LOS ANGELES — Max Wittek’s teammates believe in him.
Perhaps, once all is said and done in USC’s regular-season finale against No. 1 Notre Dame on Saturday, Trojans fans will believe in Wittek as well.
"Believe" has been one of the many slogans for the Trojans this season. It was normally spelled out "Be7ieve," with the No. 7 in homage of quarterback Matt Barkley. But with the shoulder injury to Barkley, the hashtag "Bel13ve," with the No. 13, Wittek’s jersey number, was trending throughout Twitter on Monday.
“It’s cool,” Wittek — a 19-year-old redshirt freshman — said of the new hashtag. “Fun to look at, but it’s not going to help us win a ballgame.”
The hashtag was started by offensive lineman Kevin Graf and retweeted by several others. It was just a way of showing Wittek that the team is behind him.
On Tuesday, they further drove that point home. Coach Lane Kiffin said Robert Woods and Marqise Lee practiced as hard as they’ve practiced all year.
“Robert was making diving practices out there, even just in the drills,” Kiffin said. “I think that they’re coming out to show him that they got his back and they’re going to play really hard for him.”
Added Woods: “We just got to keep his confidence high. Make some plays when the ball’s not perfect and (if) we make those it builds up his confidence and then he feels comfortable.”
Confidence isn’t anything Wittek is short on. Neither is poise. He is USC’s starting quarterback this week, and with that comes USC starting quarterback duties, which included facing a swarm of media members who wanted to talk to him on Tuesday.
He did so with the charisma and poise of someone who’d been there before. In his mind, he likely has. At the conclusion of fall camp when he was named the No. 2 quarterback behind Barkley, he became one step closer to becoming the starter.
Still, he will be making his first career start, with all of nine pass attempts to his name.
After 11 games as the backup, he now faces circumstances few have had to face in a debut. Wittek gets no warmup against an FCS school or a mid-major like most other BCS conference quarterbacks making their first collegiate start. He instead faces the No. 1 team in the nation that will line up against the nation’s No. 6 defense.
“I’m ready,” Wittek said. “I’ve been ready all season for this to happen if it did. I’m so excited for this opportunity (to) get out there and play in front of the Coliseum, all of our fans, (the) No. 1 team in the country; you really can’t ask for a better opportunity to show what you got. I just want to get that first snap, maybe that first hit out of the way and I’ll be ready to go.”
Wittek certainly looks the part. He has prototypical size standing 6-4 and weighing 240 pounds with a big arm.
“Max throws too hard,” said wide receiver Marqise Lee half-jokingly.
But with that comes advantages as Lee points out.
“That’s just perfect,” Lee said. “He gets the ball there in time for you to turn around and make some moves and do what you got to do.”
If the Trojans are going to do the unthinkable on Saturday and upset the No. 1 team in the country, they’ll do so on the arm of Wittek. At this point, they’re a long way away from being favorites and are in a new role of spoiler.
No pressure, right?
“I’m going to play my game, play within myself, play within this system,” Wittek said. “I have a lot of faith in our playmakers (and) a lot of faith in our playcaller.
“Whatever they need me to do, I’m ready to make those plays.”
He's confident and bel13ve(s) he can get it done.
