Jaxson Dart undergoes meniscus surgery


By
 in , ,

Freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart tore his meniscus during his debut against Washington State Saturday and underwent minor surgery, according to a USCFootball report. Dart will be out for an extended period of time. 

Near the end of the first half against Washington State, Dart appeared injured but stayed in the game. He began the second half with a brace on his knee and a slight limp. 

By the end of the game, the 6-foot-3 quarterback threw 391 yards — the most ever in a USC quarterback’s debut — and four touchdowns. 

After the game, redshirt senior center Brett Nielon said Dart reminded him of former USC quarterback Sam Darnold, who led USC to its last bowl victory.

The freshman was held out of practice this week for “precautionary reasons,” said interim head coach Donte Williams during USC’s radio show “Trojans Live” Monday. Williams did not provide an update on Dart’s status Thursday during a press conference.

“It’s not really a mystery,” Williams said. “We’re just making sure we protect Jaxson from Jaxson.”

Dart’s debut performance led many to speculate the possibility of a quarterback competition between Dart and long-time starter junior Kedon Slovis. Now, with Dart out for seemingly the rest of the season, Slovis will be under center.

However, Slovis is also dealing with his own issues. He exited the Washington State game with a neck injury and his status is still unclear.

“Right now, we have Kedon and Miller [Moss] that practiced yesterday,” said Williams Thursday. “And I’m happy to talk about those guys. And we’ll see the quarterback situation Saturday in the game.”

The Trojans will face Oregon State Saturday at the Coliseum.