Dillon Baxter

Rhett Ellison is a team captain and one of USC's more versatile players. The senior started at tight end in 2010 but was moved to fullback this season. Through two games, however, USC Coach Lane Kiffin seemed apprehensive about calling his number. Ellison finally had a larger role in USC's 38-17 victory over Syracuse on Saturday night at the Coliseum. Ellison caught five passes for 31 yards, including a five-yard touchdown play in the first quarter that helped the Trojans overcome a 3-0 deficit.

SCHEDULE Sept. 3: Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. Trojans have not lost an opener since Florida State defeated them in 1997. Golden Gophers won't break the streak. Sept. 10: Utah, 4:30 p.m. Former USC assistants Norm Chow and Tim Davis would love to help Utes pull off the ultimate "Welcome to the Pacific 12 Conference" moment. Sept. 17: Syracuse, 5 p.m. The Coliseum, and the sidelines, won't be as full as the last time Syracuse Athletic Director Daryl Gross was here in 2004, as USC senior associate AD. Sept.

Dillon Baxter was reinstated Wednesday by the NCAA, clearing the way for the USC tailback to play Saturday against Notre Dame. "Hopefully, this week he can do some things for us," Coach Lane Kiffin said. "And what better game for it to happen in. " Baxter was ruled ineligible for last week's game at Oregon State after accepting a golf-cart ride on campus from a student who is also an agent. He was reinstated after making a $5 donation to charity ? the approximate value of the prohibited extra benefit he received.

USC tailback Dillon Baxter no doubt would have preferred to address a different topic Wednesday when he met with reporters for the first time during training camp. But the freshman from San Diego said he learned a valuable lesson after Coach Lane Kiffin suspended him from next month's season opener at Hawaii for violating team rules. "Just be responsible, do what you need to do and stop acting like a knucklehead and everything should be fine," Baxter said. Kiffin announced Baxter's suspension last week, a day after USC's Department of Public Safety filed an incident report about an unnamed student "violating team curfew" and "being under the influence of a controlled substance," at the campus dormitory where Trojans players were housed during the first two weeks of training camp.

Marc Tyler had his moments as USC's featured running back. So have Allen Bradford and Stanley Havili . But this could be the week that USC Coach Lane Kiffin truly unveils freshman Dillon Baxter . At least, Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian theorized as much Monday. With an open date last week, Sarkisian and his staff watched as the Trojans opened with a no-huddle offense, put the ball in Havili's hands and continued to shift formations on conversion attempts during a rout of Washington State.

Every time USC running back Dillon Baxter sees a would-be tackler out of the corner of his eye, instinct kicks in. "I want to cut back so bad," he said Saturday. The sophomore tailback, however, is attempting this spring to move straight ahead — on and off the field. Baxter's freshman season was, in his words, "a mess. " Quarterback Matt Barkley finding a comfort zone Part of the problem was a spectacular run he made last spring against a defense that would later prove to be subpar in tackling.

One player's suspension is another's opportunity. Coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday that Dillon Baxter would not play in the Sept. 2 season opener at Hawaii for violating team rules, opening the door for other tailbacks, perhaps most notably Marc Tyler . Tyler, a 5-foot-11 junior, has been plagued by injuries that occurred before and during his USC career. But he has run well in recent workouts, particularly in short-yardage situations. Kiffin on Wednesday characterized Tyler as perhaps the surprise of training camp.

Greater San Diego has been fertile recruiting ground for USC, producing Heisman Trophy-winning running backs Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush . Now comes freshman Dillon Baxter . It's too soon, of course, to know how Baxter's Trojans career will play out. But the early enrollee put on a show during USC's scrimmage on Saturday, scoring on a spectacular 50-yard run that left several defensive players on the ground grasping helplessly...

USC's tailback competition could become a game of Last Man Standing. Marc Tyler , last season's starter, is suspended for the Sept. 3 opener against Minnesota, and possibly longer. Junior Curtis McNeal started Sunday's scrimmage at the Coliseum and ran strong on his first two carries before suffering a knee injury when tackled on his third. The former Venice High star needed assistance in leaving the field, then spent time on the trainer's table and bench before eventually rising from his seat and walking along the sideline.

A look at USC's running-game options: Dillon Baxter, 6-0, 195, Fr.: Multipurpose threat showed flair for the spectacular during spring practice. Suspended for season opener at Hawaii for violating team rules. Allen Bradford, 6-0, 235, Sr.: Entered training camp No. 1 on the depth chart after rushing for 668 yards and scoring eight touchdowns in 2009. C.J. Gable, 6-0, 205, Sr.: Appears energized by new coaching staff after being seemingly buried in Pete Carroll's doghouse last season.