Kessler, Wittek remain silent on starting decision
As USC prepares for its Pac-12 season opener against Washington State, the storyline continues to center on who will start at quarterback for the team’s second game of the season. With the entire program seemingly sworn to secrecy, mum was the word after Tuesday’s practice.
Questionable · After an uneven performance at Hawi’i, it is unclear whether redshirt sophomore quarterback Cody Kessler start on Saturday. – Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan
“[If a starter was made public], the starter would have been scrutinized a lot,” USC head coach Lane Kiffin said. “It’s then natural for everybody to be telling the backup how he got a bad deal.”
Though he didn’t explicitly say so, Kiffin indicated that playing time might not be split so evenly on Saturday as it was against Hawai’i.
“The starting quarterback got the majority of the reps [on Tuesday],” Kiffin said.
Throughout fall camp, Kessler and Wittek more or less split time evenly with the first team offense, so whichever ends up starting against Washington State might get most or all of the playing time.
The quarterbacks themselves have followed Kiffin’s lead of keeping the decision a secret.
“My phone has been blowing up [about who will start],” Kessler said. “But that’s Coach Kiffin’s decision, and we’re gonna keep working no matter what. I’m just getting ready to play on Saturday.”
DAZZLING DEBUTS
With USC’s depth at running back, carries can be tough to come by in practice, let alone in games. But don’t tell that to freshman tailback Justin Davis, who amassed 74 yards on 14 carries and scored the team’s only rushing touchdown in the win over Hawai’i.
“That was one of the really positive stories out of that game,” Kiffin said. “Obviously you want to focus on the quarterbacks, but there were a lot of really good things, led by Justin Davis. If he doesn’t fumble that ball, he’s gonna have 100 yards rushing in his first game. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
As for Thursday’s starting running back, redshirt sophomore Tre Madden, the reviews were just as glowing. Madden, who missed all of last season because of a torn ACL, spent his true freshman season at linebacker before moving to tailback last year.
A quarterback and linebacker in high school, Madden has displayed his versatility since returning to full strength.
“He really can do anything,” Kiffin said. “You saw him start as a true freshman at linebacker. He’s a unique athlete. He throws the ball well, he runs well, has great ball skills and field awareness.”
Madden’s experience at quarterback could make him an intriguing option as a quarterback in the Wildcat formation. In his collegiate debut as a running back, Madden had 109 yards on 18 carries.
On the other side of the ball, freshman safety Su’a Cravens was the one turning heads. In just the fourth play of his career, he dove in front of a Hawai’i receiver to make an outstanding interception along the sideline, flashing his immense talent and lightning-quick instincts.
Both Cravens and Davis graduated high school a semester early in order to participate in spring practice, and their preparation appears to have paid its dividends.
GROWING PAINS
Though he earned the nod as starter, Kessler’s performance against Hawai’i left room for improvement. He showed flashes of excellence, but made some rookie mistakes, such as taking a sack for a safety and throwing an interception in the opponent’s territory.
“I learned that there’s going to be ups and downs,” Kessler said. “Those first two drives, we went right down the field. Then in those middle three drives, I made some mental mistakes that I shouldn’t have.”
Given that he was in the midst of his first collegiate start, it would be understandable for Kessler to lose confidence. But a 19-yard touchdown strike to sophomore receiver Nelson Agholor seemed to give him the boost that he needed to move past his mistakes.
“Finishing off that drive in the second quarter was great,” Kessler said. “I thought we did really well. I learned not to let your emotions get too high or too low, and just stay level-headed.”
HOMECOMING
After beginning the year in front of an opposing crowd, the Trojans return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time this year, giving the players an extra bounce in their step during practice.
“Any time you come home to a great place like the Coliseum, guys are going to be excited to get back in there,” Kiffin said. “A lot of new guys will be playing their first game in there, so we’ll continue to manage their emotions to make sure we’re playing really effective and not get out of whack just because we’re playing at home.”