No. 19 USC benches star WRs Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane in 1st quarter of rivalry game with UCLA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Star receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane did not play for No. 19 Southern California in the first quarter of the Trojans’ regular-season finale against archrival UCLA on Saturday night.

USC didn’t announce why Lemon and Lane weren’t playing, but the wideouts stood on the sideline with their position group during the Trojans’ first two offensive series. Both receivers were on the field for the team’s third series, which began in the second quarter.

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Lemon and Lane are in their third seasons at USC, and both have produced prolific games and spectacular catches in recent weeks while growing into one of the nation’s top duos at the position.

Lemon is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. He entered the regular-season finale with 78 catches for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking among the FBS leaders in every category.

Lane began the night with 46 receptions for 693 yards and four TDs.

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Jaden Richardson and Zacharyus Williams were USC’s starting receivers on its opening drive, which ended with a TD run by walk-on King Miller.

The Trojans’ second drive stalled when quarterback Jayden Maiava couldn’t connect with his backup receivers before UCLA blocked USC’s field goal attempt.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football

The Associated Press