Southern California's Joe McKnight
Late-season Surge Heightens Anticipation for Sophomore Season
The much-heralded McKnight began slowly, but once he got going, the former Louisiana high school standout proved to be another in USC's long line of outstanding runners.
At a school long known for its running-back tradition, rising sophomore tailback Joe McKnight appears to be the University of Southern California’s heir apparent to Reggie Bush.
McKnight started slowly in his freshman season of 2007, but once he got going, the Louisiana native evoked memories of all the superstars who have played before him.
The 6-foot, 180-pound McKnight outdid himself with a Rose Bowl performance that featured 206 all-purpose yards in the Trojans’ 49-17 victory over Illinois.
He rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 45 yards to further heighten anticipation of what he can accomplish in 2008.
Beset early in his freshman year by fumbles, indecisiveness and comparisons to Bush, McKnight began to come into his own in the sixth game of the season. After a shocking loss to Stanford, USC bounced back with a 20-13 victory over Arizona. McKnight sparked the Trojans with a 45-yard punt return and a 59-yard run that set up their final 10 points in the fourth quarter.
McKnight produced 170 of USC’s school-record 633 yards total offense in the Rose Bowl. In the regular-season finale against UCLA, McKnight had rushed 13 times for 89 yards.
McKnight finished as USC’s third-leading rusher with 94 carries for 540 yards and three touchdowns. He appeared in all but one game during the Trojans’ 11-2 season.
McKnight came to USC with high expectations from prep power John Curtis Christian High School of River Ridge, La., located outside New Orleans. In an intense recruiting battle, he spurned LSU to travel cross country to USC.
Just as USC’s has a history of top running backs, so does John Curtis, which earlier had produced the likes of Reggie Dupard, Chris Howard and Jonathan Wells.
John Curtis finished 14-0 in McKnight’s senior year and won the Class 2A state championship. As an all-around athlete, McKnight didn’t post mind-boggling numbers in any one area. He also often was used as a decoy.
Even so, his worth to John Curtis didn’t go unnoticed by college recruiters, who clamored for his services.
In McKnight’s final high school year, he rushed 45 times for 719 yards and 14 touchdowns, caught 24 passes for 735 yards and 13 touchdowns and added three more special teams scores.
USC is counting upon McKnight to continue the success he experienced both at John Curtis and again at USC in the latter stages of his freshman season
