Happy, Healthy McKnight Ready for Stardom

Burdened by injuries and expectations in his first two seasons, new attitude and good health have USC's explosive McKnight ready to quiet the critics for good.

USC running backs coach Todd McNair was amused by the fascination over Joe McKnight, defensive back.

After breathless reports from summer workouts about McKnight’s time at corner, media outlets wondered if he would play both ways this season.

“That’s just Joe clowning,” McNair said. “He’s bored running routes. ‘I’m going to cover you just to show I’m the best athlete on the field.’”

For McKnight, the first two practices of fall camp have provided a glimpse at the breathtaking skills that made him among the most sought-after tailback recruits in the nation. But after two erratic years as a Trojan, he is happy, healthy and ready to meet sky-high expectations.

“It feels so good and I’m looking forward to staying healthy the whole year,” McKnight said. “I’m more relaxed, more comfortable coming out of my little box and showing off my personality. I have no worries as to where I’m at, just focused on football.”

That was hardly the case two years ago, when McKnight was tagged as the next Reggie Bush, the dynamic and explosive weapon to power USC’s offense. Last year, he was burdened by the 206 all-purpose yards he amassed against Illinois.

Now, McKnight is something of an underdog.

“It’s a lot easier for him that way,” McNair said. “He’s had a tremendous amount of pressure on him with the Reggie comparisons. Because he has been spotty in his play, people outside of the program are kind of doubting him and I think he relishes that better than all the pressure to be the next Reggie.”

He seems more comfortable with himself and his role.

“You got to be comfortable when you’re playing football,” McKnight said. “First of all, you got to have fun and I can’t say that I was my first two years. Now I’m really having fun.”

“He’s a gregarious personality, talking a lot of trash and messing around with everybody,” McNair added.

It showed when McKnight joked about the finger he caught in a door during camp a year ago.

“I’m in my room the whole time, staying away from doors. I won’t even open doors this whole camp,” he said.

That incident set the tone for a bizarre 2008, with McKnight totaling 105 yards rushing in the Trojans’ romp over Ohio State. However, he lost a key fumble in USC’s loss at Oregon State and was hampered by turf toe for most of the year, only to reassert himself with 162 yards on 19 carries in rivalry wins to close the regular season.

In the Rose Bowl, where McKnight had his coming-out party the year before, he dislocated four toes on one play.

“It’s crazy, four dislocated toes on the same foot,” McNair said of McKnight’s injuries. “It has hindered his consistency to work at a high level everyday. Now he is in shape, he feels good and this is the best I’ve seen him.”

Considering McKnight improved his per carry average by 1.7 yards as a sophomore, his best could put him among the elite in college football.

New playcaller and quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates got his first look at McKnight on Saturday and was duly impressed.

“On the last play of the scrimmage, he said ‘I’ll get you four yards,’ and he gets 18. He backs up what he believes in and he believes in himself,” Bates said.

Said McKnight: “When you know what you got to do, you can play fast at all times.

“I want to be on the field more and make more plays, try to make up for the last two years.”