Markese Stepp out for USC football against Utah with injury

USC football running back Markese Stepp is not dressed to play Utah

For the third straight week, USC football will go into a game with a surprise injury absence.

As the Trojans warmed up in preparation for facing Utah, running back Markese Stepp was spotted on the sidelines but not dressed for the outing.

Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com is reporting he has an injury and won’t be playing on Saturday night.

Markese Stepp is one of USC football’s best running backs

Stepp is leading USC in rushing so far this year with 135 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. His powerful running and ability to break tackles have made him invaluable as the Trojan rush blocking leaves plenty to be desired.

Fortunately for the Trojans, they have players who can step up and carry the load. Stephen Carr looks back to his top form with 125 yards and two touchdowns in the first two weeks. Meanwhile, Vavae Malepeai remains the Trojans’ most trusted back in pass protection and scored the game-winning touchdown against Arizona last week.

The worry is that Stepp was likely to play an important role while going against a physical Utah defense. The other guys, and perhaps speedster Kenan Christon, will have to make their own unique styles work in Salt Lake City.

On the plus side, the Trojans were able to dress defensive linemen Brandon Pili and Caleb Tremblay as well as starting center Brett Neilon. None of those three played in Week 2.

The Trojans are hoping to hold onto their undefeated record and maintain control of the Pac-12 South with a win at Rice-Eccles Stadium. However, they haven’t had much luck there, failing to win each visit since 2012.

Having Stepp around would make it more likely for USC to change that trend but they’ll have to do it without him.