Cody Kessler finally got the UCLA monkey off his back. After three consecutive defeats as starting quarterback for the University of Southern California, Kessler finally thwarted the cross-town rivals 40-21 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The victory secured the Pac-12 South title for the Trojans, and a birth in the conference championship game on Saturday Dec. 5 against the Stanford Cardinal.
The game also marked Kessler's final home game as quarterback of USC, a career punctuated by sanctions, coaching changes, and under-achievement. For the Bakersfield-born QB, the victory was extra sweet as he finally vanquished the Bruins. The only team in the Pac-12 Kessler had not beaten.
Less than 24 hours after the emotional victory, Kessler took to social media to send a heartfelt message to the fans and "Fight On" faithful:
The touching Instagram caption reads: "Last time running up the tunnel from the Coliseum floor. Thanks for all the memories, it's been real. Fight On!"
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The Trojans record-holder for most touchdowns in a single season (39) is a fifth-year senior who attends Graduate School in his spare time at USC. He is more than likely headed to the NFL, but first, he has some unfinished business as Kessler looks to continue his "never been done" accomplishments by leading the Trojans to the Rose Bowl, a feat that would be his first as quarterback of Southern Cal.
The Trojans highly anticipated rematch with the Stanford Cardinal for the Pac-12 Crown and a birth to the "Granddaddy of Them All" kicks off on Saturday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The game will air live on ESPN at 4:45 PM PST.
