Drake London’s injury casts pall over USC’s win over Arizona

LOS ANGELES — As soon arsenic Drake London deed the ground, helium knew. Propped up connected his knees, the USC receiver began pounding the tract successful agony. The solemnisation astir him implicit his 2nd touchdown drawback of the crippled evaporated arsenic his teammates and the homecoming assemblage astatine the Coliseum began to recognize what had happened.

The Trojans’ person was down, for however long, nary 1 could guess. And a achromatic unreality rapidly enveloped an underwhelming 41-34 triumph for USC implicit Arizona.

As promised, USC played 2 quarterbacks, with Kedon Slovis getting the commencement and Jaxson Dart coming successful during the 2nd and 4th quarters. Both threw for a brace of touchdowns, but besides showed their limitations. Dart was restricted mostly to surface passes. And Slovis threw a pick-six successful the 3rd quarter, which helium intelligibly telegraphed to let linebacker Anthony Pandy to leap the route.

Arizona (0-8, 0-5 successful Pac-12) made it a seven-point with a precocious touchdown tally by backmost Will Plummer and a field-goal thrust with six minutes near successful the 4th quarter.

With the crippled connected the line, Dart was interim caput manager Donte Williams’ prime astatine quarterback. But Dart simply handed the shot off. Keaontay Ingram took the archetypal drawback of the thrust 45 yards to the Arizona 30, 1 of 26 carries connected the time for 186 yards by the Texas transfer.

USC was incapable to summation different archetypal down, and Alex Stadthaus came to deed a 40-yard tract extremity to marque it a two-possession crippled with 3:19 left, extending Arizona’s losing streak to 20.

But contempt the triumph that ended a two-game losing streak and brought USC backmost up to .500 (4-4, 3-3), London’s wounded formed a pall implicit the evening.

The inferior skipper has been 1 of the lone agleam spots of the 2021 play for USC, establishing himself arsenic the apical receiver successful the state and reaching 1,000 yards done the archetypal 7 games. As his draught banal skyrocketed, London committed to playing a imaginable vessel crippled for USC this season, saying helium felt it was his work arsenic an upperclassman to the younger players and the programme arsenic a whole.

He was connected his mode to different beardown show against the Wildcats, catching 9 passes for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns from Dart. But connected the 2nd score, London twisted into the extremity portion and his close limb got caught underneath him.

USC’s full sideline took a genu arsenic trainers rushed to London’s assistance and an uneasy soundlessness dispersed crossed the Coliseum. London laic connected his back, bouncing his near limb successful discomfort arsenic trainers removed his close footwear and applied an aerial formed to the injured leg.

A cart soon arrived to assistance London, who got up and hobbled implicit to it. As helium did, the USC discourtesy rushed implicit to springiness him immoderate enactment earlier helium near the Coliseum field. Slovis sprinted crossed the tract to walk on a connection to his long-time artillery mate.

As the cart began to crook toward the tunnel, London buried his look successful his jersey arsenic the assemblage began to springiness him a past cheer. He raised his caput to connection up the Trojan V earlier disappearing from show for testing.

Though the existent severity of London’s wounded is not known, it was hard not to ideate if the Moorpark High merchandise had played his past crippled arsenic a Trojan. Prior to Saturday, helium was considered the front-runner for the Biletnikoff Award fixed to assemblage football’s apical receiver. With his contested catches and breached tackles, helium established himself arsenic a fastener to beryllium taken successful the archetypal circular of the NFL Draft.

London returned to the USC sideline successful the 3rd 4th with thoroughfare clothes, a hard formed and crutches. He was mostly confined to a seat successful the backmost occasionally being approached by teammates and coaches.

All helium could bash was ticker USC play without him. For however long, we tin lone guess.