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Full injury report, per USC head coach Clay Helton: RT Zach Banner (ankle, doubtful for Saturday), S Ykili Ross (shoulder, doubtful), LB Jabari Ruffin (concussion, 50/50), TE Taylor McNamara (back, will assess tomorrow).
- Helton said the team's main point of emphasis today was third down defense. Colorado is second in the Pac-12 in third down efficiency, moving the chains on half their attempts this season.
- The team also focused on defending the deep ball today, specifically shutting down Colorado wideout Shay Fields. Helton called his deep-threat ability "as good as we've seen to date." Indeed, Fields leads the Pac-12 in yards per catch (21.9).
- The Trojans have caught some heat for not signing Fields, who initially committed to USC out of St. John Bosco HS, but Helton explained, "You can only take so many, but there's also so many in Southern California." "Credit to Shay," he added. "He's doing a tremendous job."
- USC CB Jonathan Lockett (pictured) played against Fields in high school, and said he's excited to face his former foe. "Going against him in high school, it should be a fun one," Lockett said. "My freshman year [at SC] I lined up against him. It's always fun going against him."
- Colorado still hasn't announced whether Sefo Liufau or Steven Montez will start at QB on Saturday (Liufau missed the last two games with an ankle injury), but Lockett doesn't seem daunted by the uncertainty. He said both QBs "play the same way --- same body type and same style of running."
- Lockett and the Trojans will be hosting a Colorado team that's nationally ranked for the first time since 2005, and DT Stevie Tu'ikolovatu marveled at how far the Buffs have come. "I went back and watched film and figured out how they put this much points on Michigan, how they put this much points on Oregon, on Oregon State, and they're really improved from the past two years," he said. "I'm impressed, man."
- Here is Helton's full press conference:
