San Jose State brings a talented quarterback into the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 2023 season opener on Saturday.
Spartan quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, a transfer from Hawaii, was voted the preseason 2023 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. He is talented, but more than that, he is agile. That’s what struck USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch when he was asked about San Jose State’s signal-caller during game week:
“Real slippery, can make a bad play good,” Grinch said. “If you’re surprised by it (running quarterbacks) in this day and age in college football, shame on you.
“It’s our expectation every single week. It doesn’t make it any easier to defend. The ability to get yards downfield, just extend plays, man it thins you out in every which way. It’s easy to say spy a guy and all that stuff. That means you’re not rushing as many as you’d like to rush or you’re not putting as many guys in coverage. It gives you major fits. It always has, and always will.”
We will see how well USC can contain Cordeiro as a runner while also making sure his scrambling doesn’t lead to a busted coverage and a big downfield pass play for San Jose State.
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