The Trojans' dark horse: Cody Kessler

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NOT THAT ANYONE noticed, but quarterback Cody Kessler made history a year ago. He set USC single-season records for completions (315), completion rate (69.7) and interception rate (1.11) and tied the marks for touchdown passes (39) and 300-yard passing games (seven) in a season. Stellar stats, made even more impressive considering the 9-4 Trojans suited up as few as 48 scholarship players because of NCAA sanctions and played in the Pac-12 South, which put five of its six teams in the final AP poll, more than any other division.

So how is it that a quarterback with roughly half a team can surpass the school records of two Heisman winners (Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart) and a top-five pick (Mark Sanchez) and not receive more recognition than an All-Pac-12 honorable mention (one of six handed out to QBs by the conference)? For the love of Traveler! Kessler wasn't even one of 16 semifinalists for the 2014 Davey O'Brien Award.

"Cody had a tremendous year, arguably one of the best in USC history," second-year coach Steve Sarkisian says. "But there were a couple of times when he wasn't at his best at the most critical moment. We lost twice [Arizona State and at Utah] on the last play, and if we win those, we are playing for a Pac-12 championship."

With late leads against the Sun Devils and the Utes, Kessler and the Trojans were unable to sustain clock-killing drives. In USC's four losses, Kessler threw just seven touchdowns and two picks, compared with 32 TDs and only 3 INTs in the nine wins. "That's something we practiced this spring," Sarkisian says, "those critical moments, putting him and our team in those scenarios."

Even with a lack of depth, Kessler still led an up-tempo attack, ticking off 76 plays per game (No. 32 in the FBS) and posting a stellar 26-1 TD-to-INT ratio in the red zone (No. 2 in the FBS). So if he can simply sharpen his game management, he might finally get the national respect he already has out West. "I've heard a lot of coordinators in other conferences bag on him," says one Pac-12 D-coordinator. "They don't understand his talents, because the guy is really good."

Kessler won't lack critics-or critical moments-in his senior season; expectations are high despite a schedule that ranks fourth toughest in the nation, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. Not only will the Trojans face a South slate that includes three teams in the preseason coaches' poll (UCLA, ASU, Arizona), but Kessler will draw Stanford and Oregon out of the North for the first time as a starter. Oh, and there is that Oct. 17 trip to Notre Dame.

Kessler's 2015 gauntlet is similar to the one USC faced in 2012, the last time the Trojans were favored to win the Pac-12. Instead, they went 7-6, and Heisman front-runner Matt Barkley threw a career-high 15 picks. But with Kessler's entire O-line returning, highlight-reel receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Adoree' Jackson (eight TD catches, 13.5 yards per catch combined) running deep and the Trojans finally close to full strength with 74 scholarship players, anything less than a Pac-12 title will be viewed as a letdown for a program that hasn't won it in six seasons.

"People can say whatever they want," Kessler says of the hype. "Negative, positive, whatever. I couldn't care less what the media says. This is my team. Whatever my team thinks ... that's all I care about."

Straight from the dark horse's mouth.