Romello Height was ejected from USC’s opener against Rice. A targeting penalty ended his Trojan debut in the first half. His return to the field last Saturday against Stanford once again ended prematurely, albeit for a different reason.

The first-year USC defender left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury. When he returned to the sideline later, he was spotted with his right arm in a sling.

On Tuesday, head coach Lincoln Riley said the Trojans will give him some downtime during the week.

“We’re gonna evaluate him,” Riley said. “He’s had a tough shoulder (injury). We’re gonna give him a little bit of downtime here early in the week and then re-evaluate. It’s just been kind of a lingering shoulder issue. He’s just had a couple of events both on the practice field and in the game that have kind of made it tough to get any momentum. We’re gonna try to let that thing calm down a little bit over the next few days and re-evaluate, and then obviously we’ll have some guys step on the edge in his absence.”

It’s an issue that popped up back in camp. The Trojans have been thin at the rush end position, with Korey Foreman missing time throughout the offseason and now Height being unavailable for stretches during the games.

In his absence, former Wyoming defensive end Solomon Byrd stepped up and played 49 snaps. Foreman saw 28. Those two combined to produce seven tackles. Byrd flashed with a pair of sacks and a pass breakup. Look for more action for the two of them if Height is unavailable on Saturday against Fresno State.

Kickoff between the seventh-ranked Trojans (2-0) and Fresno State Bulldogs is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on FOX.