USC football: Matt Fink gives Trojans peace of mind after another QB injury

Against Utah, USC football lost yet another quarterback to injury, Despite the loss of Kedon Slovis, the USC offense kept moving under Matt Fink.

No team has had worse injury luck this year than USC. Sure, some other teams have lost more players, but no one has lost their starting quarterback twice.

JT Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener against Fresno State, but in relief Kedon Slovis had played really well. He had his freshman moments, but Slovis had injected some excitement into the USC program. And then, on Friday night, he went down as well.

So, the Trojans had to go to third-string quarterback, Matt Fink. In his career before Friday night, Fink had gone only 13-of-18 for 89 yards. He’d appeared in three games in 2017, and again three games in all of last season.

That changed quickly. In the first half on Friday nigh, Fink had 203 yards and two touchdowns. All night, he made huge throws downfield. For the game, he went 21 for 30 with 351 yards and three touchdowns. There was a blemish with an interception, but overall, Fink was fantastic.

It’s surprising that Fink was even available, however. Back in May, many expected that Fink would transfer. Some close to him said he would be leaving for Illinois. Instead, he stayed a Trojan.

It’s unclear just how long Slovis will be out. If he misses significant time, it looks like the Trojan offense may, again, be able to survive. If Slovis comes back quickly, then USC still has the peace of mind that there is a very good backup waiting behind the starter.

Say what you want about Clay Helton. He has certainly had his ups and downs at USC. However, when it comes to the sport’s most important position, he seems to have figured things out.