Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The USC Spring Football game was full of ups and downs, as both sides struggled to fully solidify themselves amongst the heavy dose of competition. The game began with the ceremonial coin toss as captains from both team Cardinal and team White took center stage to kick off the festivities.

Team White, the defensive unit for the Trojans, was led by one of the rising stars on the defense in mike linebacker Hayes Pullard. The junior from Crenshaw anointed himself as the leader of the new 5-2 defense, after an impressive spring camp.

While the Clancy Pendergast scheme may be a change of pace for many of the returning starters, Pullard has made one of the  smoothest transitions from weak to middle linebacker in this stretched-out scheme.

Pullard is coming off a break-out year in his sophomore campaign, registering 107 tackles, eight for loss, and a pick-six as one of the bright spots on last year’s defense. Pullard finished the year with an All Pac-12 Honorable Mention.

Things for team Cardinal were not as easy, as the offense scuffled along looking to find their leader in front of 15,284 Trojan Faithful.

Lane Kiffin, scrambling to find a player to represent the team in the midst of pregame preparation, called upon Cody Kessler to run out and participate in the coin toss. When asked after the game Kessler shook off the importance of the event.

“I had no idea, I was standing next to him and Kiffin just said go out there and be a captain.”

This raises the question of who will be the emotional leader of the offense, to fill the shoes of four-year varsity starter Matt Barkley?

Max Wittek got the start at quarterback for the Trojans, completing 12-17 passes for 145 yards. Kessler looked impressive down the field, finishing the game with 242 yards passing with three touchdowns. While, Freshmen Max Browne took what the defense gave him finishing the day 7-11 for 80 yards and one touchdown.

The Trojans have talent on the offensive end with receivers  Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor , in addition to the duo of Silas Redd and D.J. Morgan leading the way in the backfield. While these weapons give the Trojans depth at the skill positions, its obvious that Lane Kiffin’s offense revolves around a quarterback with good pocket presence, and firing it deep when necessary, while also taking what the defense offers in zone packages.

Mar 5, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterbacks Max Wittek (13) and Cody Kessler (6) at spring practice at Howard Jones Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“Really excited about the play of all three guys,” Kiffin said after Saturday’s game. “They all commanded the huddle really well and took control of the situation.”

Each of the quarterbacks showcased a strength during their playing time in the spring game, efforts mirroring their diligent work during spring practice leaving the starting spot a three-horse race.

And each quarterback showcased leadership qualities throughout the spring. Wittek showcased his timing and accuracy to numerous parts of the field, while Kessler did a great job of chucking it deep, hitting Marqise Lee for the teams first touchdown. Max Browne was patient –sometimes to a fault– playing within the system, firing the best completion percentage in the contest and taking the least amount of chances down the field.

“I will go back and watch the film, but I don’t think anyone separated themselves,” Kiffin responded about whether any quarterback emerged.

“Some programs are struggling to find one quarterback, we are lucky to have three.”

While all three quarterbacks took major steps forward, each of the Trojans’ possible gunslingers have areas to improve upon over the summer.

Cody Kessler seized the increased playing time throughout Spring Ball rising on the scene as a legitimate threat to take the starting job. Kessler’s greatest strength may be his presence in the pocket, alluding the pressure and utilizing his chemistry with Nelson Agholor to keep the chains moving.

Max Wittek compiled a “resume full of good plays” that he believes will grant him the nod come fall ball. Wittek may have the best understanding of the offense, notching two starts last season and a large portion of the reps in the early portion of Spring Ball.

Max Browne has the biggest ceiling, coming from the five-star accolades to the young man among the boys in the tight quarterback race. “Putting myself in Max and Cody’s shoes, if I am the quarterback, what am I going to do on that play?” Browne said on his preparation.

All three quarterbacks should remain tied in the depth chart come Monday, as Summer Workouts will be crucial for a quarterback to gain momentum for fall practice looming on August 1st.

“My mindset is to keep studying myself and study what others are doing well, and what I am doing well,” Wittek said.

Expect these three quarterbacks to continue pushing themselves to the next level, on and off the field.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

The Trojans completed their 2013 spring camp on Saturday afternoon, in what wound up being a tackle-less spring game in front of over 15,284. But while injury concerns eliminated tackling, and subsequently the running game, the passing game was on display in the Coliseum, bring a fitting end to the first phase of the Trojans’ three-way quarterback competition between Cody Kessler, Max Wittek and Max Browne.

Despite Wittek getting the start for the offense, it was Kessler that was named the captain of the ‘Cardinal’ team, and he sure played like one.

“I think I put everything I had into it,” Kessler told the media. And it showed. The redshirt sophomore finished the day with 242 passing yards and three touchdowns, while completing 68 percent of his passes.

Throughout the day, Kessler did the little things right. He found his receivers in stride, he maximized the size of his pocket and played within himself and his talent set.

Kessler’s first pass went for a 70-yard score to Marqise Lee, as Kessler used sound pass protection to find Lee, who didn’t have a defender within twenty yards of him.

Meanwhile, Wittek played true to his scouting report, delivering both a few sensational plays and a couple of poorly timed mishaps. Wittek got off to a sound start on his first drive, hitting Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor for first down pick ups and was accurate as a passer.

Something changed in the second quarter however, as he started to struggle. In a four-play stretch, Wittek had an would-be interception dropped by Will Andrew, was sacked by Kenny Bigelow, then threw two straight interceptions into the hands of second-string safety Demetrius Wright.

