Cody Kessler's confidence is growing Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, he of legendary fourth-and-nine heroics against Notre Dame, animatedly led USC players out of the Coliseum tunnel and onto the field for the Trojans' game Saturday against then-fifth-ranked Stanford. It proved a prescient bit of celebrity scheduling after quarterback Cody Kessler produced his own fourth-down moment during USC's game-winning drive. Kessler's stirring performance in the 20-17 upset showed a young quarterback coming of age. Leinart, who guided USC to two national titles, had predicted as much. Before the game, he sent Kessler a good-luck text message that read: "This is when legends are born." On the sideline before kickoff, he reiterated to the third-year sophomore, "The spotlight is on you. This is where you take over. This is where you show what you can do. Kessler responded by coolly completing 25 of 37 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. He also demonstrated, for the first time at USC, the ability to consistently deliver pressure-packed passes into tight spaces. "What I see is his confidence getting bigger," Leinart said this week. When you're confident, you start making throws. Kessler has completed 65% of his passes, 13 for touchdowns, with six interceptions. But only one pass has been intercepted in the last four games, none in the last two. His clutch play against the Cardinal spurred congratulatory text messages from Leinart, former Trojans quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Mark Sanchez, and others. All recognized a major step in Kessler's development. "I just felt like, I'm 100% in control," Kessler said. Like, I know I can play. Kessler, who was No. 3 on the depth chart last season, has been aided by inspiring words from coaches, teammates and former players such as Rodney Peete and Heisman winner Marcus Allen. Allen was invited to address the Trojans a few days before the Oct. 10 game against Arizona, USC's first under interim Coach Ed Orgeron. Kessler was stunned, and impressed, when Allen called out several players by name. "He said, 'This is your team, Cody,'" Kessler recalled. 'These guys look up to you. These guys will follow you. Wherever you go, they're going to go.' Kessler played well in a victory over Arizona and nearly led the Trojans to a win at Notre Dame. He was efficient in a victory over Utah and then led USC's first victory at Oregon State in nearly a decade. Kessler hit receiver Marqise Lee in stride on a deep route for a long touchdown in that game. He also delivered a perfectly placed pass that Lee dropped in the end zone and shook off an interception that was returned for a touchdown. At Cal, Kessler completed 14 of 17 passes. That set the stage for Stanford, which featured one of college football's most aggressive and experienced defensive fronts. "I had a lot of pressure on me to make plays," Kessler said, noting that Stanford played well, as expected, against the run. I felt like, 'This game's going to come down to me throwing the ball and how accurate I am.' On USC's first possession, Kessler scrambled out of the pocket and found receiver Nelson Agholor. Then came a seminal moment: a strike to Lee along the sideline at the one-yard line, the ball delivered to the only spot in which it could be caught. Two plays later, Kessler tossed a short touchdown pass to fullback Soma Vainuku, one of eight receivers Kessler utilized against the Cardinal.