One of the special moments for USC fans Friday night came when redshirt freshman running back Markese Stepp plowed into the end zone for the team's final touchdown in a 30-23 win over No. 10 Utah and right into a celebratory embrace with Trojans legend Reggie Bush.

For a couple of reasons.

First, Bush -- excommunicated at the NCAA's direction from the program he led to the pinnacle of college football -- was back in the Coliseum in a working capacity in his role as a FS1 college football analyst. His passion for his alma mater was palpable despite the strain of those past NCAA sanctions.

And second, because USC fans have taken a special interest in Stepp and his usage or lack thereof.

His first touchdown run of his career helped close out the Trojans' biggest win of the season while leaving an indelible image from a night that brought the full gamut of emotions for the USC faithful.

Stepp drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his brief exchange with Bush -- because of course -- but who could blame him?

"He was in the end zone, he was like right there. I mean, it would be very hard to not go up to him. That's Reggie Bush. I can't put it into words," Stepp said afterward.

Fans had chanted "Reggie, Reggie, Reggie" earlier in the game and many wearing his No. 5 jersey moved down to the lower section in pregame to watch Bush, fellow Trojans legend Matt Leinart and former Ohio State/Florida coach Urban Meyer as part of the FS1 pre-game show.

Meanwhile, many of those same fans have been clamoring for another running back this season, joining the chorus of those wanting to see more opportunity for Stepp, the bruising 230-pound back who seems to create yards out of nothing.

Which again would have seemed a useful asset Friday night for the Trojans' efforts. As a team they had -17 rushing yards through three quarters while Stepp hadn't received a single opportunity to that point.

He finally got in on USC's first possession of the fourth quarter, rushing for 4 yards on second-and-8 before promptly heading back to the sideline -- likely due to pass protection preferences on third down.

Stepp would then cap the Trojans' next drive with that 4-yard touchdown run, easily bowling over the last defender in his way.

"You can't be negative. You always have to be positive, because if you go in the game with a negative mindset you'll start messing up. So just being positive, celebrating [teammates], being happy with them, trying to create a good environment on the sideline," Stepp said of his approach through the first three quarters.

"In my head I'm just taking mental reps, seeing what I can do, thinking about my assignment, thinking what I would do when I get out there."

To his credit, Stepp has continued to avoid any opportunity to vent about his role -- he now has 15 carries for 97 yards and a TD for the season. Even after giving the Trojans a spark last week at BYU with 9 carries for 53 yards and a team-best 5.9 yards per carry, he again was an afterthought in the game plan vs. Utah -- and again handled it diplomatically.

"I wasn't really frustrated at all. You've just got to play your role," he said. "Stephen [Carr] and Vae [Malepeai] did a great job tonight, they were able to wear them down, which made it easier on me."

Malepeai finished with 39 yards on 11 carries, getting all but 5 of those yards in the fourth quarter. Carr ended with -16 yards and a fumble on 3 carries along with 2 short receptions.

Another reporter filtered into the postgame scrum and asked Stepp again how hard it is to be marginalized in the offense.

"When you've got two great backs in front of you …," he started again. "Every competitor wants to be out there, so yeah, it's hard to wait. But also you've got to understand you've got two great running backs in front of you so, you know, they're doing their thing so you've got to respect it."

USC running backs coach Mike Jinks had some strong comments earlier in the week about the running back rotation, that reps are earned on the practice field and that he isn't worried about fans think about the division of carries. Speaking a week ago, coach Clay Helton brought up Stepp's fourth quarter fumble at BYU (which he recovered himself) as a reminder that he's still a young player learning and developing.

Stepp, meanwhile, was asked if there was an area he thought he had to improve the most in practice to potentially earn a bigger role.

"That's something you have to ask coach Jinks on. I can't answer that, I'm sorry," he said politely.

The point of the questions was not to draw Stepp into the debate himself, but to find some insight to help outsiders better understand the internal decisions at play. Whether it's pass protection, their trust in his ability to hold onto the ball or whatever, the coaches have clearly made a determination that the young back isn't ready for a larger workload.

But Stepp was all smiles Friday night nonetheless, still basking in the glow of that huge win over the Utes, his first touchdown and his Bush encounter, totally content to leave the debate about his role and usage to fans and reporters.

"That was a pretty dope experience, I can't lie," he said of finding Bush after that TD. "I'll probably get ripped for it in meetings, but it was a pretty dope experience. I probably could have done better because I cost my team a 15-yard penalty."

Nah, it was kind of a perfect and fitting cap to the evening.