USC Names Kessler as Starting Quarterback, Colorado WR Richardson Continues Great Run

USC (1-1) is off to a slow start and not helping matters could be its starting quarterback dilemma. After splitting the role between his sophomore quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Max Wittek, Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin has named Kessler as Week’s 3 starter versus Boston College (2-0).

Will this really put the battle to rest? Or is Kessler just the lesser of two evils?

Cody Kessler

In the Week 1 win against Hawaii (0-2), Kessler started and went 10 for 19, 95 yards and a touchdown while Wittek didn’t fare much better going 5 for 10 and 77 yards. The following week was even worse in the 10-7 loss against Washington State (1-1). Kessler went 8 for 13, 41 yards and an interception with Wittek going 3 for 8, 13 yards and a pick.

As the Trojans enter Week 3, they are tied at No. 112 nationally for passing offense (113 yards per game).

Kessler has been the better passer, tossing 136 yards (56.3 percent pass completion) to Wittek’s 90 yards (44.4 percent pass completion). And he gets bragging rights to USC’s sole passing touchdown of the season, a 19-yarder in the Hawaii game to wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

Kiffin said he informed the two quarterbacks of his decision on Sunday and added on Monday via ESPN.com, “I spent a lot more time when these things happen with the guy that doesn’t get it. Obviously the one guy’s going to be excited. I spent some time last night with Max, making sure that he’s ready to go and that he’s in a good place. We don’t expect him to agree with us. He’s very competitive like all the guys we recruit. They all should think they should be the starter.”

Looking ahead at the Trojans’ Saturday afternoon game against Boston College, they lead this match up with a 3-0 record. In their last meeting in 2009 at the Emerald Bowl, the Trojans defeated BC 24-13. For this upcoming game, the Trojans will get another win (-14, 42.5 o/u).

Pac-12 Players of the Week, Colorado WR Paul Richardson

For this week’s Pac-12 Players of the Week, the nod goes out to Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas, Washington State cornerback Damante Horton and Arizona kicker Jake Smith.

But as noted by ESPN, Colorado’s wide receiver Paul Richardson is really a bright spot in the league as he sits as the nation’s top receiver after two weeks.

Paul Richardson

In last week’s 38-24 victory over Central Arkansas (1-1), Richardson had 11 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns. This included a 55-yard touchdown catch and his number of receptions tied a Colorado record for the most catches for a game. The 209 yards represented the fifth 200-yard receiving game at the school.

There’s more. Richardson is Colorado’s first player to have two straight 200-yard receiving games. This comes as the player had 10 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1’s 41-27 win over Colorado State (0-2).

Richard is playing under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre. He was recently asked to find a comparable player; he struggled, saying via ESPN, “Probably not as explosive as ‘P-Rich. There is one guy at San Jose State named Noel Grigsby that broke every one of their records by his junior year. He’s not as explosive but he made a ton of plays. But, ‘P-Rich’ is the most explosive I’ve seen, for sure … When we see certain matchups, we’re gonna go attack it, and he’ll go get it.”

For Week 3, Colorado will attempt to extend its perfect record. Should they go 3-0 against Fresno State (2-0), it will be a first since 2008.

Colorado leads 4-2 in this series but in last year’s meeting, Fresno State crushed them 69-14 and outgained them 665 yards to 278. They grabbed 288 rushing yards and led 55-7 at halftime.

This should be a different Colorado team but Fresno State is tough too and will get the win (-9.5, 66.5 o/u).