USC interim head coach Donte Williams is never going to tip his hand about an injured player's status for the upcoming game -- that much is clear by now -- so all one could do Tuesday at Trojans practice was try to parse the various comments and decide how much to read into freshman QB Jaxson Dart's usage.

Dart took the second-team quarterback reps over the second-half of practice, still wearing a brace on his right knee but throwing the ball well and even pushing it downfield with confidence and accuracy.

Four weeks have elapsed since Dart underwent minor surgery for a torn meniscus sustained during his impressive debut off the bench at Washington State (391 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs), and with the Trojans at a middling 3-3 heading into a road game at No. 13 Notre Dame this week, one of the more compelling storylines around this team is gauging when Dart might be an option again and what that will mean when he is.

Fellow freshman Miller Moss took the early second-team reps during the opening full-speed period where the first and second unit each run through one full-field series, but it was Dart taking all those reps (most not at full speed) late in practice against the scout team.

"He's still day to day. Still hasn't been truly cleared by the trainers and everything else, but it's basically about his health first," Williams said. "And then after we make sure his health is OK, then all of a sudden he'll get a chance to play."

WATCH: Video interviews with USC coaches and players Tuesday after practice

Said Dart: "Feels really good. ... I'm just taking it day by day right now. I feel a lot better each day. So just trying to stay on top of all my therapy and get as much reps as I can just to be ready whenever."

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell didn't have anything more definitive to contribute either about when 'whenever' might be, as he was asked how he weighs the value of who gets that work against the scout team behind starter Kedon Slovis.

"He keeps getting better. The more they clear him to do, the more he gets to do in practice. That’s not my decision. That's the doctor's decision," Harrell said. "What the doctor clears him to do, he’s got a lot to catch up on because he's been out for four weeks. We're trying to get him going and get him back to being used to playing and feeling people around him and having to throw the football and use his knee. Obviously, the more we can get him in there, the more comfortable I think he'll feel on it and try to eliminate any hesitation he has on it."

There really hasn't been any talk from the coaches about a "Quarterback battle," as there was coming off that Washington State game when Slovis was forced out early with a neck injury and Dart showcased his immense upside.

That was before the severity of the knee injury -- which he sustained in the first half of that incredible performance -- was fully known.

With six games left in the regular season for a team that is no longer realistically in contention for the conference race, it's worth asking what the value is of having a future star QB rush back from an injury that still requires him to wear a brace at practice.

"I think those discussions are really important to have. For me, I wanted to get back as fast as I can and I've been able to talk to some people who kind of brought me back down to earth a little bit, made things just realistic and all that stuff," Dart said. "We have a great support team here which has helped me a lot with my decision making. They've brought me back really fast, a lot faster than we expected. So we have a lot of discussions that really help with the direction that I'm going to go."

Harrell, meanwhile, was asked if there might be a plan to play both Slovis and Dart down the stretch -- whenever 'whenever' comes.

"That was the plan at Washington State before Kedon got hurt, but we had to go full time with Jaxson when Kedon went down. But like I said, we’ll put whoever out there, whoever gives us the best chance to move the ball at that point and use our guys as best we can," he said.

While some fans are eager to see more of Dart, the fact remains the Trojans have a three-year starting quarterback in Slovis who has delivered a lot of big performances and in whom Harrell continues to have a lot of confidence.

Slovis has passed for 1,519 yards, 9 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He had his best game three weeks ago at Colorado, passing for 276 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs while doing most of that damage in the first half, and he then threw for 401 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT in the lopsided loss to Utah, a game that was decided early in the second half.

"Yeah, Kedon has been really sharp. The ball is jumping out of his hand. He’s doing a lot of good things. It’ll be nice when we have them both back and figure out how to use them both," Harrell said. "But Kedon, he’s done a lot of good things and continues to get better. Like I said, I think he’s throwing the ball at a really high level right now. He knows what we’re trying to do, gets us into the right stuff, and he’ll continue to do that."