Boston College Football 2013 Previews: USC Trojans

We are now up to Week 3 of the upcoming Boston College 2013 football season. In Week 1 we took a look at Villanova football, a look at the history of the series, an indepth look at QB John Robertson and an interview with 'Nova Blog VUHoops.com. Last week we dived into the difficult challenge of covering Michael Campanaro, and how BC can get on the right foot again against their #rivals. This week, it's a West Coast team, but one BC has some recent history with, the USC Trojans.

One of the biggest let downs for some BC fans this season is that BC will not be playing their rival Notre Dame. However Eagles fans should be excited that they have scheduled a team that brings a great pedigree and history with them. USC recently returned to bowl eligibility after a two year ban following the Reggie Bush-Agent scandal. Last year had to been by most Trojan fans as a huge let down as they went 7-6 and lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.

There have been two big departures for the Trojans going into this season. First off, Matt Barkley graduated--a year too late--and wide receiver Robert Woods is off to the NFL as well. But USC still brings one of the nations biggest weapons to the field this year, wide receiver Marqise Lee. Lee arguably is the best wide receiver in the country, won the Biletnokoff Award after leading the country in receptions last year with 118. He is going to be a nightmare for most teams, and Boston College better figure out a way to contain him.

Replacing Barkley last year as the primary QB is sophomore QB Max Wittek, who started the final two games for the Trojans due to Barkley's injury. He kept USC in the game against a stout Notre Dame defense, but against Georgia Tech Wittek really struggled. Running the ball, USC will feature former Penn State running back Silas Redd, who ran for nearly 6 yards a carry last season, his first with the Trojans.

On the defensive side of the ball, one doesn't have to look further than senior defensive lineman Morgan Breslin. Breslin was 2nd in the nation in sacks, on his way to becoming a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end in the country). Boston College better have a strong front formed by Week 3, or Breslin could make life very difficult for Chase Rettig.

This is a make or break year for USC head coach Lane Kiffin. Once seen as the possible next big head coach, Kiffin watched as a team that many predicted to play for the National title ended up near .500. Much of the internet talk has been that if he doesn't produce this year, the Trojans could go in a different direction in 2014.

Things You Need To Know About USC:

Head Coach: Lane Kiffy-kins- 25-13
Leading Returning Passer: Max Wittek, Sophomore QB, 36-69 388 yards, 3 touchdowns 5 Ints.
Leading Returning Rusher: Silas Redd, Senior RB, 167 rushes, 905 yards, 9 TD's
Leading Returning Receiver: Marquise Lee, Senior WR, 118 receptions 1721 yards, 14 TD's
Recent Success: Won National Championships in 2003 & 2004
Famous Alumni: Frank Gifford, OJ Simpson, Bruce Matthews, Lynn Swann, Ronnie Lott, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu

USC Twitter Accounts To Follow:
USC Athletics: @USC_Athletics
USC Football: @USCFootball
SB Nation USC Blog: @CChroniclesSBN
Conquest Chronicles Writers: @ParagonSC

Upcoming Schedule for USC:
Thursday: Preview of USC Wide Receiver Marqise Lee
Friday: Boston College's Key To Victory
Saturday: Interview With Conquest Chronicles