USC football dealing with flu outbreak ahead of UCLA rivalry game

Today at 07:26 PM

The USC football program is coming off a promising win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. USC is gearing up to take on their next challenge in a rivalry matchup against the UCLA football squad on Nov. 23. However, the Trojans are dealing with a sickness ahead of the matchup.

USC is navigating a flu outbreak that started the week before and worsened in the week leading up to their UCLA matchup, per insight from Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times. Head coach Lincoln Riley reportedly sounded sick during the Trojans’ media availability on Wednesday, but he emphasized that the illness will not be an excuse for his team.

"It's had a little bit of an impact," Riley said, per Kartje. "It's part of it, though. Like I told the guys today, Saturday at 7:30, nobody's going to care what you had or didn't have. You got to be ready to go play the game. You've got different obstacles that come up, and you've got to go face them. We'll deal with it, adjust how we need to, but no excuses — gotta be ready for Saturday."

Several players already fought through the sickness, and the hope is that it already hit its peak on Tuesday so the team can be more recovered for Saturday’s game, Kartje added. Hopefully, all the players and staff members affected by the flu will undergo speedy recoveries.

The USC football team will enter its USC matchup with a 5-5 record. The start of the 2024 season was challenging for Lincoln Riley’s squad. Yet, they have the opportunity to end the campaign on a high note.

The Bruins possess a 4-6 record and are coming off a tough loss to Washington. Thus, they will be hungry for a win against their Southern California rivals. If USC executes on both sides of the ball, they can walk away with a win on Saturday.

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