Clay Helton said tonight Markese Stepp will undergo surgery for a torn ligament in his ankle and be out 3-5 weeks.
Helton said Drake Jackson (ankle) is not medically cleared and Talanoa Hufanga dislocated his shoulder. Jackson wore a boot on his left ankle.
Stephen Carr has a pulled hamstring and did not practice. Dominic Davis has been moved to tailback (again).
Greg Johnson and Olaijah Griffin did practice today. Christian Rector remained out.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
I know everyone wanted to see Markese play more, but I think Quincy Jounti- despite his fumble- will play well and that Dominic Davis could at least challenge Kenon in a 100m race for about 80 of them. Rector seems to have contracted Porter Gustin-nitis. No worries, his replacements (though not as heavy and stout as Christian- a necessity against the heavyweights, Stanford- Utah- BYU- and Notre Dame) are faster and more adept for this part of the schedule (finesse teams like AZ, CO, ASU, UCLA).
Speaking of Gustin, wasn’t he the most or one of the most fit players on the team and at the same time the one most injury prone? Goes right against everything that the non-athlete-know-it-all SW preaches about conditioning and injuries. I like to think that some injuries are a badge of honor that shows that you played with reckless abandon.
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What does butterball Scott Wolf know about working out.
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Even a butterball can tell that this years SC football team is not strong or conditioned despite all the preseason rah rah hype about the new Strength and Conditioning coach.
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Good call on Dominic Davis, Arturo. When it comes to speed, he’s definitely in Christon’s general ballpark….. although as I recall he lacked Christon’s initial burst. Both guys are on the light side so I guess we’re back to the pre-Stepp days of lacking a power back when we get inside the 10. [It would be nice if Harrell spent the week coming up with something imaginative when we get in that situation —but we’ll know otherwise if he just runs Carr into a wall 3 times in a row].
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I say you bring some backup OL (Jacob Daniel, Bernard Shirmur, Clayton Johnson) and put him in at FB and dare the other team to stop you. Jumbo packages, a little diversity, catch the other team off-guard…
Beat the Buffs
Fire Helton
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I would love that …and it would probably work out great from the 3 or 4 yard line. Coach Mora did stuff like that with lots of success.
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Gustin had toe surgery and had a screw implanted in his foot after the Stanford game, didn’t practice all week and then played against Texas.…and you have the nerve to mock him? As far as non-athlete know it alls, you take the cake.
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You don’t know anything about my athletic prowess- I’d run circles around you. He shouldn’t have played in that game and that was his JR year. His SR he was always hurt, but I guess the main point connecting conditioning and injuries flew right over your head.
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Munir McClain might be Josh Pinkard 2.0 Pinkard tore both ACLs but still came back and contributed to the team. Dominic Davis might be the reincarnation of Moody McNeil
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Is Bru McCoy in shape and has he been practicing? Could he play backup RB?
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That’s a very good question —- but something tells me the answer is a big no.
#NoHeHasn’tBeenPracticing…andNoHeCan’tHelpAtRB…..
#[….We’reTalkingAboutCoachHeltonHere]…
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He’s still in the dog house?
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gt —Is Josh Falo in the doghouse, too —or is a minor injury gonna keep this great athlete (and necessary part of the USC attack) “out” forever?
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Like the creativity
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Tough break, but he’ll be fresh, and ready to go for the new coaching staff. And since Clay Helton found a new way to win games by giving him carries, he probably would’ve worn him out 😳
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“Clay Helton said tonight Markese Stepp will undergo surgery for a torn ligament in his ankle and be out 3-5 weeks.”
How can a guy come back from ankle surgery to repair a torn ligament in 3 weeks? Or even 5 weeks?
Stepp hasn’t even had surgery. They don’t even know what they are dealing with yet.
There is no way of Helton knowing what he is talking about. Perhaps they should learn from the Porter Gustin broken toe that it is a mistake to rush a player back after surgery.
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Even a partial tear takes more than 3 weeks. The friggin scabs aren’t off the incision for a month, longer if you heal the wound from inside & make the skin stronger. The ligament takes time to heal/fuse itself together. He’s out for the year. Helton is clueless if he believes 3-5wks.
#FirstHeSitsHimNowIt’sBackIn3Weeks
#BiteMyTongue
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CAL 75,
I agree, Steppes wont be back until late Dec. I saw that you had written to me on an earlier blog. My response was and is, Wilcox is doing great things at CAL. I have not see them play like this since Tedford’s years. I wish you and your team the best, except when they face SC, then I want CAL thrown into the bay. LOLOL. I have other friends that went to CAL and I joke with them as well.
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PT
We have no QB & no OL left. Literally. Scrambling QB’s get hurt 100% of the time. Maybe 110%.
SC30 CAL7. Nov 16.
#LongerInjuryListThanSC
#NoNet4MGThisYearByGolly
#OnlyThingWorseThanOurInjuriesIsReadingMule
#ButWeDoHave22LB’sOnRosterLOL
#IContemplatedEndingItAllAfterOSU.AKAPenitentiaryU.
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PasT
I am guilty of using PT for both you-PasadenaTrojan & also ProudTrojan. ProudTrojan has a screening room so he gets to keep his initials. Respect.
If you don’t mind sir, PasT.
#StopConfusingMePlease
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Cal75 —It would be just like Cal to get everybody back for one Saturday in mid November……
#PromiseMeThat’sNotWhatWilcoxIsUpTo….
#[ThatWouldBeSoUncool]…
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