The injury news wasn't all good for the Trojans coming off of last Saturday's end-of-spring game.Â
Senior starting defensive tackle Christian Tupou suffered a torn ligament in his left knee during the scrimmage and likely will miss the 2010 season while recuperating from the required surgery. The freak injury occurred in the third quarter when he made a cut, untouched, and his knee buckled.
Tupou, USC's most veteran defensive lineman who has started at nose tackle the past 2 years, has yet to use a redshirt year at USC, so he will be able to return to the Trojans as a redshirted senior in 2011.
"It's unfortunate that it happened, but I'm okay," said Tupou. "I'll deal with it. It's part of the game. I'm down, but I'm not out because I can come back in 2011. Through training and rehab, I see a brighter light at the end of the road."
Tupou has done well in the classroom at USC--he's a political science major who has earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention notice in the past--and actually will walk with the graduating seniors in USC's Commencement ceremonies next week. He said the injury will allow him to focus on graduate studies in the fall.
On the field, he was an All-Pac-10 honorable selection in 2009 as a junior when he was named USC's Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year. He has 37 career tackles, including 25 last year (with 4 for losses).
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