Raleek Brown wasted absolutely no time reminding USC fans how special he can be.

The Trojans went into a home matchup with No. 5 Washington without their leading tailback, MarShawn Lloyd. To counter that loss, Brown was activated for just the second time all season. And on his first carry of the game, Brown scored USC’s first touchdown of the day — a 2-yard outside run to put USC ahead early.

The former top-100 recruit hadn’t played since Week 0. The initial belief was that Brown intended to redshirt this season, which would limit him to four games. Hints earlier in the week suggested he might be available to play, and he spent the pregame warmup period working with Kiel McDonald and the USC tailbacks.

Brown had 227 rushing yards, 175 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns as a true freshman last year.

He can still play in two more games for USC and preserve his redshirt on the year. With USC pushing for a berth in the Pac-12 title game, it can absolutely use Brown’s blend of playmaking.