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MarShawn Lloyd out for USC against Washington

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•11/04/23•

ErikTMcKinney

NCAA Football: Southern California at Colorado
(Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports)

USC will not have standout running back MarShawn Lloyd for the Trojans’ critical game against the No. 5 Washington Huskies this evening.

Lloyd did not come out early with the running backs for initial warmups and he is not with the skill position players while they warm up in full uniform. Sophomore Raleek Brown made his first appearance of the season warming up with that group.

This would be a significant blow for a USC offense that will likely need to put up a bunch of points. Lloyd is coming off a standout game against Cal in which he rushed for 115 yards and two scores, plus caught three passes for 72 yards. Lloyd leads the nation with 7.7 yards per attempt. He has 766 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 99 attempts this season. He’s twice hit 100 yards on the ground this season, including the Cal game and a 154-yard performance against Arizona State.

USC will likely rely heavily on Austin Jones against the Huskies. Jones started several games early before settling into the No. 2 role behind Lloyd. This season, Jones has 258 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well as seven receptions for 68 yards and a score through the air.

It will be interesting to see how much of a role Brown has in this game. He hasn’t been in uniform for USC since the season opener against San Jose State. USC also has a veteran option in Darwin Barlow, who has been buried below both Lloyd and Jones as options this year. True freshman Quinten Joyner could play a role. He recorded at least four carries in each of USC’s first three games of the season, but then didn’t get the ball again until two late carries at Notre Dame, when he fumbled late in that one.

USC also has a pretty capable player at the quarterback position in Caleb Williams. The Trojans could rely on his arm and legs to get it done against the Huskies.

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