The Trojans beat Rice 66-14 to open the Riley era at USC. That win included plenty of highlight moments, but it also saw a few Trojans exit with some bumps and bruises. Most notably, freshman running back Raleek Brown left the field on the medical cart with his right ankle iced.

Lincoln Riley said the following week there was no concern about the injury affecting him much moving forward. And while that might be true, Brown has only played nine offensive snaps in the Trojans’ two games since.

On Tuesday, Riley provided an update on his status.

“He’ll get healthier, he’ll get better,” the Trojan head coach said. “He hasn’t been full-speed here the last few weeks but he’s gaining on it. We want to get him back healthy and get him moving around the way he can, and when he does that he’ll have a significant role.”

So far this season, the dynamic freshman tailback has 10 rushing attempts for 55 yards and a score. He also has three receptions for 48 yards.

USC has gotten standout play from tailbacks Travis Dye and Austin Jones through the first three weeks. Both had 100-yard performances in the last outing. As exciting a player as Brown is, there shouldn’t be a rush to force-feed him touches. The Trojans’ offense is scoring points in bunches.

But it’s clear Brown will have a major role within the offense when he does return to full health.