The USC Trojans earned their first ranked victory of the season on Saturday, defeating the Michigan Wolverines convincingly in a 31-13 finish that put Southern Cal’s football program back in the AP top 25 rankings. However, one decision made by head coach Lincoln Riley on Saturday came at a cost.
On Monday, the Big Ten announced that it fined the Trojans $5,000 for playing running back Bryan Jackson against Michigan. Playing the sophomore running back came just hours after USC listed him as “out” on the final pregame availability report.
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- Bryan Jackson stats (2025): 10 carries, 46 rushing yardsm 4.6 ypc, 2 touchdowns
Jackson last played on Sep. 30 against Missouri State, turning five carries into 11 rushing yards and a touchdown. He suffered a turf toe injury, keeping him out of action for nearly a month. Following Saturday’s win over Michigan, Riley stated that USC’s medical staff cleared Jackson to play, but he would only see the field in an emergency situation.
“Unique situation. It was a wellness issue obviously in the game. He has been practicing in a very limited capacity in the build up the last several weeks. He had a turf toe. There was the expectation coming into this game that outside of the near catastrophe that we weren’t going to play him. The game plays out, we have a couple of injuries that you obviously never expect to happen. We were able to get into communication with the league office and explain the situation. Our doctors medically cleared him. Again, it just became a wellness issue for us. We made sure to clear it.”
USC Trojans HC Lincoln RIley on playing RB Bryan Jackson vs Michigan (H/T CBS Sports)
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An emergency situation came to fruition versus the Wolverines. Running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders both suffered injuries on Saturday that kept them out for the remainder of the game. So, the Trojans’ coaching staff deployed Jackson as King Miller’s backup.
Riley said that USC contacted Big Ten officials to explain the circumstances that led to Jackson playing despite his listed status on the pregame availability report. In the statement released by the conference, they acknowledged the Trojans’ injuries at running back but still fined the program $5,000.
“On Saturday, USC listed a student-athlete as ‘out’ on its availability report for the game against Michigan, but that student-athlete later participated in the game. The student-athlete had previously been sidelined due to injury and did not initially dress in uniform for the game; however, following a sequence of unfortunate injuries that occurred in the first half at the student-athlete’s position, he was medically cleared to play, suited up, and later entered the game.”
Big Ten Conference statement on fining the USC Trojans $5,000 for playing RB Bryan Jackson
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To his credit, Jackson made the $5,000 fine worth it for USC. The sophomore’s 29-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the Trojans’ win. With Jordan (ankle) set to miss 4-6 weeks of action, Jackson figures to be part of USC’s committee backfield for Saturday night’s game versus Notre Dame.