USC kicker Chase McGrath will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, coach Clay Helton announced Sunday.
McGrath suffered the injury in the third quarter of Saturday’s 37-14 loss to Texas when he tried to make a tackle after the Longhorns blocked his 50-yard field-goal attempt. The blocked kick was returned for a 46-yard touchdown by Texas’ Anthony Wheeler. McGrath appeared to have injured his right knee when he tried to make a tackle on Wheeler and was blocked.
With McGrath sidelined, USC will turn to redshirt sophomore Michael Brown, who missed nearly all of the 2017 season with a torn ACL.
Brown has not attempted a field goal or extra point in a game for USC but did handle kickoffs early last season before his injury.
In three games this year, McGrath was 6 of 8 on field-goal attempts with a long of 47 yards. Last year, as a walk-on true freshman, he was 12 of 17 on field goals and was awarded a scholarship in the offseason.
Because the injury occurred within the first four games of the season, McGrath will retain his eligibility this season and become a redshirt sophomore in 2019.