After two seasons where Lincoln Riley and company faced heavily scrutiny throughout, USC football is flying a bit under the radar to start 2025. Despite the lack of press, the Trojans snuck into the top 25 following Week 3 and then backed it up with a strong 45-31 win over Michigan State in Week 4.
USC is now 2-0 in Big Ten play and, despite not playing some of the top teams in the conference just yet, looks like one of the best teams in the league heading into a monster clash against Illinois next Saturday. Unfortunately, the Trojans may have to knock off the Illini without one of their best players.
Wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane did not play against Michigan State with an injury after warming up with the team. He unfortunately ended up not being able to suit up and now could miss more time, with no designated return date according to Riley, via ESPN's Paolo Uggetti.
“[It] was a little bit unexpected,” Riley said of Lane's injury. “I don't think it'll be super long, but at the same time I can't sit here today and say for sure he's going to play next week or in the coming weeks.”
Losing Lane for an extended period would be a major loss for a USC offense that has been clicking over the first month of the season. The combination of quarterback Jayden Maiava and his two star receivers, Lane and Makai Lemon, make Riley and company very difficult to defend. Through four games, the Trojans are averaging more than 50 points a game.
Through three games, Lane had nine catches for 239 yards and a touchdown. He is a big-play threat who can go up and get it in the red zone, which makes it much easier on his coach and play caller.
Maiava and Lemon made it work without Lane against the Spartans on Saturday night. The star quarterback finished 20-of-26 with 234 yards and three touchdowns, and Lemon caught eight passes for 127 yards and a score.
USC has also had a lot of success running the football, similar to how Riley's teams worked back when he was at Oklahoma. In Week 4, the Trojans ran for 283 yards as a team, and they will need plenty more where that came from if they want to keep this winning streak going without Lane on the field.
