After moving from inside linebacker to fullback in the fall of 2016, Reuben Peters had appreciated the opportunities the change afforded him, but he found himself nonetheless longing for his old position.

So after talking to USC coach Clay Helton and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, he made the move back this spring, feeling it was where he belonged -- regardless of where that left him on the depth chart.

"After playing linebacker for my first two years here and playing fullback, that was a great opportunity playing fullback, but at the same time I love linebacker and I wanted to just switch over," he recalled. "I went to Coach Helton, Coach P and and asked them if they were OK with it, and luckily they were."

Little could the Trojans have imagined then that they'd end up turning to Peters to close out a pivotal Pac-12 game at middle linebacker this fall.

With starter Cameron Smith out with a hamstring strain Saturday against then-No. 19 Colorado, USC turned to freshman Palaie "EA" Gaoteote and got a tremendous performance out of the rookie until he got forced out of the game with concussion-like symptoms in the third quarter.

"When he went out it was Reuben's turn," Helton would say after the game. "And Reuben's trained for this moment for a long time. A kid that walked on here, earned a scholarship, has been a great special teams player for us and came in to finish the game off and did a nice job getting us in the right calls."

Peters' moment indeed arrived Saturday night as the redshirt-senior finished with 6 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.

And with Smith's status still uncertain for this week and Gaoteote hopeful to play but not yet fully cleared, Peters could get called upon again as the Trojans visit Utah this weekend.

"Coach Helton, he says prepare for your moment because you never know when it's going to come, and star in your role," Peters said after the game Saturday. "And I was happy that I got a shot tonight and I'm grateful for it. ... I'm just thankful for my teammates, because after EA got hurt they were all rallying around me and had confidence in me so that helped a lot."

Peters, a local product from the Los Angeles area, walked on at USC and was awarded a scholarship in the fall of 2016. He appeared in 13 games last season on special teams and as a fullback. He had 2 tackles this fall before his big moment Saturday.

As he walked out of the locker room after the Trojans' 31-20 win, he took a minute to reflect on his journey here at USC these last handful of years.

"I wouldn't want it to be any other way because I have grown so much as a person and as a man," he said. "Coach Helton has done a great job with this team and developing people like myself to be ready for our moment."

So what exactly went through his mind when he got sent onto the field in that third quarter, knowing he was probably in for the rest of the game?

"Take advantage of the moment because you never know when it is or if it's going to happen again," he said. "So just stay calm and make plays."