USC football: Marqise Lee surprised by Lane Kiffin's firing

USC football: Marqise Lee surprised by Lane Kiffin’s firing

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USC Coach Lane Kiffin had little to offer the Trojans during a 62-41 loss to Arizona State on Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. USC fired Kiffin early Sunday morning after the team had returned to Los Angeles. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

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Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin talks with quarterbback Cody Kessler, left, and tight end Randall Telfer in the second quarter against Utah State. USC defeated the Aggies, 17-14. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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USC receiver Marqise Lee, left, scores on an 80-yard pass play against Boston College as Coach Lane Kiffin celebrates in the first half of a game at the Coliseum. USC defeated the Eagles, 35-7. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

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USC Coach Lane Kiffin watches his Trojans squad warm up before their first Pac-12 Conference game this season against Washington State at the Coliseum. USC lost to the Cougars, 10-7. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin watches his team prepare to play Hawaii in this season’s opener at Aloha Stadium. USC defeated the Rainbow Warriors, 30-13. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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USC Coach Lane Kiffin directs his players during summer camp, when the Trojans were ranked No. 25 in the nation in a preseason poll. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

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Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin talks to the media during the Pac-12 Conference media day. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

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UCLA Coach Jim Mora and USC Coach Lane Kiffin embrace after the Bruins defeated the Trojans, 38-28, in their annual rivalry game last season. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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USC quarterback Matt Barkley and Coach Lane Kiffin chat before the start of a news conference in which Barkley, a junior, announced his intention to stay at USC for one more year. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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USC Coach Lane Kiffin brought in his father, famed NFL defensive coach Monte Kiffin, to run the Trojans’ defense. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Lane Kiffin replaced Pete Carroll as USC football coach at the beginning of 2010, after Carroll left to become head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Pressley Kiffin, 3, fidgets at the side of her father, Lane, who talks with the media as he is introduced as the new coach of USC football at Heritage Hall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Lane Kifffin is greeted by fans as he arrives at Heritage Hall for his introductory news conference in 2010. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Lane Kiffin calls in a play during his one season as coach at Tennessee during an SEC game against rival Vanderbilt in Knoxville. Tennessee won game, 31-16. (Wade Payne / Associated Press)

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Lane Kiffin speaks to the media regarding rumors about his future with the Oakland Raiders. Questions about Kiffin’s status lingered over the organization, when the coach and owner Al Davis were at odds over the team’s defensive coordinator in a dispute that led to Davis sending Kiffin a letter of resignation to sign. (Lacy Atkins / Associated Press)

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Lane Kiffin and current Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian, left, were top assistants for USC under former coach Pete Carroll before moving on to Oakland and Seattle, respectively. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

By Gary Klein

Sept. 29, 2013 11:30 AM PT

USC receiver Marqise Lee said Sunday that he was surprised by Pat Haden’s decision to fire Lane Kiffin as coach.

The All-American left Saturday night’s 62-41 loss to Arizona State because of a knee injury. He was on crutches Sunday morning on campus.

“Rough,” Lee said of Kiffin’s firing. “I didn’t think, if it was going to happen, that it would happen early.

“My whole thinking was finishing out the season at least. I don’t know. Now we just see where we go from here. I don’t know what to expect.... Everybody’s just like, ‘We don’t know as far as coaching-wise how that works.’”

Lee said the players were scheduled to meet, possibly with Haden, on Sunday.

Lee’s left knee was wrapped in a brace and he said he had undergone tests.

“I feel like I’m all right,” Lee said. “It’s just sore.”

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