USC's Kenan Christon Primed For Primetime: 'I Know That I Can Be As Physical As Anyone'

In a scintillating debut, Kenan Christon proved he's more than a "track guy." Now he'll have to shoulder a full load of responsibilities with three running backs down for multiple weeks. Is he ready?

Kenan Christon began playing football in the sixth grade. He didn’t follow it as a kid so he had no reservations about where he’d play. He said his coaches stuck him at running back because he couldn’t catch.

“They just thought, well, he’s fast,” Christon recalled. “So we’ll just hand him the ball and let him run outside.”

He’s still fast, of course, and he proved this past Saturday he can do a lot more than simply run outside. USC will need more now that its top three backs on the depth chart are down for multiple weeks.

Markese Stepp came out of the Arizona game with a torn ligament in his ankle. The injury entails a 3-5 week rehab. Stephen Carr is sidelined by a strained hamstring and has not been medically cleared. Coach Clay Helton said it’s a Grade 2 strain and that Carr is doubtful for this week. Starter Vavae Malepeai is already set to miss multiple games after having surgery on his knee last week.

That means Christon, who’d been fifth-string all season, is likely starting Friday night at Colorado. In less than two quarters against the Wildcats, the true freshman ran for a game-high 103 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.

It begs the question, why was Christon barely making his debut? Running backs coach Mike Jinks revealed Monday the staff’s plan for months has been to integrate Christon in the second half of the season and preserve his redshirt. That likely won’t happen anymore given the injuries at the position.

“We really didn’t want to do that because we have guys that are pretty productive,” Jinks said. “Where we may lose some things in short-yardage situations, you gain some of those plays that have been 20, 25-yard plays. There’s going to be some explosive plays. He’s going to eat up some angles. You got to take the good with the bad.”

Jinks reiterated that he’s been impressed with Christon from Day 1. Having not recruited him first-hand, he initially wondered whether Christon was a “track guy” who wouldn’t run between the tackles or with patience. Neither proved to be accurate, and those are two traits Jinks said have improved dramatically since Christon arrived in June. But while his running skills are evident, Jinks said USC will have to game plan around other physical limitations with the 5-foot-10, 180-pound rookie.

“Not only is it ID-ing the protection, but ... blocking a 235-pound linebacker running through, that could be asking a lot,” Jinks said. “Especially when you’re having two quarterbacks available. One missed block, or one time that the linebacker sits him in the quarterback’s lap. That’s a problem. You got to be creative with what you do from a schematic standpoint. …

“We got an idea how to use him. He kind of fits some of the stuff from a schematic standpoint. There’ll be some subtle changes, but there won’t be anything that you’re able to notice. The same play he hit (for the first TD) was the same running back power play that we’ve run with 30 and 29 and 7 all year long.”

Christon, for what it’s worth, seems unfazed by pass protection duty, noting that because he has trouble gaining weight, his workouts have long been focused on building strength.

“I feel very comfortable,” he said. “I know that I can be as physical as anyone else. So I’m always ready. … I just look forward to helping the team.”

Fittingly, his favorite player is Walter Payton. The Hall of Famer retired long before Christon was born, but it’s who his father liked. When asked why not hometown hero Reggie Bush, the San Diego product reminded he didn’t know much about football as a kid. But he knows how to play running back. It’s the only position he’s ever played, and he said he’s always been faster than everyone on the field.

That was clearly the case in his first college game, which prompted memories of Sultan McCullough. Jinks said Christon is “probably” the fastest running back he’s ever coached, citing Justin Stockton as the only other contender.

Just don’t count Christon among those impressed with his elite speed. Two days after running Arizona off the field, the 18-year-old shrugged off a question about what his 40 might have been on his blazing 55-yard touchdown.

“I have no clue,” Christon said. “I haven’t run a 40 since my sophomore year.”

What was it then?

“It was a 4.4.”

Perhaps now's not the time to look back anyway.

-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.