USC Football: Trojans Look To Revamp Special Teams Sans Zachariah Branch

The unit anticipates another week without him.

Freshman speedster Zachariah Branch lit up the Trojans' first three matchups on the gridiron thanks to his electric speed on offense and in the return game. 

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An injury forced Branch away from game action for the past two games, and USC looks like they'll miss their specialist for another contest this weekend. 

LA Times writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen discussed the void left by USC's talented wide receiver and looked at the challenges Lincoln Riley faces without him for another week. 

Zachariah Branch

electrified USC’s dormant special teams with kick and punt returns for touchdowns in his first three games. Without the dynamic freshman, who has missed two games because of an undisclosed injury, the Trojans are looking for a jump-start. During the last two games,

Michael Jackson III

’s three punt returns have totaled eight return yards.

Makai Lemon

has taken over kick-return duties and is averaging 20.25 yards per return, better than the 15 yards Branch averaged, excluding his 96-yard touchdown. Branch, the first Trojan since Adoree’ Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return, kick return and receiving touchdown in the same season, was on the field this week, catching punts and running routes during the periods of practice that were open for media viewing, but Riley said Thursday he still hadn’t participated fully in practice. “We’ll get him back sooner rather than later,” Riley said. “We don’t think it’s long-term, but we’ve also got to be smart.”

via Thuc Nhi Nguyen, LA Times

The Men of Troy remain undefeated through their first six games, but Branch's absence looms large after two close calls against Colorado and Arizona in consecutive weeks. 

Branch's injury is still unknown to the media, but Riley's indication that it's not a long-term issue bodes well for the Trojans' future goals. 

As for their next game against Notre Dame, USC will need all hands on deck from their special teams unit to get the victory against a bitter rival. 

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