With a rare Thursday night game coming this week against Cal, USC got back to work on the weekend.
- USC head coach Clay Helton announced on Sunday that DE Jabari Ruffin has been suspended from team activities due to a student conduct issue.
- Helton also said the following players returned from injury: S Leon McQuay III, OL Jordan Simmons, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, RB Aca'Cedric Ware and LB Olajuwon Tucker. Helton said Justin Davis is a "50-50 at best" for Thursday, while Ajene Harris was kept out after banging his knee last week during the bye.
- If the Trojans are without Davis for the second straight game, the trio of Ronald Jones II (pictured), Dominic Davis and Ware will continue to share the workload. "We have a lot of faith in Ro Jo, Ced and Dominic," said Helton. "We won't change what we do."
- Though USC might miss Davis, the team will face a Cal defense that is giving up an average of 270 rushing yards per contest. That, however, isn't affecting Jones' approach to the game. "We'll have to pick up the load. We don't really look too much into rankings, we're just going to go out there and do what we do," he said. Jones is coming off of a big game against Arizona where he said he got "a little confidence booster." The absence of Davis would see Jones start at tailback on Thursday.
- Davis' absence would also mean more time for Ware. Like Jones, Ware had a big impact against the Wildcats, running for a career-high 103 yards. He believes the rushing attack could have a big game against the Bears. "We're going to play our game. We just have to keep playing the way we play, play fast and physical," said Ware. "We're going to have a nice game and put a show on."
- LT Chad Wheeler has helped pave the way for USC's running backs since his return from injury. "He's definitely a great talent. He has a lot of experience here," said Helton. "He's playing his best football right now. He's making us a better team."
- Helton joked during his press conference that he was constantly keeping up on the scores of Colorado and Utah over the weekend, as the battle for the Pac-12 South heats up.
- Here is Helton with his analysis of Cal's offense, changes on defense and more:
