Holiday Bowl is chance to end on a high note for USC seniors, Coach Clay Helton says
USC quarterback Cody Kessler runs from Stanford defenders during the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 5. The Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl will be his final game as a Trojan.
USC has a grueling schedule in 2016, and it starts with an opener against Alabama at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Trojans fans on social media have been wary about a first-year starting quarterback, Max Browne or Sam Darnold, playing against the Crimson Tide.
But when asked whether Browne could see playing time when USC plays Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30, Coach Clay Helton told reporters that it would depend on “how the game is going.”
“We want to end our season on a very, very high note for a bunch of seniors that have really contributed a lot to this program, so we will treat it just like it’s a national championship game,” Helton said.
The bowl will be third-year starter Cody Kessler’s final game as a Trojan. The fifth-year senior led USC to a victory over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2013 and a win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl last year.
Kessler has thrown 28 touchdowns with six interceptions this season.
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“Cody will definitely play as much as needed,” Helton said.
Browne, a third-year sophomore, has completed eight of 12 passes for 113 yards in three games.
Darnold, a freshman, is redshirting.
Questions or comments about USC? Email me at LNThiry@gmail.com or tweet @LindseyThiry and I will respond to select messages in a weekly USC Now mailbag.
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