USC Trojans WR JuJu Smith-Schuster breaks hand vs Cal
USC Trojans sophomore wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster fractured his hand and had to leave the game against Cal.
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USC won the game against the California Golden Bears but the Trojans lost leading receiver and JuJu Smith-Schuster to a fractured hand that forced an early exit.
Smith-Schuster tried to play through the pain in the second half before exiting and USC interim head coach Clay Helton said his return to the starting lineup will hinge on his pain tolerance.
USC hosts the Arizona Wildcats on Nov. 7 and I’d expect the talented receiver to be listed as questionable on the initial injury report.
Smith-Schuster entered this weekend leading the Pac-12 in receiving yards with 901. Washington State receiver Gabe Marks is second with 717 on a league-high 57 catches and no other player entered this week with more than 563. Smith-Schuster is third in the Pac-12 with his eight touchdowns, two less than Marks and one fewer than Cal’s Kenny Lawler.
The former five-star recruit had 54 catches for 724 yards and five touchdowns last year as a freshman. He is a future first round pick in the making so I’d expect USC to play is safe with him and not risk further injury.
USC can beat Arizona without Smith-Schuster, although it will be harder with him sidelined, but they can afford to rest him and even two weeks from now when they travel to Colorado to make sure his hand is fully healed for the Nov. 21 game at Oregon.
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If Smith-Schuster is forced to miss any time that just means the do-it-all Adoree Jackson will see more looks on offense and he’s a magician with the ball in his hands.
Jackson is second on the team with 17 receptions and 316 yards, but depth will be a concern for USC considering Smith-Schuster accounts for 27 percent of the team’s receptions, 39 percent of the receiving yards and 42 percent of the receiving scores.