Written by Caroline Deisley, USC blog contributor
- After last week's disheartening performance, the Trojans are looking forward to Saturday and improving to 2-1. Lane Kiffin said, "I feel a lot of excitement amongst the players to get back out on the field. You know as much as you practice, as much as you prepare, it's still not like getting back out there for the game and getting over last week. At the same time, we still have a lot of work to do. I think the guys have worked extremely hard. We're excited to get back out there. We'll clean some things up and get ready to go for an early kickoff."
- Kessler has lived up to Kiffin's decision to name him the starter with his performance in practice this week. This is the first time since high school Kessler is in a starting role so Kiffin says he understands his quarterback is going to make mistakes early on. "Cody's had a really good week. Really prepared really well. I think he's meshing with all the skilled guys and I expect him to play really well," said Kiffin.
- Kiffin was especially impressed by Max Wittek's character after Kessler was announced the starting QB on Monday. Noticing that Wittek isn't dwelling on the decision, rather he is worrying about the things he can control and preparing for any opportunity he may get.
- Boston College has done well with a heavy rushing offense this season so the Trojan defense has focused this week on preparing for the run. Expect a significant difference from Washington State's offense, which relied on air-raids in an attempt to pick apart the Trojans' defensive backfield. Boston College's senior tailback Andre Williams has been especially impressive in the Eagles opening games and will be someone to watch for this weekend.
- In terms of a balanced game, Kiffin believes that the offense will match the aggressive level of play showcased by the Trojan defense in due time. He said, "At one time here we had a great offense and great defense at the same time. Obviously, that went a long ways to winning 34 straight...I'd love to throw the ball downfield all day long and score 50 points but I don't know if at times that that's what's best for the team."
- Here is Coach Kiffin after Thursday's practice...
