After missing the past week of practice, Korey Foreman was back on the field Saturday for USC as it closed out fall camp. The rush end position has been thinned out by nagging bumps and bruises during camp, and Foreman’s absence was certainly troublesome.

When Lincoln Riley met with reporters after practice, he addressed the situation and how they get the promising young defender up to speed with just two weeks to go before the season opens.

“He’s got to get some reps and unfortunately missed more of the first couple of weeks here in camp than we wanted him to miss,” Riley said. “We’ve got some time but he’s going to have to compete hard to catch up and be ready to roll. We’ve got a few guys in that boat that unfortunately got a little dinged up. We’re fortunate we really have avoided, for the most part, crazy serious injuries. (Jude Wolfe’s) was certainly the worst of camp.”

Foreman has been battling things here and there throughout the offseason. He missed the first five practices of spring ball earlier this year and had to play catch-up then. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch had nothing but glowing things to say about the work he did to make up ground, but for a young guy who just needs to see as much action as possible, you’d rather he doesn’t miss time.

Certainly, though, Foreman’s overall ability will put him in a position to see the field for USC so long as he can keep himself available.

“We have been fortunate from an overall perspective, but you do have a few guys like Korey that missed some real time that are going to have to have to catch up,” Riley said. “As a result of that, some other guys have gotten opportunities and have stepped up, so again, it’ll be an ongoing battle for him. He’s had a great attitude, he’s been rolling.

“He’s been really bought in with everything we’ve done, so if he can keep himself on the field, I would expect him to improve quickly and have a shot to play.”

The second-ranked prospect in the country coming out of Centennial (Calif.) in the 2021 class, expectations were enormous for Foreman’s first year at USC. He posted 11 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. USC thinks he can be much improved in 2022.

The season begins on Sept. 3 at home against Rice.