Lost in the shuffle of USC’s coaching change was the injury to All-American wide receiver Marqise Lee during the Trojans’ 62-41 loss to Arizona State on Saturday night.
Lee twisted his left knee on a punt return early in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field by teammates. For a while, the injury looked very serious as Lee writhed in pain, but the USC team captain later gave a thumbs up to ESPN’s sideline reporter on his way to the locker room.
About 12 hours later, it appears the injury may not be that serious, according to this report:
#USC WR Marqise Lee tells me with the bye week he could potentially be back when Trojans return to action vs Arizona
— Rahshaun Haylock (@RHaylock) September 29, 2013
One of the reasons Pat Haden fired Lane Kiffin when he did was because the coming bye week will give the Trojans extra time to prepare under the guidance of its interim coach. But the bye week also comes at a great time for Lee, who’ll have a few more days to get healthy. Without Lee, the USC offense lacks a proven vertical threat, so if he does come back in time to play against Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 10 in the Coliseum, he’ll provide a big boost to the offense.
Lee has the ability to single-handedly change a game and his being healthy could determine whether USC makes it to a bowl or not. So far on the season, he has 30 catches for 385 yards and one touchdown.