Where Was Markese Stepp During The Utah vs. USC Game?
Running back Markese Stepp has seen the field quite a bit this season. During Saturdays game against the Utah Utes, it was evident that Stepp was missing from the lineup. Vavae Malepeai, Stephen Carr and Kenan Christon all saw play action tonight, and Malepeai led the game with 20 carries, 62 rushing yards, and one touchdown. But where was Markese Stepp?
Clay Helton told the media in a post game zoom presser, "Markese had a [pectoralis] sprain that we were hoping would get better. He practiced through the week but he just wasn't himself."
Kedon Slovis and RB Vavae Malepeai. Credit: John McGillen/USC Athletics
[READ: USC vs. Utah: Post Game Wrap Up]
This will be Stepp's second injury this season. During fall camp, Stepp suffered a mid-foot sprain and of course back in 2019, he dealt with an ankle injury. Stepp can be a very effective rusher for the Trojans bringing power and explosive run tactics to USC's offense. However, now with three injuries in the past year, the question remains can he stay healthy?
We saw Stephen Carr on the field tonight but Clay Helton reported that, "Stephen was the same way [as Markese]. He didn't practice a lot during the week and then got a little bit of a knee [injury], we went ahead and pulled him. We kinda knew it was going to be Vavae's game and Kenan's game and I thought they did a nice job. Kenan came in and gave us an explosive run."
Helton went on to say, "I was hoping both would get back for the game. Stephen was really close but [Markese] we just decided to not dress tonight."
Despite the loss of Markese Stepp out on the field this evening, the USC Trojans showed up to play tonight. USC finished the game with a total of 93 rushing yards and a final score of 33-17.
TO WATCH: Clay Helton's post game presser click the video above.
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Promo Image Credit: John McGillen/USC Athletics
