USC running back Travis Dye was carted off the field due to injury Friday night in the No. 8 Trojans' Trojans' 55-17 victory over Colorado and will miss the remainder of the season, the school announced on Saturday. A redshirt senior, Dye is the team's leading rusher and entered Week 11 action as the second-leading rusher in the Pac-12.
"He's such an emotional leader and a senior. That sucks," USC coach Lincoln Riley said of the Oregon transfer. "There's really no other way to put it. It's one of the tough parts of this game. This game, it's given Travis a lot. He's put a lot into it and he's had an awesome career. He's had an awesome run here for us this year, and there's no way we would be sitting here where we're at as a football team without him."
Dye appeared to injure his left knee on a 4-yard run late in the second quarter with the Trojans leading 16-3. After trainers and medical staff attended to Dye on the field, USC players streamed onto the field to provide support for Dye, and some members of Colorado's team also walked over to offer well wishes.
Both teams show support for Travis Dye as he is carted off the field due to injury 🙏 pic.twitter.com/dLD2f4DxcN
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2022
With 858 yards and nine rushing touchdowns and 21 receptions for 202 yards entering the game, Dye has been an integral part of USC's offensive during the team's hot start under in Riley's first season as coach. His decision to leave Oregon following the Ducks' coaching change marked one of the biggest offseason victories for Riley, who loaded up on talent through the transfer portal. Dye ran for 1,271 yards for Oregon last season and caught 46 passes for 402 yards while leading the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards.
Next man up
Replacing Dye's production as a versatile weapon will be challenging. Without him, Austin Jones is in line to receive more carries. The Stanford transfer entered the Colorado game with 261 yards and three touchdowns on 41 rushes this season. He ran for 74 yards on 11 carries against the Buffaloes while playing an increased role following Dye's departure. Jones also caught four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown as USC pulled away in the second half. Freshman back Raleek Brown and redshirt junior Darwin Barlow also chipped in on the ground following Dye's departure.
Intangible factors
With Jones, Brown and Barlow, USC's collective depth at running back remains strong. But the intangible factors Dye brought to the running back room -- and to the team as a whole -- may be more difficult to replace than his actual production as the Trojans gear up for a critical closing stretch against No. 12 USC and No. 20 Notre Dame.
"He's such a good guy for the locker room, and he's a good person," USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. "Just from a football standpoint, a guy who plays the way you wish you had 11 on both sides of the ball playing that way all the time. Just so impressive how he runs, how he works. The respect level in a short period of time that both players and coaches have for that man couldn't be any higher."
