Boston College - USC TV viewer guide
Game day: September 14, noon PT
Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, Calif.
Boston College - USC TV info: Pac-12 Networks
Story lines: USC was on top of the college football world last August – Associated Press preseason No. 1, Heisman Trophy front-runner, Pac-12 Championship front-runner. With the sanctions gone, the Trojans were poised to finally break the SEC’s stranglehold on the BCS National Championship. As you know by now, it didn’t work out that way – the Trojans lost their third game of the season to Stanford, Matt Barkley did not receive an invite to New York and USC lost five of its last six games to finish the season 7-6 amid a year full of controversy.
Changes had to be made, and they were. Gone is Lane Kiffin’s pops Monte Kiffin, who resigned from his defensive coordinator position at the conclusion of the 2012 season. In his place is former Arizona Cardinals and Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who brings with him a 5-2 defensive scheme better suited to contain the spread offenses that comprise much of the Pac-12 (Stanford not included, of course).
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The Trojans will also have to start over on the offensive side of the ball with Barkley (who still had a good season despite not taking home Heisman hardware) and his good friend and center Khaled Holmes now under the watchful eye of Roger Goodell. So, who is Barkley’s heir? The competition is down to Cody Kessler and Max Wittek, and Kiffin has decided that both will play in the season opener against Hawai'i.
One position at which they won’t have to start over? Wide receiver, where Marqise Lee reigns supreme. True, no more Robert Woods, but Nelson Agholor is more than capable of filling in as the No. 2 guy. More on Lee, though: Who could forget that sophomore season of his in 2012? It started like this, progressed with a record-setting day against Arizona and ended with season totals of 118 receptions (not a typo), 1,721 yards (also not a typo) and 14 touchdown grabs. He keeps that up, and USC just might have its next Heisman Trophy winner. USC fans received a scare early in fall camp when Lee went down with a shoulder injury, but he has since returned to the field and says he is 100 percent.
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Boston College is coming off a 2-10 season that resulted in a change of the guard to Steve Addazio, and while it will probably take a while for the Eagles to become a major player again in the ACC, know this: Addazio is already shaking up Boston College and he will have his guys FIRED UP to play in the Coliseum. Known for his impassioned speeches, Addazio started to make a name for himself as the interim head coach at Florida when Urban Meyer took time off to deal with health issues, leading the Gators to a Sugar Bowl victory in Tim Tebow’s last game. He has preached a balanced attack for Boston College, and a big part of that will be improving a running game that finished 115th in the nation at 90.9 yards per game. On the other hand, he really likes his quarterback Chase Rettig, and why not? He’s an experienced and durable quarterback who has started the last 32 games for the Eagles. Will his fellas be dude enough to spring an upset in Los Angeles?
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