Bulls' Backfield Looks to Build on 2020 Experience
By Joey Johnston, Special to USF Athletics
USF football fans have only seen brief glimpses of junior running back Darrian Felix, the transfer from Oregon who only played in three games last season due to a lingering injury. Felix said he's healthy now and capable of providing his running style to the Bulls' backfield.
And what would that style resemble?
"Big plays, long plays, excitement, big-play threat, speed, explosion … I want to bring that,'' said Felix, 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, from Fort Myers High School, following USF's eighth spring practice on Thursday. "I want to get us back on top, really.
"I can bring some physicality. I want to be the bull of the team and bring that serious force to the offense.''
Felix only carried 10 times for 25 yards last season, while making three catches for 14 yards (all receptions were in the season finale against UCF).
In his final Oregon season (2019), he had 34 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard run against Nevada. He was a consensus three-star recruit out of Fort Myers, where he was ranked as Florida's No. 8 all-purpose back, while registering 1,477 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior.
Felix said he headed west after a late-night dream in which he saw himself in an Oregon uniform. But he entered the transfer portal because he felt he needed to be closer to home and his daughter Dailyn, who will be 2 this fall.
"It was hard for me to be away from her,'' Felix said. "I want her to know who her dad is. Being that far away, I wasn't able to do that.
"I had a relationship with (USF coach Jeff Scott) when he was at Clemson, so that made it very comfortable for me. I knew I wanted to be part of the USF program. Coach Scott wants us to be the best we can be, great people, great men, great fathers. I just wanted to be here.''
Aiken's principles
USF running backs coach/run game coordinator Cam Aiken, a former Clemson assistant, said he's excited with his position players, which include Felix, freshman Brian Battie and sophomore Kelley Joiner Jr.
Together with freshman Leonard Parker, currently rehabilitating from an injury, Aiken said the Bulls have enough talent and depth to find productivity at running back.
He said running back-by-committee is a logical way to go.
"I tell our guys they've got to give everything they've got and when they get tired, we'll sub them out,'' Aiken said. "Running back doesn't have to be a one-guy thing. It can be a three or four-headed monster.
"But you've got to work. There's no easy way. There's no elevator to success. You've got to take the stairs.''
Aiken laid out five core principles that he preaches to his backs:
• Great effort — "Non-negotiable,'' Aiken said.
• Physicality — "It's a tough game and a tough position,'' he said. "You've got to lower your pads and put your face up in there.''
• Ball security — "Carry it high and tight and don't swing the ball around when you're running,'' he said.
 • Pass protection — "We must have a Secret Service mentality,'' he said. "If somebody gets within reach of our quarterback, you've got to throw your body and take that bullet for them.''
• Knowledge — "You may be fast and physical, but you also need to be smart,'' he said. "Let's translate it to the field. Know your job and the whole job of the play.''
Sarasota's finest
Battie showed great potential in his first USF season, which culminated with a 102-yard rushing performance against UCF.
"That last game gave us a little glimpse of what we can do not just running the ball, but moving the ball on offense as a whole,'' Battie said.
Battie, of Sarasota High School, said he also has drawn inspiration from his friend, Marlon Mack, a product of Sarasota Booker, who finished his career as USF's all-time leading rusher (his 3,609 yards are now second all-time) and now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. When Mack was in high school, Battie's father served as his personal trainer.
"I talk to Marlon from time to time and I've always looked up to him,'' Battie said. "We were all watching him from home. He had a tremendous career at USF. Not too many people from our city make it out to be a success, especially in football, so seeing him do it gave me that extra (incentive).
"I can't say Marlon being at USF got me here. I wanted to stay closer to home. He was definitely a hometown hero. Maybe I felt I could follow in his footsteps. He did great here and made it to the next level. That's something to shoot for — definitely.''
