USC Injury Report: Porter Gustin sits out with shoulder, toe problem (9/12)

Porter Gustin’s status is up in the air after he sat out with a shoulder and toe injury. Check out the USC injury report from the Texas Tuesday practice.

Three weeks into the 2017 season, the injury bug is starting to hit USC hard.

On Tuesday a number of key Trojans sat out of practice including outside linebacker Porter Gustin, right tackle Chuma Edoga, tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, linebacker John Houston and defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu.

Of those, the greatest concern hovers over Gustin, who was not on the practice field as USC began preparations for Texas.

Head coach Clay Helton said the junior stayed inside to rehab a shoulder and toe injury which he sustained against Stanford. Gustin played through on Saturday but has been very sore in the aftermath.

He is described as day-to-day after having an MRI on his shoulder and getting his toe checked out on Tuesday.

More information on his status going forward will be revealed on Wednesday, Helton said. In the meantime, Connor Murphy stepped in to work with the first team in Gustin’s absence.

USC Injury Report:

• Out for season: K Michael Brown (knee), LB Tayler Katoa (knee), CB Jonathan Lockett (hip), S Isaiah Pola-Mao (shoulder)
• Out: LB Matt Bayle (undisclosed), OLB Hunter Echols (hip), TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (hip), DL Liam Jimmons (ankle), OT Nathan Smith (knee)
• Questionable: OLB Porter Gustin (shoulder/toe), DL Jacob Lichtenstein (back), DL Jay Tufele (back), DL Marlon Tuipulotu, WR Keyshawn “Pie” Young (hamstring)
• Probable: S Bubba Bolden (knee), OL Chuma Edoga (knee), WR Michael Pittman (ankle)

While Edoga’s sprained wrist held him out on Tuesday that injury has not raised any great concerns and he could be back in action on Wednesday. If he can’t go, freshman Andrew Vorhees is primed to move into the starting line up.

Similarly, Helton did not appear overly concerned as Houston spent most of Tuesday working with trainers by himself. The linebacker suffered a stinger versus Stanford and was feeling some neck stiffness so he was held out. Jordan Iosefa worked with the ones as a result.

Unfortunately, the news on tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe only got more dire.

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“I really don’t have a crystal ball with this one,” Helton said of his tight end’s hip flexor injury.

The head coach indicated on Sunday that the the redshirt sophomore is being shut down until he can get 100 percent healthy after battling the “nagging” muscle strain since the summer. On Tuesday, he went into more detail about just how long that absence might be.

“He’s going to rehab, whether that takes one week, two weeks, four weeks, a season, I don’t know,” Helton said, comparing Imatorbhebhe’s situation with that of Houston in 2015 when he dealt with a back injury.

In that case, Helton said they “invested” in getting the player 100 percent right. The trouble with that? Houston missed the whole of the 2015 season.

TRENDING STORY: Against Stanford, the Trojans Stood Up To Be Counted

On the plus side, safety Bubba Bolden, receiver Michael Pittman and defensive lineman Jay Tufele were back in action on Tuesday.