Late in the second quarter of Friday night’s game against Colorado, USC running back Travis Dye was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. The senior runner had his left leg placed in an air cast after he was tackled on a 4-yard run for a first down.

He gave the crowd at the L.A. Coliseum a thumbs up as he left the field, but there was obvious concern over the injury. The entire USC team huddled around Dye as he was placed on the team cart to exit the field. Several Colorado players were nearby to give their well wishes as well.

A transfer into the program from Oregon this offseason, Dye joined Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles for his final season of college ball. The fit was obvious. Riley wanted a player who could not only be a productive player out of the backfield, but also provide some leadership for a group that was stitched together via the transfer portal this offseason.

Dye has done exactly that. He’s been the heartbeat of the team in certain ways. He’s as vocal a leader as there is in the locker room.

And he’s the team’s leading rusher to boot. Dye has 858 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground this season. He’s averaging more than 6 yards a carry and had scored in eight straight games entering Friday night’s contest with the Buffs.

Dye had nine carries for 26 yards before exiting.

Here’s some of the social media reaction to his injury: