USC WR Drake London out for season with ankle fracture

The nightmare script that USC dreaded connected Saturday was proven existent connected Sunday.

The Trojans’ prima receiver, Drake London, was confirmed to person suffered a close ankle fracture successful this weekend’s 41-34 triumph implicit Arizona. The wounded volition beryllium season-ending, interim caput manager Donte Williams said. And fixed London’s precocious draught stock, it volition apt extremity the erstwhile Moorpark standout’s vocation astatine USC.

London finishes his inferior twelvemonth with 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns, vocation highs successful each categories.

“Those 8 games helium played, each the awards you could deliberation of, helium deserves. Whether it’s the Biletnikoff, whether it’s the All-American,” Williams said. “The things helium did for this squad and this university, you know, helium was astir to enactment up 1 of the champion statistical seasons that immoderate receiver has enactment up successful assemblage football. That’s saying a lot.”

London was successful precocious spirits astatine USC’s signifier connected Sunday, Williams said. The squad skipper was connected crutches and participating successful the Trojans’ squad meeting.

“He was inactive smiling. He was inactive 1 of the guys. He didn’t look astatine it arsenic helium was devastated and crying and by himself. He was inactive here,” Williams said. “That shows you erstwhile again what benignant of idiosyncratic helium is. He’s a squad person and a squad skipper for a reason.”

But present USC (4-4, 3-3 successful Pac-12) has to prime up the pieces and find a mode to determination connected without its champion player.

London accounted for 43% of USC’s receiving yards this season. He’s been the information valve erstwhile different receivers can’t get open, and asked to drawback surface passes down the enactment of scrimmage and crook them into large gains with rotation moves and breached tackles.

His lack moving guardant volition enactment a large accent connected secondary receivers similar Gary Bryant Jr. — who caught 2 touchdown passes against Arizona — and the tally game, led by Keaontay Ingram.

“We don’t enactment nary unit connected america astatine all. We conscionable gotta bash what we do,” Bryant said. “Drake knows, he’d archer us, conscionable bash what you guys do. And we will.”

“I’m precise assured successful my play, I’m precise assured successful my teammates arsenic well,” Ingram added.

Williams said that determination is assurance successful guys similar Bryant and Tahj Washington, who person combined this twelvemonth for 56 catches and 694 yards. They’ve already been asked to capable a large relation successful the offense, and the summation successful work is astir the margins for them.

But without London, younger players similar Kyle Ford, Joseph Manjack IV and Michael Jackson II volition person to measurement up aft watching astir of the play from the sidelines.

“And it puts adjacent much of an accent connected our choky ends. It’s not 1 idiosyncratic that could instrumentality implicit Drake’s role,” Williams said. “It’s going to beryllium done collectively. They each request to measurement their crippled up and they will.”

Tight extremity Michael Trigg has missed the past 2 games with a little limb injury, but helium traveled to Notre Dame and was walking the sidelines against Arizona. The freshman had breached done successful the games earlier his wounded and could play a larger relation erstwhile helium returns. Texas transportation Malcolm Epps has filled successful in Trigg’s lack the past 2 weeks.

But there’s lone 1 Drake London, and, arsenic USC feared, we person apt seen him formal up astatine the Coliseum for the past time.