USC starting quarterback Cody Kessler, who threw for 394 yards and four TDs in the Trojans' season-opening rout of Fresno State, missed practice Tuesday because of an unspecified medical procedure on a toe.
USC coach Steve Sarkisian was not specific about the procedure but told reporters that Kessler is expected back at practice Wednesday and that he will play Saturday in a Pac-12 showdown at Stanford. The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Kessler had a staph infection in a toe.
"He had a deal with his toe that had been bothering him throughout the ballgame," Sarkisian told reporters. "We felt like we wanted to take care of it sooner rather than later. (Tuesday) morning was the first chance we could to have a procedure done to get it, in our opinion, cleaned up. ... It obviously didn't affect his play Saturday."
Kessler set a career-high in passing yards in the romp over Fresno State, looking quite comfortable in Sarkisian's offense.
Redshirt freshman Max Browne took first-team reps during practice and would start if Kessler can't go against the Cardinal. While Browne is talented, a first-time starter against Stanford's defense would not be a good thing for the Trojans.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
