Jacobe Covington injury update: Lincoln Riley reveals chances USC CB plays vs. Penn State

USC DB Jacobe Covington was injured late during Week 6’s loss to Minnesota on a special teams play, and his status for this weekend is up in the air.

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley gave one final injury update on the defensive back ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 4 Penn State.

“Covington will be questionable,” Riley told reporters on Thursday. “He’s been limited this week. Progressed a little bit faster than maybe we would have thought after the game.”

Riley explained that when Saturday’s game finished, he was sure Covington would have to miss at least a bit of time nursing the injury. However, he gave credit to his cornerback for pushing through the pain this week in practice. His status is still up in the air heading into Friday’s practice.

So far on the season, Covington has totaled 17 tackles and one tackle for a loss so far during the 2024 season to go with a pair of PBUs.

The defensive back has started all five games for the Trojans this season. If he were unable to suit up this week, USC has proven they can rely on Jaylin Smith along with veterans DeCarlos Nicholson and John Humphrey. Humphrey did not play against Minnesota last week, but Nicholson saw plenty of snaps.

Not only could USC be down in numbers in its secondary, but they’re also already expected to be without linebacker Eric Gentry for Week 7’s matchup. Gentry is out indefinitely after suffering an injury against Wisconsin and was on the sidelines for last weekend’s loss against the Gophers. Gentry still ranks second on the team with 30 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks despite missing the last two games.

Still, the Trojans will have to move forward with the healthy personnel they have on hand. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET live on CBS and Paramount+ as USC looks to knock off a top-five team at home.