As seems to be the case every week with this USC team, one of the main storylines leading up to Saturday is the health of a key contributor.
And Trojans coach Clay Helton had some good news Thursday as it relates to senior cornerback Iman "Biggie" Marshall, who didn't practice the first half of the week due to a sprained ankle/foot.
"Biggie did practice today, looked good," Helton said. "We'll see how much soreness he has after a good practice today and then make a game-time decision."
Helton also noted that freshman cornerback Olaijah Griffin looked good and is "really close to playing" after being sidelined in recent weeks with a shoulder injury.
The Trojans need Marshall as much as any player on their defense. He's been the team's only dependable cornerback and is also rated as one of the top corners in the country by the advanced metrics.
According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks second nationally in allowing a minuscule 0.44 yards per cover snap and has allowed only 15 receptions on 27 targets all season.
For perspective, fellow senior corner Isaiah Langley allowed 7 catches on 8 targets last Saturday alone.
RELATED: Tajwar's Take -- Appreciating Biggie Marshall's special season
"Obviously, I think he's one of the best corners in the country," Helton said of Marshall. "There's some ridiculous stats out there right now about the number of times he's been targeted, the number of catches that have been caught to that side. I think he's like second in the country right now. He's having an All-American season in my opinion and warrants that consideration.
"But obviously when you have that level of talent on one side, it always helps. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping [he's] ready. I'll talk to the doctors tomorrow. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see where it's at."
If Marshall were not able to play Saturday against Cal, his absence would have a domino effect on the Trojans defense.
With nickel Ajene Harris already moved to safety to account for the personnel losses there, Jonathan Lockett has settled in at nickel. But on Wednesday, with Marshall inactive, he alternated between that spot and cornerback (when USC went with just 4 DBs) and admitted he didn't know exactly what his role would be Saturday.
When the Trojans were in nickel this week, Griffin and Langley worked as the first-team corners with backup Greg Johnson (shoulder) unavailable and already ruled out for the game.
Even if Marshall is good to go, Griffin, a true freshman rated a 5-star prospect and ranked the No. 3 cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class, might warrant playing time over the struggling Langley.
"He's looked good in one-on-one drills. He has looked good in contact. I went up to him [Wednesday] and said, 'Any pain?' He said, 'No, coach, I feel great,'" Helton said. "If that's the case, you're going to see him in this game and he'll get a lot of reps."
Other injury news ...
Helton said Johnson should be available next week, and he's also hopeful that wide receiver Michael Pittman (bone bruise in shoulder) will be able to play next week at UCLA as well.
"I think they're going to re-scan it on Monday, just see where it's at," Helton said. "He's always a guy that loves to come back, work as hard as he can to get back. I know he's feeling better. It's not going to be this week, but hopefully by next week he'll be ready to roll."
Pac-12 race
Helton was asked if he's discussed the Pac-12 South race with the team the week.
USC is one of four teams tied atop the division standings with three conference losses, along with Utah, Arizona and Arizona State.
Arizona State, which is a win behind the others at 3-3 in the conference, and Utah hold a tie-breaker over the Trojans, but the Utes recently lost their starting quarterback and running back for the season.
'We briefly [discussed] it on Monday," Helton said of the standings. "I always alert them where everybody's at, then we put it away and go on to the week and focus on the week. But the kid's know. We've got two Pac-12 games left and both are critical. Just treat it like we did last week. We focused so hard on Oregon State last week, we're going the same thing on Cal. It was a really good week of preparation. Kids have brought great energy and great juice and great work ethic. Hopefully it pays off Saturday."
And Trojans coach Clay Helton had some good news Thursday as it relates to senior cornerback Iman "Biggie" Marshall, who didn't practice the first half of the week due to a sprained ankle/foot.
"Biggie did practice today, looked good," Helton said. "We'll see how much soreness he has after a good practice today and then make a game-time decision."
Helton also noted that freshman cornerback Olaijah Griffin looked good and is "really close to playing" after being sidelined in recent weeks with a shoulder injury.
The Trojans need Marshall as much as any player on their defense. He's been the team's only dependable cornerback and is also rated as one of the top corners in the country by the advanced metrics.
According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks second nationally in allowing a minuscule 0.44 yards per cover snap and has allowed only 15 receptions on 27 targets all season.
For perspective, fellow senior corner Isaiah Langley allowed 7 catches on 8 targets last Saturday alone.
RELATED: Tajwar's Take -- Appreciating Biggie Marshall's special season
"Obviously, I think he's one of the best corners in the country," Helton said of Marshall. "There's some ridiculous stats out there right now about the number of times he's been targeted, the number of catches that have been caught to that side. I think he's like second in the country right now. He's having an All-American season in my opinion and warrants that consideration.
"But obviously when you have that level of talent on one side, it always helps. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping [he's] ready. I'll talk to the doctors tomorrow. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see where it's at."
If Marshall were not able to play Saturday against Cal, his absence would have a domino effect on the Trojans defense.
With nickel Ajene Harris already moved to safety to account for the personnel losses there, Jonathan Lockett has settled in at nickel. But on Wednesday, with Marshall inactive, he alternated between that spot and cornerback (when USC went with just 4 DBs) and admitted he didn't know exactly what his role would be Saturday.
When the Trojans were in nickel this week, Griffin and Langley worked as the first-team corners with backup Greg Johnson (shoulder) unavailable and already ruled out for the game.
Even if Marshall is good to go, Griffin, a true freshman rated a 5-star prospect and ranked the No. 3 cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class, might warrant playing time over the struggling Langley.
"He's looked good in one-on-one drills. He has looked good in contact. I went up to him [Wednesday] and said, 'Any pain?' He said, 'No, coach, I feel great,'" Helton said. "If that's the case, you're going to see him in this game and he'll get a lot of reps."
Other injury news ...
Helton said Johnson should be available next week, and he's also hopeful that wide receiver Michael Pittman (bone bruise in shoulder) will be able to play next week at UCLA as well.
"I think they're going to re-scan it on Monday, just see where it's at," Helton said. "He's always a guy that loves to come back, work as hard as he can to get back. I know he's feeling better. It's not going to be this week, but hopefully by next week he'll be ready to roll."
Pac-12 race
Helton was asked if he's discussed the Pac-12 South race with the team the week.
USC is one of four teams tied atop the division standings with three conference losses, along with Utah, Arizona and Arizona State.
Arizona State, which is a win behind the others at 3-3 in the conference, and Utah hold a tie-breaker over the Trojans, but the Utes recently lost their starting quarterback and running back for the season.
'We briefly [discussed] it on Monday," Helton said of the standings. "I always alert them where everybody's at, then we put it away and go on to the week and focus on the week. But the kid's know. We've got two Pac-12 games left and both are critical. Just treat it like we did last week. We focused so hard on Oregon State last week, we're going the same thing on Cal. It was a really good week of preparation. Kids have brought great energy and great juice and great work ethic. Hopefully it pays off Saturday."
