USC is counting on a decimated running back unit to keep overachieving against Oregon

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Last month, in the span of a single half, USC’s top two running backs were lost to serious injuries. For Eli Sanders , the knee injury he suffered against Michigan prematurely ended his season. For Waymond Jordan , ankle surgery meant missing most of the Trojans’ critical stretch run.

For USC , it made for a particularly cruel one-two punch. Through the season’s first six games, the Trojan duo had been a top 10 rushing attack in the nation, trending toward the best rushing season USC had seen in two decades. Then, in less than an hour’s time, a promising start had instantly been derailed by injury.

“That could almost be a death sentence,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said Wednes