UCLA Bruins lose Torian White for season, Jordon James injury update

The UCLA Bruins were able to hold off the Utah Utes for a 34-27 win on Thursday night, and it was a closer game than it should have been. The Bruins picked off Utes quarterback Travis Wilson six times, but they were playing against a physical team on the road and had to overcome three key injuries. Brett Hundley went down with an injury, and there are no updates on his status. Star running back Jordon James injured his ankle, and starting left tackle Torian White suffered a severe injury.

According to the Los Angeles Times’s Chris Foster, Torian White will need season-ending surgery on Thursday, as he tore a ligament and broke a bone in his right leg. It’s a tough loss for UCLA, but it is one they can overcome if either Ben Wysocki or Xavier Su’a-Filo (if they decide to swap him for guard to tackle, which won’t be as hard since he would still be playing on the left side) can step up.

The man White blocks for in the running game, Jordon James, went down with an ankle injury against Utah, and he isn’t expected to play in next week’s rivalry game against the California Golden Bears. However, the most important thing is that James avoided a significant injury, and that’s crucial for UCLA. He is an excellent rusher with 463 yards already to his credit this season, and James has established himself as one of the best running backs in the Pac-12 after taking over for current Green Bay Packers RB Jonathan Franklin as the Bruins feature back.

UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. relayed the good news that his X-rays turned out “negative”, but he did call James “doubtful” to play against Cal. Here’s the quote from the L.A. Times, “The X-rays were negative, and he’s wearing a [protective] boot to take the pressure off. He is doubtful this week, but I wouldn’t rule him out. You never know how these things respond and it helps we have a couple extra days.”