Talking with Buck Allen, it won't take long to realize the USC tailback is a humble kid.
Allen might not be one for self-promotion, but his teammates certainly can pick up the slack for him.
"Buck for Heisman," one teammate shouts as Allen stops to speak with reporters following USC's Tuesday morning practice.
A smile flashes across Allen's face while he continues his answer, his train of thought not the least bit affected. He continued with his answer as if nothing ever happened.
Allen says compliments typically roll off of him and Tuesday was a primary example.
This season, he's proven to be as versatile a back as there is in the country.
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He's the only player in the nation with 750 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards.
To bring it closer to home, he's the first USC back to put together five 100-yard rushing games in one season since LenDale White and Reggie Bush. It's taken Allen six games to do so.
Over his last 12 games, dating back to last season, he's reached the 100-yard mark nine times.
After his career-high 205 yards at Arizona last week, he was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.
It took Lane Kiffin's firing for him to see the field on a consistent basis. Why?
"I was kind of surprised," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "(Like) why wasn't he playing before?"
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Perhaps it's a question that might never be answered, or at least not for the immediate future, considering Kiffin now works as Alabama's offensive coordinator, where Nick Sabin's policy on coaches talking to the media likely wouldn't allow it.
Knowing the hole he was in during the beginning of his career at USC, it's not hard for him to remain in a state of humility.
"I'm always (going to) have a positive attitude no matter up or down because I got to make sure I'm staying positive for my (teammates) around me," Allen said. "It's not always about me. If I'm having a bad game or having bad day I'm still going to come out and try to be positive and push my teammates and make sure they're feeding off my energy."
