Tre Madden was sidelined because of injury. Ronald Jones II could not break free for a long gain.
So Justin Davis stepped up for USC against Colorado, and the junior could be the workhorse tailback going into Saturday's game at Oregon.
Davis had a team-best 85 yards in 14 carries and caught three passes for 28 yards in the Trojans' 27-24 victory at Colorado, which kept USC in the hunt for the Pac-12 Conference South Division title.
Davis has rushed for 505 yards and five touchdowns for a Trojans team that will advance to the conference championship game for the first time if it defeats Oregon and UCLA.