By the Associated Press—UCLA's Kenyon Coleman, one of the top defensive linemen in the country, will have surgery Tuesday to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.
Coleman, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior, is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks. He was injured early in Saturday's 23-20 victory over then-No. 3 Michigan.
“He played pretty much the whole game with torn cartilage,” Bruins coach Bob Toledo said Monday. “We lost probably our best player, maybe for the season. We'll know more tomorrow.”
In addition, the Bruins will be without fullback Matt Stanley for a minimum of four weeks. Stanley dislocated his right shoulder early in the Michigan game.
“It's not as devastating as it would have been in the past, but it cuts into our depth,” Toledo said of the injury to Coleman.
Toledo has said repeatedly the Bruins have more talent and depth on defense than they have since he became head coach in 1996, and the defense has been exceptional so far this year.
The No. 6 Bruins (3-0) were already without starting quarterback Cory Paus, who separated his right shoulder in a 35-24 season-opening victory over then-No. 3 Alabama.
Paus is expected to sit out at least two more games.
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