Las Vegas Bowl: Southern California 45, Fresno State 20

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS

Cody Kessler realizes Southern California could have quit on this season after the Trojans’ first head coach was fired.

Or after their second head coach resigned.

Or before their fourth head coach in less than three months took over.

The quarterback and his Trojans simply stuck together, no matter who happened to be in charge. That tenacity got them a blowout win over a BCS contender in the Las Vegas Bowl — and the confidence that USC is back on the rise after a roller coaster of a season.

Kessler passed for a career-high 344 yards and a bowl-record four touchdowns in the Trojans’ 45-20 victory over No. 21 Fresno State on Saturday night under interim coach Clay Helton.

“This is a team that hopefully will be remembered forever in USC history,” said Kessler, the game’s MVP. “These guys, it doesn’t take a lot to get us motivated. When you’re playing just for someone else next to you, you don’t want to let him down.”

Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor had two touchdown catches apiece, Javorius Allen rushed two more scores, and the Trojans (10-4) answered every question about their motivation by repeatedly dancing on the sideline during the storied program’s first postseason victory since 2009.

“I can’t say how proud I am of this team,” Helton said. “We had to see: Were we going to use it as an excuse to be on our third-string head coach, or were we just going to say, ‘We’re not going to fail today.”’

From Kessler’s smooth offense to a dynamic defensive effort against Fresno State’s FBS-best passing game, USC was uniformly outstanding in its only game under Helton.

The offensive coordinator filled the one-game gap between coaches Ed Orgeron and Steve Sarkisian on the Trojans’ coaching carousel, but USC picked up right where Orgeron left off after its desultory start to the season under Lane Kiffin. The Trojans ended up celebrating under confetti in the north end zone, joining friends and family on a chilly desert night

“After all of the adversity that’s hit us, this win means everything for us,” safety Dion Bailey said. “We’ve had four head coaches and were able to get 10 wins. I’ll never forget this team.”

Derek Carr passed for just 217 yards and two TDs in his final game at Fresno State (11-2), which fell behind 35-6 at halftime and failed to secure the first 12-win season in school history.

“They had a heck of a run until this point,” Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter said of his Bulldogs. “Physically, they were the most impressive team we’ve played the last two years. They play inspired.”

Kessler outdid Carr, his fellow Bakersfield native and friend, setting the Las Vegas Bowl record for TD passes before halftime and finishing 22 for 30. USC scored three touchdowns in a nine-minute burst in the second quarter, and Allen clinched it with his second TD run with 4:44 to play.