field Saturday after USC's final spring scrimmage. The junior quarterback had not exactly enjoyed a signature performance: He had two passes intercepted against a defense that never blitzed during the 121-play scrimmage. But neither Coach Lane Kiffin nor Barkley seemed too concerned on a day when tailbacks flashed breakaway ability and the defense showed improvement. Photos: USC's final spring scrimmage Still, with so many players sidelined because of injuries, Kiffin does not have a good feel for what his team will be like in the upcoming season.

USC tailback D.J. Morgan circled the display cases, checking out the Heisman trophies in Heritage Hall. "You could win one of those if you keep working," noted a senior linebacker, walking past. Morgan nodded contemplatively. Then he grinned. The exchange took place last fall when Morgan was a freshman working his way back from major knee surgery. This spring, the former Woodland Hills Taft High star has shown speed, shiftiness and power in pushing to move up the depth chart.

Los Angeles Dorsey (8-3) at Woodland Hills Taft (7-4), tonight, 7 Fourth-seeded Taft will turn to tailbacks Lucky Radley and Shaquille Shelton after USC-bound D.J. Morgan suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn meniscus in his knee last week against L.A. Garfield. "It's tough to replace a D.J. Morgan -- he's carried this team on his back for three seasons -- but Lucky and Shaq are two legitimate Division I talents too," Taft Coach Matt Kerstetter said.

The high school sports season for football-track standout D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft might have ended today when an MRI exam diagnosis revealed he has a torn ligament in his knee and a partial tear of the meniscus, according to football Coach Matt Kerstetter. Surgery will be needed. Morgan was injured Thursday night during Taft's City Section Division I first-round playoff victory over Garfield. He had an MRI exam Friday night, but it wasn't until today that he received a definitive answer about the ACL injury.