Utah Thursday: Notes

The Trojans hit the practice field for the last time before their home game against Utah on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Coliseum.

USC head coach Clay Helton said WR Deontay Burnett (held with sore shoulder and sore toe) is expected to play in some capacity on Saturday, and RT Chuma Edoga (ankle - practiced last two days) "has a very good chance [of playing]." RB Stephen Carr (foot) has not practiced and is not expected to play. Helton is hoping TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (hip flexor - limited work) will be able to contribute on Saturday, but is unsure if he can play the entire game.

Helton said the team spent extra time today practicing its red zone defense in the hopes of limiting Utah's offense, which has scored on 90 percent of its red zone possessions.

Three defensive turnovers and one or less offensive turnovers are Helton's goals for the team in the second half of the season, and he has seen improvement already, "The guys are working really hard on, whether it's punt catching, ball security; I will say, I think our running backs are doing a phenomenal job ... I can't remember the last time the ball's been on the ground by a running back."

Speaking about how young guys on the team have been able to get a lot of game reps, Helton said, "That's been the most positive thing, I think, of the last six weeks. Not only being where we are at, controlling our own destiny, but the growth of our young people. I think about the number of red shirt freshman that are playing right now, first and second year players, and they're really growing and getting better by the day, by the second...the future is really bright."

Helton has stressed the importance of taking the season one game at a time to his team and not worrying about the postseason yet, saying, "We'll add up all the wins in the end. I even showed them the Clemson schedule from last year...instead of worrying about what's out there way down the line, just worry about what it takes to win this week and let's add them up all the way at the end...[hopefully] we're sitting there in San Fran on December 1."

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