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| USC injury updates: Zachariah Branch, Max Williams to miss Colorado game |
USC is expected to be without one of its top offensive weapons today in its morning matchup with Colorado (9 a.m. PDT; FOX). Freshman wide receiver and returner Zachariah Branch is not dressed during the Trojans' warmups. Branch has taken the nation by storm with his electric playmaking ability, having scored four touchdowns in his first three career games and had a fifth score called back last week at Arizona State. He was the first player this season with a receiving, punt return and kick return touchdown. USC has found a variety of ways to get the ball in the 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman’s hands. He has 13 catches for 178 yards and two scores through the air. He also has three carries for 31 yards, including a long reverse last week against Arizona State that was cut down to a 17-yard gain after a holding penalty was assessed on a Trojans’ receiver. Branch has also been a highlight waiting to happen in the return game. He took his first career kickoff return to the house for a 96-yard score against San Jose State in the season opener and added a 75-yard punt return touchdown two weeks later against Stanford. The 23-year-old Williams has started 17 of the last 18 USC games alongside Calen Bullock in the back end of the Trojans’ defense. Williams has 128 career tackles, including 7.5 for losses, to go along with nine pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He snagged his third career interception earlier this season on the opening defensive drive of the Stanford game, setting the tone for a USC blowout victory over its oldest rival. The undersized 5-foot-9, 185-pound Williams is an easy player to root for after having come back from two significant knee injuries. He suffered torn knee ligaments in the season opener of his senior year at Gardena (Calif.) Serra and missed the rest of his high school career. Williams was able to return to action the next season at USC. After earning his first career starts in 2020, he was set to likely be the starting nickelback in 2021 but again went down with a knee injury during spring practice and was forced to miss the entire 2021 season. He returned last year and became a starter at first nickelback and then safety. Williams led the team in tackles with 79 and forced fumbles with two. He also recorded his first two career interceptions and was second on the team with five pass breakups, earning All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
TABARACCI BACK
USC appears it will have one of its top special teams players back as tight end Carson Tabaracci is dressed and going through early warmups. Tabaracci did not travel with the team last week when the Trojans won 42-28 against Arizona State in Tempe. A converted linebacker, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Tabaracci has been on multiple special teams units this season. He has been a regular sprinting downfield to cover kickoffs and on the kickoff return unit providing blocks to try to free Zachariah Branch. Tabaracci has also been an edge blocker on the kick (field goal/extra point) unit and been used on the punt return unit. He has averaged 15.3 special teams snaps per game this season, which is the second most on the team behind only Raesjon Davis. Tabaracci has made two tackles on special teams. He has also played 11 snaps on offense at the tail end of blowouts against San Jose State and Stanford. Tabaracci missed all of last season with an injury after transferring from Utah where he spent the spring semester after being an early enrollee. He was a three-star prospect in the 2022 class as an athlete out of Park City (Utah). He was ranked the No. 44 athlete in the class and the No. 10 player in the state of Utah. a
