Today at 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 20 Fresno State (11-1, 7-1 MW) and No.25 USC (9-4, 6-3 Pac-12) go head-to-head in the Las Vegas Bowl live from Los Angeles Coliseum in California. The game can be live streamed here. Fresno State fans can hear all of the action on 940 ESPN Radio while USC fans can do the same on XTRA-AM Sports 690.
Steve Sarkisian will have to wait to take over for USC as offensive coordinator Clay Helton guides the Trojans in their attempt to win the Las Vegas Bowl over Fresno State. Ed Orgeron took over for USC after the firing of Lane Kiffin, but he resigned after the team opted to go with Sarkisian for next season.
"After the Coach O meeting, guys were freaking out," said quarterback Cody Kessler, via ESPN. "It was unreal. I was really proud of the way [Sarkisian] handled that situation. The guys like me who know him well, we weren't surprised how he immediately came in and helped guys start to get over it."
Kessler is 214-for-332 (64.5%) for 2,623 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Sarkisian spoke about the goals for the team going forward while acknowledging it had one more important game to play before he takes over.
"Rebuilding is not a word around here. Coach O proved that," Sarkisian said per ESPN. "I understand it stings right now. Over time, it will get better. I'm going to be real with those guys, and they'll be real with me."
Fresno State enters play with an offense that ranks first in the nation in passing (409.8 yards per game), third in total offense (570.6) and fifth in scoring with 43.5 points per game in an offense that is led by Derek Carr.
Carr is 424-for-605 (70.1%) for 4,871 yards with 48 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Bulldogs have won their first outright conference championship since 1989 though the team has to feel disappointed having lost a chance for a BCS bowl bid with a 62-52 loss to San Jose State on Nov. 29.
"This is a big reason why I came back," Carr told ESPN. "I wanted to win an outright championship. Sharing a title was great. As a competitor that wasn't enough. We wanted to come back and finish this thing right."
Head coach Ted DeRuyter talked about his team's goals this season.
"If your only goal is to go to the BCS, why show up and play?" DeRuyter said via ESPN.
Sophomore receiver Davante Adams leads the nation with 122 receptions and has 23 touchdowns while ranking second with 1,645 yards.
Fresno State and USC take the field in the Las Vegas Bowl this afternoon.
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