USC receiver Steven Mitchell Jr. hobbled to an idling bus Saturday with his left knee cocooned in a bulky brace.
A normal-looking cut on a punt return had buckled Mitchell’s left knee in the second quarter of USC’s 48-14 win over Arizona. He crumpled to the turf without touching a defender.
Mitchell had been in this position before, prior to his freshman season, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. So he knew the prognosis wasn’t good.
An MRI confirmed those fears on Sunday. Mitchell tore the ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season.