LOS ANGELES — Leading USC tight end Lake McRee was listed as “questionable” on the Big Ten Conference availability report before the Trojans’ Saturday afternoon home game against Michigan.
McRee still started in the game and had one catch for 21 yards in the first half.
USC has deployed two tight ends at a time throughout this season, and the position group has become one of the most productive on the offense.
“I think it’s awesome,” McRee said earlier this season. “It keeps defenses on their toes. You don’t really know what we’re going to do — run, pass, do all of the above.”
McRee had 12 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown with an average of 20.67 yards per catch going into the Michigan game, making him third on the team in terms of receiving yards.
Fellow tight end Walker Lyons had 107 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions before the game and hauled in two passes for 42 yards in the first half.
The two combined to account for 98 of USC’s 364 total passing yards in the Trojans’ last game — a 34-32 loss in Illinois.
“We showed a lot,” Lyons told reporters during the bye week. “Making aggressive catches and having good hands. Especially over the middle, knowing you’re gonna get hit, but being able to catch it and tuck it and live with that is something that we put pride on in our locker room, especially tight ends.”
Juju Watkins named tunnel captain
USC women’s basketball star Juju Watkins led the football team out of the tunnel on Saturday afternoon before the Michigan game.
Watkins grabbed the microphone and hyped up the crowd before jogging onto the field — but not too quickly, due to her present injury.
The AP Player of the Year and Naismith winner announced in a social media post on Sept. 28 that she will be sitting out this season while recovering from an ACL injury sustained in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
“JuJu’s health and well-being are our top priority, and we fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement. “While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate.”
Team captains
Offensive lineman Tobias Raymond, long snapper Hank Pepper, safety Christian Pierce, linebacker Eric Gentry and quarterback Jayden Maiava were each named captains for Saturday’s game against Michigan.
Gentry and Maiava have been team captains in every game this season and both are at the top of the Big Ten stat sheet. Gentry ranks sixth in solo tackles with 30, and Maiava is the top quarterback in the conference in passing yards per game with an average of 317.4.