Kessler, Williams “ready to go” for Saturday


Following USC’s 52-13 win over Fresno State in their season opener, the No. 14 Trojans are preparing to take on No. 13 Stanford in Palo Alto, California this Saturday.

Sigh of relief · All-American defensive end Leonard Williams rolled his ankle during Tuesday’s practice, but will play against Stanford this weekend. Williams had seven total tackles and an interception against Fresno State. - Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Sigh of relief · All-American defensive end Leonard Williams rolled his ankle during Tuesday’s practice, but will play against Stanford this weekend. Williams had seven total tackles and an interception against Fresno State. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

Ready, Set, Go!

All eyes were on USC’s two injured captains at Wednesday’s practice.

Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler fully participated in practice after sitting out the day before with a toe injury, but junior defensive end Leonard Williams was unable to practice and wore a tie-up ankle brace after rolling his ankle on Tuesday.

When asked about his two leaders, head coach Steve Sarkisian said that both players are “ready to go” and assured all that they would both be able to play on Saturday.

Fighting Speed with Speed

A lot of the attention this weekend will be on the explosive offense of Stanford, who beat UC Davis 45-0 last weekend, and how USC will react after running a Pac-12 record 105 plays during its rout of Fresno State.

When asked about fighting fire with fire, freshman wide receiver-cornerback Adoree’ Jackson emphasized the mindset it takes.

“It’s about doing the little things: playing smart, staying focused and not getting any dumb penalties,” Jackson said.

As one of the fastest players on the team, Jackson is again expected to see playing time on both sides of the ball.

“The speed that [Jackson] has matches up well defensively for us because he can really run,” Sarkisian said. “Offensively he’ll have a package for us as well.”

Amid all of the focus on the speed of the two teams, Sarkisian stressed the fundamentals of defense and converting third downs.

“You want to commit to defending the run, but then you know they can beat you with the deep ball to create explosive plays, which they were able to do last week,” Sarkisian said. “Efficiency on third downs is going to be something to watch closely because both of us want to extend drives and the best way to do that is converting on third down.”

Just Another Game

After a successful home opener to start off the year, the Trojans face a much different atmosphere as they head up the road for the first big test as a team aspiring to win the Pac-12 South.

Sophomore safety Su’a Cravens did not seem too concerned with all the chatter around the elite matchup.

“We can’t make the game bigger than what it is,” Cravens said. “It’s only week two. We’re going to approach it like we approach every game.”

Cravens knows all about making an impact against Stanford, as he had a key interception late in last year’s 20-17 win against the Cardinal.

Sarkisian hopes to see Cravens utilize his unique skillset again this year.

“Su’a’s versatility is a real key for us in this game because he can play down in the box and be physical, and then he can be a deep safety in some of our nickel sets and everything in between,” Sarkisian said.

Beat the Farm

When the word rivalry is heard, most at USC will immediately think of a school in Westwood, California or one in South Bend, Indiana. But the rivalry with Stanford has become one of the most exciting matchups for the Trojans year in and year out.

Coming off a year where unranked USC knocked off 5th-ranked Stanford, the two teams enter Saturday side-by-side in the latest AP poll — Stanford sits at No. 13 while USC is No. 14.

Senior linebacker Hayes Pullard compared Saturday’s game to a test, saying the preparation done on the practice field has prepared the team for this Saturday’s matchup and that the team is itching to play.