USC’s Lincoln Riley Addresses Shocking Benching of Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane

There was no on-field sighting of Lemon or Lane seen in the first quarter of play. Lincoln Riley told the NBC broadcast team at halftime that he would address this decision after the game. In his postgame press conference, Riley gave a brief explanation to reporters.

"There was a violation of a team policy," Riley said.

Both Lemon and Lane have been elite for coach Lincoln Riley's offense this season, with Lemon earning a spot as a Biletnikoff Finalist, awarded to the nation's best wide receiver.

Lane was injured leading up to the Georgia Southern game, and had a slower start getting back to full speed. During the Notre Dame game, Lane's 111 receiving yards and a touchdown helped jump start the back half of his season.

Through nine games, Lemon has 1,124 receiving yards on 78 receptions, 10 receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. For Lane, he's recorded 693 receiving yards on 46 receptions and four touchdowns.

Lane has played exceptional with a deep ball from quarterback Jayden Maiava, especially with his height and wingspan. For Lemon, his athleticism and ability to move the chains after the catch has benefitted USC all season.

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Second Quarter Starts For Lemon and Lane

After just one quarter, the Lane and Lemon both hopped back into lineup when USC got possession after UCLA scored their first touchdown. And of course, both are already benefitting the Trojans offense the minute they step in.

Lemon and Lane had slower starts in the second quarter, with Lane recorded a 12-yard reception and Lemon still with no receptions. However, USC ran their reverse pass trick play with Lemon, which resulted in a two-yard gain.

USC Trailing UCLA in Second Half

The 3-8 UCLA Bruins led the 8-3 Trojans by a score of 10-7 at halftime, but USC eventually pulled away to win 29-10. The Bruins had lost their past four games, led by interim coach Tim Skipper after DeShaun Foster was fired. USC opened the game as 20.5-point favorites against UCLA, and USC was ultimately able to avoid the upset.

Unexpected to make the College Football Playoff, the Trojans will now wait to see in which bowl game they will be playing.

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