For the first time in spring football, the USC Trojans went with live hitting during the sessions and it unfortunately resulted in injuries to two of the team’s key offensive stars. Both projected starting quarterback Max Wittek and star wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered knee injuries during the live practices. There is no word on how serious the knee injuries will be, but Wittek’s appears to be more serious.

Per the USC practice report:

QB Max Wittek and WR Marqise Lee both suffered knee injuries during practice and sat out the scrimmage. Lane Kiffin announced that both will have further testing before a diagnosis is announced. Lee stood and cheered his teammates throughout the scrimmage, while Wittek rested on the trainer’s table with ice on his knee.

Hopefully the knee injuries will only force the two players to miss a few practices and they will not result in any serious missed time.

WithWittek out of action for the team’s scrimmage, back up signal-caller Cody Kessler got the call. Kessler looked solid in his appearance and completed 12 of 15 passes for 192 yards. After the scrimmage, Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin had some encouraging word for his young quarterback.

“He kind of did what Cody does which is show up in these formats,” said Kiffin. “He’s always been a gamer.”

USC is looking to rebound from a disappointing year in 2012, so they need their players to rest up and get healthy. If Wittek’s injury forces him to miss some significant time and Kessler continues to impress, we could see a new starting quarterback under center for the Trojans this season.