University Southern California Trojans
Arizona Tuesday: Notes
October 31, 2017 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans host the Arizona Wildcats in a Pac-12 South winner-take-all game on Saturday.
All the talk is about stopping Arizona QB Khalil Tate, but the Trojans offense has a major role to play as well.
- The latest injury report from head coach Clay Helton: OLB Porter Gustin (out for the game with a toe injury), DL Josh Fatu (practiced), DE Christian Rector (held out of practice with a hand injury), CB Iman Marshall (moving around but not practicing), RB Stephen Carr (practiced), RB Vavae Malepeai (day-to-day based on knee soreness), TE Josh Falo (held out with a foot injury), and WR Steven Mitchell (held out with a shoulder sprain).
- On the advice of doctors, Gustin is shut down for now, according to Helton, who did not have a timetable for his return.
- Carr's injury news is much more positive as the Trojans hope to have the dynamic runner and receiver back this week. Helton said that he "looked really good" today, and as long as he does not suffer a setback, he will have a role to play on Saturday.
- Carr hit the books while he was out. "Everything happens for a reason," he said. "Be patient. Don't take it too hard throughout the injury process. While you're injured, it's probably time to work on something else, get better at something else. While I was injured, it gave me a lot of time to catch up on schoolwork."
- Of course, Ronald Jones II will be the lead runner coming off the second-best performance of his career. Jones struggled to get going the previous week at Notre Dame, but, "The holes were the same," he said. "I think it's just a matter of opportunity, sticking with it and not playing from behind."
- The passing game was also efficient in Tempe. "Last week was very good," said WR Tyler Vaughns, who had his first 100-yard receiving game. "As a team, we played very well. The offense was clicking, we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot. We had like, two 3-and-outs, but other than that we were real good."
- The USC offense may be under pressure to match scores with Arizona at some point on Saturday, but the Trojans are not looking at it that way. "We see it as every game we have to score every drive," Vaughns explained.
- The USC-Arizona winner will not clinch the Pac-12 South, but the odds will be heavily in the victor's favor. "We're treating it like a playoff game," Jones said. "Championship atmosphere. Homecoming, so we're ready to go."
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