No shortage of story lines with a forced change at QB and the No. 1 Irish coming to town...
- "There's not a lot of words to describe it. I can't feel worse for a family and a kid," said Lane Kiffin about Matt Barkley sitting out his Senior Day. "We're going to go out and play great for him."
- "To not be able to suit up and to go with my guys, it's going to suck, but I don't think one game will define my time here at USC," said Barkley, who continues to express no regret about returning for his senior season. "It's been a tremendous journey."
Barkley did not elaborate on his timetable or chances of returning for a bowl game. He did give the media a moments pause when he discussed his rehab workout this morning, "I was throwing the ball well, spinning it...with my left arm. We'll see what it's like when I start throwing with my right."- Once Barkley realized that he was not going to be able to play, he texted Max Wittek, "'Get ready. Let's go beat the Irish,'" Wittek recalled. "Obviously, I take that to heart. My teammates have expressed a lot of belief in me."
- While he is embracing the challenge, Wittek is disappointed for Barkley, "With such a great career, with such a great quarterback, with such a great legacy here at USC, it's kind of sad to see that his last home game won't be able to be played by him," the redshirt freshman said. "Obviously, that's not the ideal situation, but it is what happened. We're going to deal with that, and we're going to try to win this ballgame."
- Wittek succeeded Barkley at Mater Dei, and now gets the first crack at doing so at USC. "He's a tough kid," said Barkley about Wittek. "It's fun for me to be able to see him progress since high school to where he is now. I think he's going to have a great performance on Saturday."
- Wittek was not shy with the media today. He is ready to run out of the tunnel right now. "I'm so excited for this opportunity to get out there and play in front of the Coliseum, all our fans, the No. 1 team in the country, you really can't ask for a better opportunity to show what you got."
- As the backup quarterback, Wittek took about 25% of the practice reps this season, so neither quarterback nor receivers expect timing to be an issue. "We're going to work on that throughout the week," said Robert Woods. "Tomorrow, we are going to get some timing down and stay after practice with him."
- Marqise Lee said that Wittek has so much velocity on his ball that it hurts to catch it. "You'll feel it on your hands when it hits you," Woods agreed.
- Kiffin said Woods and Lee "practiced as hard as they ever practiced" today, including making diving catches in routine drills, in an effort to support Wittek. "We've got to keep his confidence high [and] make some plays when the ball is not perfect," Woods said.
- Khaled Holmes anticipates no issues with the snap. While he will miss his best friend Barkley, the center has high expectations for Wittek. "He's a really confident young man," Holmes said. "He's got a great skillset. He's really calm and composed. I think he's ready for his opportunity."
- Lane Kiffin called Notre Dame "the best defense in the country." Wittek concurred, "They are a great defense. They have playmakers all over the field. But every defense does have their soft spots. Theirs are obviously limited, [but] we are looking forward to taking advantage of some of those soft spots."
- In only five words, Woods had the best quote of the day about Wittek, "His story starts this weekend."
- Here is Lane Kiffin's press conference...
Leave a comment