Sophomore Uchenna Nwosu, an outside linebacker for most of his two seasons at USC, practiced Tuesday at inside linebacker as the Trojans took steps to fill the void left by injured Cameron Smith and Lamar Dawson.
Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury and Dawson a season-ending shoulder injury in last week’s victory at Colorado.
Nwosu said coaches informed him of the switch Monday. The Trojans play at Oregon on Saturday.
“They told me, ‘We need you to play inside. Cam’s down; Lamar’s down. We need some help,’ ” Nwosu said.
Nwosu has made 12 tackles this season.