Boston College at USC: 5 Big Questions with Reign of Troy

3. We saw Matt Barkley in the Emerald Bowl years ago, but he’s gone. Now you have Cody Kessler. Do you think Kiffin made the right choice at quarterback, and what does he bring to the table?

MC: Kessler and Max Wittek had an interesting battle, since they’re so different. Kessler is a slightly mobile, game-manager, west coast offensive kind of quarterback that’s in the form of an A.J. McCarron. He’s got the potential to be a reliable yet vanilla quarterback that gets the job done, even if he’s not an NFL prodigy. Wittek very much so is that NFL guy, with a rocket arm, though he’s a true gunslinger with raw accuracy. That sort of makes him a Carson Palmer, where he can look really good with protection and talent around him, but he’s going to make his fair share of mistakes. The problem has been that Kiffin’s play calling hasn’t put Kessler or Wittek in roles that suit their strength. Both quarterbacks have talent and skill sets to compete, but without a gameplan specifically for them, in addition to confidence from Kiffin, they’ve struggled. So if Kiffin can get Kessler out in rollouts, call bootlegs, having him throw on the run and allow him to utilize the tight ends and maintain a dynamic, yet passive-aggressive game, he can succeed. If Kiffin doesn’t give him a proper gameplan, they it doesn’t matter what Kessler brings.