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Lincoln Riley says Raleek Brown is 'getting better'

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•11/04/22•

AndrewEdGraham

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SALT LAKE CITY UT- OCTOBER 15: Raleek Brown #14 of the USC Trojans rushes the ball up the field against the Utah Utes during the second half of their game October 15, 2022 Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)

It’s been a slow and steady progression for USC freshman running back Raleek Brown. He hasn’t made a splashy impact on the field quite yet, but head coach Lincoln Riley is optimistic about the tailback’s outlook.

While touches in games have been scant for Brown, Riley is mostly concerned with keeping up a steady diet of practice reps for the running back. Then, when Brown is finally called upon, Riley believes he will thrive.

“Getting better. As I’ve said a couple times on here, it’s been good to have him back healthy the last several weeks. We’ve been able to play him a little bit, involve him on offense, involve him on special teams. He’s had some impactful plays for us, obviously,” Riley said. “And then the great thing that’s happened is, past the plays on Saturdays, he’s been able to get a lot of reps in practice. And that’s what really hurt him, when he got injured.

“It’s — obviously you all these guys to get as many game reps as they can, but practice reps for a young guy that wasn’t here in spring ball, they’re so valuable. Because you just want to continue that development. You want to continue that knowledge.”

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Brown has 22 carries for 97 yards, plus a touchdown, in eight games. He also has five receptions for 63 yards and a score — including one for a touchdown in the Trojans eight-point win against Arizona.

He’s gotten looks on special teams, too, returning seven kicks for 150 totals yards — 21.4 a return.

With a bevy of talented playmakers on the depth chart, particularly at running back with Travis Dye and Austin Jackson, USC hasn’t had to call upon Brown to be a lead back or be a focal point of the offense. But Riley is confident that he’s on the right track to be a bigger part of the Trojans offense.

“So, we think Raleek is heading in a great direction. He’s very, very talented. And our hope is if he continues to progress, that he can continue to have more of an impact here in the back half,” Riley said.