This is not the news anyone at USC wanted to hear. The leg injury suffered by USC backup left guard Gino Quinones in Saturday’s win over Nevada is severe. At least, it is severe enough to end Quinones’s 2023 football season.
USC entered this season with more offensive line depth than it did last year. However, injuries will reduce depth, and that’s where USC stands just two weeks into its season. The margins just got a little smaller on the offensive line, where the Trojans will soon walk on a tightrope.
A short-term injury to Quinones wouldn’t have merited alarm, but losing Quinones for the season instantly changes the balance of resources up front.
USC plays nine straight weeks (Week 4 on September 23 at Arizona State through Week 12 on November 18 versus UCLA). The Trojans won’t have a week off during that two-month span. If they pick up multiple offensive line injuries, there won’t be a chance for guys to get healthy. Notre Dame is up on October 14. If the Trojans suffer another major offensive line injury before then, they will not be able to rotate nearly as many offensive linemen, which invites the real possibility that the starters could get overextended and might lose some stamina in November.
This is a very important plot point to monitor in the coming weeks.
Head coach Lincoln Riley announces that OL Gino Quinones will miss the rest of the season due to the injury he suffered on Saturday.
Huge blow for #USC
— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) September 5, 2023
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