USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon exited last week’s game against Michigan in the first half due to a head injury sustained after taking a vicious hit. Not long after, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for further examination.
USC Trojans WR Ruled Out Against Wisconsin
A week later, Lemon has been ruled out of USC’s game against Wisconsin on September 28th per sources of On3.
Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley called the injury a scary kind of situation but says Lemon has rebounded as well as possible and that he was able to fly home with the team that night.
“[It] was kind of a unique play, head ended up,” Riley said describing the injury, “kind of the whiplash effect and I think it was more of the helmet hitting the ground than the actual hit I think that caused it.”
Lemon had caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown prior to the injury. He has been targeted seven times in two games, fourth most on the team despite missing most of the last game. As a freshman in 2023, he recorded six receptions for 88 yards.
Jay Fair stepped into Lemon’s role as slot receiver after his exit against Michigan. He caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. On3 speculates that Fair will continue at the position against Wisconsin and that wide receiver Josiah Zamora will likely replace him on special teams as the kickoff return man.
USC Trojans will look for their first intraconference win against Wisconsin on Saturday in the LA Memorial Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The Trojans (2-1) are coming off a 27-24 loss at Michigan. Wisconsin is 2-1 after getting beat by Alabama 42-10.
