LOS ANGELES — The injury bug continued to bite Rutgers ahead of the bye week.

The Scarlet Knights (4-2, 1-3) are once again down several starters for their road game against USC (3-4, 1-4) on Friday. Along with linebacker Mohamed Toure, left guard Bryan Felter, running back Samuel Brown and tight ends Kenny Fletcher and Victor Konopka – all of whom have suffered season-ending injuries – Rutgers will be without defensive end Wesley Bailey and wide receiver Ian Strong, who are on the roster as reflected in the pregame availability report filed with the Big Ten.

Other key players such as defensive end Aaron Lewis, running back Kyle Monangai, linebacker Tyreem Powell, safety Flip Dixon and cornerbacks Eric Rogers and Robert Longerbeam are listed as questionable.

Sterk is the Scarlet Knights’ second-leading receiver in yards (267) and touchdowns (1).

On the other hand, USC also comes in with injury concerns. The Trojans listed four starters in their secondary — cornerbacks Jayln Smith, Greedy Vance Jr., Jacobe Covington and safety Kamari Ramsey — as questionable as left guard Emmanuel Pregnon.

Before a historic cross country trip to California, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano explained why his team has been so devastated by injuries this season.

“It’s a very physical game, football,” he said on Monday. “People wear these hard helmets and they wear these hard plastic pads and they are very strong. The strength and conditioning makes them get really big, strong and fast, and then they run into each other at full speed. Sometimes that hurts them. Sometimes they’re so strong that when they go to stop, their ligaments and things aren’t as strong as their muscles, right, and they tear a leg. But there is no guilt. There is no conspiracy theory that someone put something in their Wheaties. That’s how it is.”

To summarize the outcome of season-ending injuries:

— Touré tore his ACL during training camp, a major blow to a defense that was expected to take a step forward.

— Felter suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first half of his team’s meeting with Washington. He played the entire second half against the Huskies, but was ruled out for the year ahead of the following week’s game against Nebraska.

– Brown and Fletcher both suffered season-ending injuries in a blowout loss to Wisconsin. Konopka seemingly suffered his season-ending injury the week prior to a loss to UCLA.

“Some years you are lucky with injuries, other years you are not. But the reality is, and the reality that our team has to understand and the coaching staff has to understand and that I certainly understand, is that no one cares. No one cares if you have 20 injuries or five, it doesn’t matter.”

Here is the full Scarlet Knights availability report against the Trojans:

OUT

Doubtful

• Tyreem Powell, LB
• Flip Dixon, S
• Kyle Monangai, RB
• Robert Langerstraal, CB
• Aaron Lewis, DE
• Eric Rogers, C.B
• Logan Blake, TE
• Shedrick Rhodes, OL

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Patrick Lanni can be reached at [email protected].

Brian Fonseca can be reached at [email protected].