LAS VEGAS - Cody Kessler realizes Southern California could have quit on this season after the Trojans’ first head coach was fired.
Or after their second head coach resigned.
Or before their fourth head coach in less than three months took over.
The quarterback and his Trojans simply stuck together, no matter who happened to be in charge. That tenacity got them a blowout victory over a BCS contender in the Las Vegas Bowl - and the confidence that USC is back on the rise after a roller coaster of a season.
Kessler passed for a career-high 344 yards and a bowl-record four touchdowns in the Trojans’ 45-20 victory over No. 20 Fresno State on Saturday under interim coach Clay Helton.
“This is a team that hopefully will be remembered forever in USC history,” said Kessler, the game’s MVP. “These guys, it doesn’t take a lot to get us motivated. When you’re playing just for someone else next to you, you don’t want to let him down.”
Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor had two touchdown catches apiece, Javorius Allen rushed for two more scores and the Trojans (10-4) answered every question about their motivation by repeatedly dancing on the sideline during the storied program’s first postseason victory since 2009.
“I can’t say how proud I am of this team,” Helton said. “We had to see: Were we going to use it as an excuse to be on our third-string head coach, or were we just going to say, ‘We’re not going to fail today.’”
From Kessler’s smooth offense to a dynamic defensive effort against Fresno State’s FBS-best passing game, USC was uniformly outstanding in its only game under Helton.
The offensive coordinator filled the one-game gap between coaches Ed Orgeronand Steve Sarkisian on the Trojans’ coaching carousel, but USC picked up right where Orgeron left off after its desultory start to the season under Lane Kiffin. The Trojans ended up celebrating under confetti in the north end zone, joining friends and family on a chilly desert evening.
“After all of the adversity that’s hit us, this win means everything for us,” safety Dion Bailey said. “We’ve had four head coaches and were able to get 10 wins. I’ll never forget this team.”
Derek Carr passed for just 217 yards and two touchdowns in his final game at Fresno State (11-2), which fell behind 35-6 at halftime and failed to secure the school’s first 12-victory season in school history.
“They had a heck of a run until this point,” Fresno State Coach Tim DeRuyter said of his Bulldogs. “Physically, they were the most impressive team we’ve played the last two years. They play inspired.”
Kessler outdid Carr, his fellow Bakersfield native and friend, setting the Las Vegas Bowl record for touchdown passes before halftime and finishing 22 for 30. USC scored three touchdowns in a nine-minute burst in the second quarter, and Allen clinched it with his second touchdown run with 4:44 to play.
“Blame me. Blame me always,” Carr said. “I’ve got to do a better job of leading, and I’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys in better spots. That’s my fault.”
Carr went 30 for 54 under steady pressure from the blitzing Trojans, who eliminated Fresno State’s running game and twice stopped the Bulldogs on fourth downs in the first half.
Fresno State’s two touchdown catches by Isaiah Burseand Davante Adams both came on short drives resulting from USC mistakes on special teams, and Derron Smith returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown.
The Mountain West champions still haven’t won a bowl game since 2007, losing six of their past seven.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL SAN DIEGO ST. 49, BUFFALO 24
BOISE, Idaho - Adam Muema rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns and Quinn Kaehler threw two scoring passes in San Diego State’s victory over Buffalo on Saturday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Aztecs took control at the midway point, putting up 21 consecutive points during a 5-minute span in the second and third quarters. The scoring frenzy was fueled by two Buffalo turnovers, the first when safety Marcus Anderson picked off an errant pass by Joe Licata to set up Kaehler’s first touchdown toss to put the Aztecs up 28-10 at the half.
Buffalo coughed up the ball on the opening kick in the third quarter, setting up the Aztecs at the Bulls 26. Five plays later, Kaehler fired an 11-yard pass to tight end Adam Roberts at the back of the end zone to stretch the lead to 35-10.
The Aztecs (8-5, 6-2 Mountain West) won eight of their last 10 games. Thevictory is the first in the postseason since 2010 when they beat Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl and the first postseason victory outside San Diego city limits since 1969.
Kaehler, who took over the starting job in the third game, was 15 of 28 passing for 211 yards. His 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his first rushing score of the season.
After getting off to a slow start, Muema picked things up in the second quarter, breaking off several long runs to keep Aztec drives alive. He finished with 230 yards on 28 carries, his fourth career game with more than 200 yards rushing. The Aztecs rolled up 460 total yards on offense.
For Buffalo (8-5, 6-2 Mid-American Conference), playing in its second bowl game in the team’s 100-year history, not much went right.
The offense was stagnant early and didn’t get its first, first-down until the 10:42 mark in the second quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Joe Licata, pressured throughout the game, struggled to find open receivers in the first half before the game was out of reach. He finished 13 of 30 for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The defense, led by MAC Defensive Player of the Year Kahlil Mack, failed to force the turnovers that were a hallmark much of the season. The Bulls came into the game with a plus-1.3 turnover margin, fourth best in the nation. Mack recovered a fumble near midfield in the first quarter, but the offense couldn’t capitalize.
Sports, Pages 30 on 12/22/2013