Pat Cowan will be the starter against USC on Saturday, coach Karl Dorrell announced Thursday.
Cowan, a redshirt junior quarterback, had been out with a collapsed lung and a concussion since the Arizona game. He beat out Ben Olson and Osaar Rasshan for the starting spot, a decision Dorrell said was based mostly on Cowan’s mobility. Olson was out with a knee injury and just returned last week.
“Ben, I think, has progressed pretty well this week, but he’s still not 100 percent,” Dorrell said. “I think (he) will be up and ready to play. He’s much further along than he was last week. He’ll be available as our backup and Osaar will be as well.”
Rasshan started the last game, a 16-0 victory over Oregon, and did not complete a pass before being pulled in favor of Olson at halftime. Cowan did not play in the game, but with Olson still not fully recovered from his knee injury, he provides a more mobile option against a fast and hard-hitting USC defense.
Last year, in the 13-9 victory over USC, it was Cowan’s legs that put the Bruins on the board early, as he ran the ball in for the first and only touchdown for the Bruins on the day.
This year, Cowan started four games and completed just over 53 percent of his passes for three touchdowns.
SHEPPARD POSSIBLE: Walk-on running back Craig Sheppard, who has been suffering from a nagging groin injury, will be a game-time decision on Saturday.
“He felt better (Thursday),” Dorrell said. “He did some drill work on the side. I think the trainers would like him to get another day or so of rest and then see how he warms up on Saturday. Chris (Markey) is going to be the starter, and we still have (Chane) Moline and Christian Ramirez as the primary three, but if Craig feels good in pregame, we’ll slip him in there.”
Sheppard scored the lone touchdown for the Bruins against Oregon on Saturday, a 20-yard run toward the end of the fourth quarter that finally sealed the victory.
SENIOR CARRY-OFF: The 23 seniors playing their last game this weekend were carried off of Spaulding Field by the lower classmen on Thursday. At one point, senior safety Dennis Keyes was standing on the shoulders of two of his teammates as they carried him off.
Dorrell shouted, “Don’t drop him!”
FINAL PRACTICE: Dorrell was pleased with the final practice of the week in preparation for USC.
“We had an excellent week of practice. I felt we zipped around the field pretty good. Both sides of the ball were really focused. We get a nice final check through practice tomorrow and then away we go.”