Floyd Boucard injury update: Lincoln Riley reveals status of USC DL for Notre Dame game

USC freshman defensive tackle Floyd Boucard will likely miss the next couple of weeks, head coach Lincoln Riley revealed on Tuesday.

Boucard, who was a three-star prospect (ranked No. 64 DL in country) in the Class of 2025, has played in three games this season. In that span, he’s recorded five tackles, two TFL and one sack.

“Floyd will miss the next couple of weeks,” Riley said at Tuesday’s media opportunity. “He won’t play this week for sure. We obviously have a bye after that so we’ll kinda see how he is. But he definitely won’t be available this week.”

No. 20 USC heads into clash with No. 13 Notre Dame this weekend

The Trojans have opened the season with a 5-1 record. They are ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 Rankings. They travel to South Bend this weekend for a clash against No. 13 Notre Dame, which will hold major implications for the College Football Playoff.

“There’s obviously some similarities when you have an opponent that you play here for multiple years,” Riley said about the Fighting Irish. “There’s some similarities with us and some similarities with them. But also in this day and age as your rosters evolve and coaching changes happen and all of that, there’s definitely some differences to both teams.”

“They’ve got a good football team. They’re definitely playing well offensively right now. Quarterback (CJ Carr)’s doing a nice job. Different style of quarterback than, obviously, what they played with last year. But they’ve got a good group around him. A lot of good skill around him.”

USC’s defense is middle of the pack in Big Ten this season

While USC‘s offense is one of the best in the country, its defense ranks middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Through six games this season, the Trojan defense is allowing 352.2 YPG (13th best in Big Ten) and 21.3 PPG (12th best in Big Ten).

They are 3-1 against Big Ten competition, outscoring conference teams 141-95. Its lone loss came on the road at No. 23 Illinois 34-32 via a walk-off field goal. It however bounced back last week with a dominant 31-13 win over No. 15 Michigan in The Coliseum.

Kick-off for Saturday’s game between No. 13 Notre Dame and No. 20 USC is set for 7:30 PM ET. The game can be seen on NBC/Peacock. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 50-37-5 and have won two consecutive games in the rivalry.