Even still, being the ‘gunslinger’ that Wittek is, he kept throwing in third quarter and it paid off. Wittek turned in the play of the day, a 40-yard touchdown pass to Lee. He stepped up in the pocket to elude pressure and fired a strike as Lee elevated to make the catch and stay in bounds in the endzone, while shaking off the hands of cornerback Anthony Brown.

All things considered, it was exactly the day that you would expect from Kessler and Wittek. While Wittek has a higher ceiling with an NFL-inclined skill set, Kessler could wind up being the safer college quarterback based on his ability to limit mistakes and stay within himself, which Wittek can struggle with at times.

As for Max Browne, the freshman turned in a solid performance in his first spring game, completing seven of 11 passes for 80 yards, with both a touchdown and an interception. Despite seemingly being third in the race to replace Matt Barkley, Browne got plenty of playing time from Lane Kiffin and Clay Helton, though much of it included hand-offs to Tre Madden.

It was a nice end of the spring for Browne, who has had to face a stiff learning curve in his first camp with the Trojans. He used extra playing time from an injury to Max Wittek to further himself, and it’s paid off in him closing the gap between Kessler, Wittek and himself.

After game, Kiffin told the media that neither of the three quarterbacks had separated themselves from the others, saying that both Kessler and Wittek played “pretty good”, though he “would not imagine” having to make a decision based off today’s performance.

That of course raises one question: did the quarterbacks perform very well due to their execution or were did strong benefit from a shorthanded defense that couldn’t hit or tackle?

That’s hard to tell, and a big part of why the Trojans’ rushing output during the game could be thrown out of the window, considering that plays were blown dead at the onset of contact.

Up next for the Trojans is the conclusion the spring semester. The student athletes will emphasize the first part of their title until mid-May, when fall entrants like Michael Hutchings and Ty Isaac head to Los Angeles to gear up for summer workouts.

Fall camp is expected to start on August 5th for the Trojans, preceded a week and half before by the annual Pac-12 Media Day on July 26th.

We now return to the offseason.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve been fielding your questions for our Mailbag Monday feature, so let’s celebrate the start of the work week by getting right into your questions on the USC Trojans.

Tim from Facebook: Can Max Browne see the field this year, even in a backup role?

Michael Castillo, Reign of Troy: While yes, he sure ‘can’ see the field, my gut feeling surprisingly says no. Yes, Browne is/was the sexy pick to win the quarterback job as a true freshman a la Matt Barkley in 2009, but the reality is that barring a further setback from Max Wittek, he hasn’t been given the time that Kessler and Wittek has so far and doesn’t necessarily seem to be on track to get more. Lane Kiffin and Clay Helton run a deep playbook based on reading coverages and recognizing check-downs, something that numerous pundits have alluded to as a difficulty for a true freshman to adapt to in just one spring camp under Kiffin. Plus, throughout the first week, Cody Kessler was stellar for the Trojans. He earned MVP praise from Kiffin on Tuesday before a late interception to Jabari Ruffin, and has subsequently earned top billing on the Trojans’ internal depth chart both on Thursday and Saturday, a streak that is expected to hold through Tuesday’s practice. If Kessler continues to play well, Browne’s likelihood of redshirting drastically increases by the day. Even if the loser of Kessler vs. Wittek were to transfer after the competition is decided –if it’s somehow determined at the end of spring– Browne then would play the role of Kessler and Wittek in 2011, not 2012, keeping him off the field. That year, Kiffin redshirted both quarterbacks despite having them as the No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks on the depth chart, and used walk-on John Manoogian as the in-game backup for mop-up duty in the fourth quarter. It’s really early to see that scenario come into play, but either way, Browne looks to be on the outside looking in. But again, it’s early and Wittek’s injury puts things in perspective just a tad.

Andrew from Twitter: Who is the fastest looking receiver?

Michael: Nelson Agholor. While George Farmer is the guy that everyone remembers from out-sprinting De’Anthony Thomas in high school, until he can put up consistent health and speed in-game, it’s hard to say he’s the fastest guy, as convoluted as that is. The bottom line is that Agholor just plays faster than Farmer so far this spring, in every aspect, from footwork to route running. That’s not to say that Farmer is slow or under-performing, but more so of a testament to how motivated Agholor is at taking over for Robert Woods as the team’s split end.

Josh from Facebook: When will Kiffin learn how to run an offense and use his skill set players and tight ends more?

Michael: Since Clay Helton is now the title holder of ‘offensive coordinator’ and he has had considerable more time with the offensive players and than Kiffin thus far in practice, it would seem as though a change in offensive hierarchy is in order. Yes, again, it’s still early and the Trojans have only had three spring practices, but if Helton’s role is any indication, Kiffin just might now be the one to call those shots on an immediate level. Of course, we won’t know that officially for a while. Though, to play devil’s advocate and get back on the subject, Kiffin used the tight ends a ton in 2012 in the passing and running game, just not as targets. Randall Telfer’s primary role in 2012 was to be a blocker for Marqise Lee off the edge and split wide, a role that he could manage with his reoccurring ankle injury. That said, both Telfer and Xavier Grimble have the talent to be top-flight tight ends in the game, and it would certainly behoove the Trojans to use them more as passing targets and not just decoys, now that Robert Woods has moved on to the NFL.

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