USC QB Jaxson Dart’s status for Notre Dame still up in air

LOS ANGELES — USC backmost Jaxson Dart showed signs of advancement astatine Tuesday’s signifier arsenic helium works to instrumentality from meniscus surgery, but his presumption for Saturday’s rivalry crippled against Notre Dame inactive remains undetermined.

Dart is inactive day-to-day with his genu injury, interim caput manager Donte Williams said aft practice, putting the chances of the backup quarterback’s instrumentality aft the bye week successful doubt.

But Dart did shows signs of betterment successful Tuesday’s practice. It was the archetypal clip helium participated successful 11-on-11 drills, handling each the second-team duties against the scout squad alternatively than third-string QB Miller Moss.

Dart was capable to determination astir more, making throws connected the determination and navigating cone drills with the remainder of the presumption group. While he’s inactive not afloat planting his limb during his throws, nor playing astatine afloat speed, helium was making strong, choky passes that led his receivers.

“I consciousness a batch amended moving astir this week than I did past week,” Dart said. “Today was astir apt 1 of the archetypal days I truly felt comfy with mostly each the throws I had to make.”

Every day, the squad doctors archer Dart what helium tin and cannot bash astatine the coming practice. He says that arsenic overmuch arsenic helium wanted to unreserved backmost to playing, helium understands that a small patience volition spell a agelong mode toward his semipermanent health.

If helium is acceptable to play Notre Dame, it volition stay to beryllium seen whether Dart is utilized oregon however he’s used. His breakout show against Washington State raised the question of whether helium should commencement implicit inferior Kedon Slovis, but Dart had country the pursuing week.

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell didn’t regularisation retired the anticipation of utilizing some quarterbacks, an thought USC intended to deploy against Washington State earlier Slovis’ cervix wounded knocked him from the game.

“Kedon has been truly sharp. The shot is jumping retired of his hand. He’s doing a batch of bully things,” Harrell said. “It’ll beryllium bully erstwhile we person them some backmost and fig retired however to usage them both. … We’ll enactment whoever retired determination that gives america the champion accidental to determination the shot astatine that constituent and usage our guys arsenic champion we can.”

For now, Dart is conscionable waiting connected that afloat clearance from the doctors. Playing 11-on-11 connected Tuesday was a bully archetypal step. Dart admitted to feeling a request to drawback up, but was besides assured that the intelligence reps helium took portion recovering from the country person helped him debar immoderate superior regressions.

And erstwhile helium does instrumentality to the field, whether it’s aboriginal this twelvemonth oregon next, Dart learned a invaluable acquisition astir protecting his assemblage and the differences betwixt the assemblage and precocious schoolhouse games.

“Probably should descent a small much adjacent time,” helium said dryly. “It’s not similar precocious schoolhouse anymore, I can’t conscionable tally done a batch of people. Everybody’s large and a batch of them are bigger than maine now. So I gotta beryllium a small spot smarter erstwhile I’m running.”

INJURY REPORT

TE Michael Trigg was not astatine signifier connected Tuesday arsenic helium continues to retrieve from a little limb wounded suffered anterior to the bye week. Williams said helium doesn’t expect Trigg to play against the Irish connected Saturday.