Lincoln Riley Updates Injury Status of Jordan Addison, Eric Gentry
It looked as though USC might have lost much more than just a football game this past Saturday night when the Trojans dropped a 43-42 nailbiter to the Utah Utes. USC also saw wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Eric Gentry leave the game early with injuries.
Head coach Lincoln Riley addressed the health of the two USC starters following Tuesday’s practice.
“They’ll be day-to-day,” Riley said. “I don’t think it’s anything long-term with either one of them.”
Riley said they’d be smart with both players this week and that it’s “probably fortunate” for the Trojans that they do not have a game this weekend.
Addison was injured on the final USC drive of the third quarter. He was tackled awkwardly on the USC sideline after taking a backward pass 10 yards. He stayed down, grabbing his knee, while his teammates quickly moved away from him. Addison was able to eventually get up and walk to the medical tent under his own power. He finished the game on crutches along the USC sideline.
The USC offense struggled to pass the ball in the immediate aftermath of Addison’s injury. He’d just caught a 14-yard pass to get USC away from its own goal line on a third-and-10 play, and then gained 10 yards to pick up another first down. Caleb Williams ran for 24 yards, but then the Trojans allowed two sacks and threw an incomplete pass before punting the ball to Utah.
Gentry’s Injury
Gentry came up holding different body parts a few times during the game, but continued to play through them. But he couldn’t play through what appeared to be an ankle injury suffered in the fourth quarter when Gentry collided with a teammate after putting pressure on Utah quarterback Cameron Rising.
Gentry didn’t play another snap, but it wasn’t his last time on the field that night. After spending some time in the injury tent, Gentry emerged and hopped out to the middle of the field to give one final on-field speech to his defensive teammates. Trainers then put Gentry’s foot and ankle in a walking boot.
USC definitely benefits from the timing of the injuries. The Trojans have a bye week this week and then by far USC’s easiest three-game stretch of the season. USC visits 3-4 Arizona in Tucson on Oct. 29, then hosts 3-3 Cal on Nov. 5 and 1-5 Colorado on Friday, Nov. 11.
No Pac-12 game is a given, but the expectation would be that USC should be fine without either player in those three. The Trojans will absolutely need everybody healthy before the Nov. 19 game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
Gentry is USC’s leading tackler this season and forced a key fumble against Utah. Addison is the Trojans’ leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
