USC captains QB Cody Kessler and LB Su'a Cravens continue to receive national player of the year attention for their respective positions. Kessler was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award on Monday which goes to the nation's best collegiate player and the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's best quarterback, while Cravens was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, given annually to the nation's best defensive player, and the Butkus Award which goes to the nation's best linebacker.
The two captains are one step closer to becoming finalists for these national awards after putting up impressive numbers the last few games with back-to-back victories over Utah and Cal. Kessler has completed 70.4 percent of his passes on the season for 2268 yards and 18 touchdowns with only five interceptions. On the other side of the ball, Cravens has two interceptions and a team second-best 50 total tackles with 7.5 for a loss. He also has three sacks on his resume, demonstrating how active the linebacker is at pressuring whoever has the ball.
Three-way phenom Adoree' Jackson also is one step closer to being the front-runner for the Hornung Award that goes to the nation's most versatile player. Jackson was named to this week's Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll after touching the ball four different ways against Cal. The sophomore played as a wide receiver, intercepted the ball as a corner for a pick-six and returned kickoffs and punts for the Trojans.
