The Fresno State Bulldogs play the USC Trojans on Saturday in the 2013 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET. Listen to the live radio broadcast via the link provided below.
The story of USC's season has been the flux at coaching. Lane Kiffin was fired on Sept. 28 and replaced by assistant head coach Ed Orgeron, who guided the team to six wins. Trojans athletic director Pat Haden, despite Orgeron's success, chose to hire Washington coach Steve Sarkisian.
The hiring of Sarkisian ultimately led to Orgeron's abrupt resignation, leading to offensive coordinator Clay Helton taking over coaching duties for the bowl game and becoming the third head coach this season for the Trojans.
"After the Coach O meeting, guys were freaking out," USC quarterback Cody Kessler said, 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."
Sarkisian is already making his presence felt by helping the team transition in what's been a revolving door of coaches this season.
"Rebuilding is not a word around here. Coach O proved that," said Sarkisian. "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."
USC (9-4) can end their season on a high note with a win on Saturday over No. 21 Fresno State. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and a conference championship. A large part of that success is due to senior quarterback Derek Carr.
Carr helmed an offense that ranked first in the nation in passing (409.8 yards per game), third in total offense (570.6 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (43.5 points per game), according to ESPN. The senior threw for 4,866 yards and 48 touchdowns.
Listen to the live radio broadcast HERE.
