USC is on the rebound from a poor 2012 season after being projected to be serious national championship contenders, and Matt Barkley was supposed to be the man to lead them to the promised land. Unfortunately, Barkley was injured and unable to finish the season. Now, he is playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and the quarterback role is up for grabs between sophomores Cody Kessler and Max Wittek, and freshman Max Browne.
Through the spring, all three have had plenty of opportunities to show why they should be the starter. However, one seems to have stood out above the rest: Cody Kessler. Here are five reasons why Kessler should be the starter for the Trojans opening game.
1. Kessler impressed in the USC Spring Game
Kessler came out and played extremely well in the Spring Game earlier this year. He finished the game 15-22 with 242 yards and three touchdowns. He showed patience and poise in the pocket, an ability to move around outside the pocket and the ability to drive the ball downfield, hitting Marqise Lee for a 70-yard touchdown on his first throw of the game.
2. Max Wittek did not impress last season
When #Matt Barkley# went down with his shoulder injury last season, Max Wittek had an opportunity to show his potential and lock up the starting job for this season. However, in his two starts, he did not perform well. His first career start was against top-ranked Notre Dame. While Wittek’s completion numbers look pretty good (14-23), he struggled. Multiple times, it seemed all he tried to do was force passes to Marqise Lee downfield, instead of controlling the game and taking what the defense gave him.
After a 22-13 loss to Notre Dame, Wittek started the Hyundai Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech. To make a long story short, he played horribly. His final numbers: 14-37, 107 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Wittek did not give any reason why he should be the starting quarterback in 2013.
3. Lane Kiffin is on the hot seat
While USC athletic director is on the record saying that he is “100% behind Lane Kiffin,” one has to imagine that another poor season would not sit well with the athletic department, especially with how talented of a roster the Trojans have. With that kind of possibility, it’s hard to imagine that Kiffin would risk his job on a freshman quarterback. That leads to the next point...
4. Max Browne is a Freshman
This isn’t taking anything away from Max Browne. He is incredibly talented and has a higher potential than Kessler and Wittek. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s hard to imagine Kiffin possibly resting his job on the shoulders of a true freshman.
5. Kessler’s knowledge of the playbook
One could make a similar argument against Kessler that is used against Browne. Kessler is a redshirt sophomore, but basically has the same live-game experience as Browne. Why would Kiffin potentially put his job on Kessler’s shoulders? One advantage that Kessler has is two years of learning the playbook. He will have a greater understanding of the playbook since he has been on campus for two seasons with Kiffin.
In the end, whoever is the USC quarterback will have plenty of help. Marqise Lee is the returning Biletnikoff winner and arguably the best receiver in college football. Nelson Agholor and Victor Blackwell have shown potential to be reliable weapons. Silas Redd returns in the backfield, and the offensive line will be better this year than last. In the end, the early signs point to Kessler landing the starting job, but there is still plenty of time until the start of the season for either Browne or Wittek to win the role.