Barkley, 19, is living out his dream in becoming the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Trojans. "That is a goal of mine, to get to the point where I feel like I'm the best player in the country," he says. Matt Barkley made headlines Sept. 5 in a game against San Jose State at the... more »
Matt Barkley completed 15 of 25 passes for 202 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. In light of the interceptions, he has improved tremendously since the home opener against San Jose State. And it sure is nice having Ronald Johnson back on the field, too!
Allen Bradford rushed for a career high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sharing number 21 and being a solid, bruising back, he looked liked LenDale White. Joe McKnight rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries and left the game near the end of the 1st half due to a hand injury; it is unknown what his status for next week is at the moment. With McKnight's speed and explosiveness combined with Bradford's bull-like qualities as a running back, will this tandem be Thunder and Lighting version 2.0?
Here are some of the defense "highlights" against the Beavers. USC struggled defensively against Oregon State last year, so it should have been no surprise this year considering they returned a veteran quarterback in Sean Canfield and the notorious Jacquizz Rodgers, along with brother James. Enjoy the few clips of the defense stopping the Beavers' offense. If any other team expects to beat Oregon State, it must be done with a good offense. No matter how good a defense is, it is hard to prepare for the Beaver offense.
More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP about 1 month ago: San Jose State wide receiver Kevin Jurovich, right, is bought down by Southern California linebackers Chris Galippo (54) , Malcolm Smith (6) and Michael Morgan (17) during the first half of a NCAA college football game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Browse... more »
Despite a very emotional week due to the unfortunate accident to Running Back Stafon Johnson, the Trojans put together its most complete performance of the year and routed Cal 30-3 in Strawberry Canyon.
On Friday, I wrote about the 5 keys to setting a “Bear” trap and the Trojans hit on all the points and proved once again that the only team capable of beating the Trojans is the Trojans themselves. When USC does not turn the ball over when it matters, commits few penalties and stays balanced on offense to compliment one of the best defenses’ in college football, it will be very difficult for any college football team to beat them.
A quick review of the keys to victory:
1- Contain Cal's running game: The Trojans held the vaunted Cal rushing attack to only 86 yards. Former Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best was held to 47 yards rushing and only 5 yards receiving. The Trojans forced Kevin “I don’t like big games and throw a high ball” Riley into passing situations that he is not equipped to handle which allowed the Trojans to dominate the Time of Possession 36:46 to 23:14.
The game was basically over when Trojan Safety Taylor Mays ran down Jahvid Best from behind in the backfield in the second quarter. The statement was made that USC’s best defensive player was not going to let Cal’s best offensive player get loose.
(More analysis and some team notes after the jump)
Straight Bet $25 to win $22.73
Penn State (-7) over Illinois
Straight Bet $25 to win $22.73
Alabama (-17) over Kentucky
Straight Bet $25 to win $22.73
Miami (+7) over Oklahoma
Illinois lost to Ohio State 30-0. And over 80% of people on Covers.com are taking Penn State. Florida drubbed Kentucky at Kentucky 41-7. Why should Alabama at Kentucky be any different? Miami is bad ass. Just go their website. Does that look and sound like a team that is going to lose to sissy ass Oklahoma sans Sam Bradford at Land Shark Stadium by more than a touchdown?
Staying away from USC because this Cal grad (Dr. Bob) is jinxing us (after the jump) and we think Barkley pulls out another barnburner that is closer than the spread.
In a battle between last place teams in the Pac-10 standings, the 12th ranked Trojans (2-1) face an overmatched Washington State Cougars (1-2) team on Saturday at 7:15 pm in the Coliseum.
Though the Cougars are coming off an exciting come from behind overtime win against SMU, they are limping into the Coliseum and will have a tough time putting up much of a fight against the Trojans.
The main goals for the Trojans are to work on eliminating crucial mental mistakes that plagued the team in Seattle (penalties and turnovers) and making progress in the passing game.
Six things to look for in the Coliseum on Saturday:
1-Dominant defensive performance: The Cougars started the season with the dubious distinction of having the least amount of talent in the Pac-10 and just three games into the season they are already down 4 starters on the offensive side of the ball. They have lost two starting offensive lineman, the #1 Wide Receiver left the team to focus on track and the starting Running Back injured his knee against SMU and is out for the year.
USC’s Defensive Line will absolutely dominate the line of scrimmage allowing them to pressure the QB while being able to drop the Linebackers into coverage. The Trojans should also be able to man-up the Wide Receivers in tight coverage allowing the Linebackers and Safeties to make plays on the ball. The Trojans should come up with at least 2 to 3 turnovers.
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller Lining up this week's action. No. 3 USC (2-0) at Washington (1-1) USC beat the Huskies 56-0 last year ... USC leads the all-time series 49-26-4 ... USC is riding a 12-game winning streak ... Washington ended a 15-game losing streak vs. Idaho last weekend ... Washington coach Steve Sarkisian spent seven years on... more »
From our resident guru, here is John Skinner with the Skinny on USC's 18-15 win over Ohio State.
1- McKnight shines when it counts: Though Matt Barkley is getting most of the praise for USC's final improbable game winning drive, Joe McKnight accounted for about 2/3 of SC's yardage on the drive and ran with a purpose we haven't consistently seen from him. He doesn't have the explosiveness of Reggie Bush but he does have the moves and showed Trojan fans that he can put the team on his back and get them down the field when it counts. Without McKnight on the final drive SC is probably 1-1.
McKnight Part II: Though McKnight was the major player on the final drive, he needs to improve his pass blocking to help the offense get going. He has a hard time picking up the blitz and one time a Defensive End just flat out ran around him causing a sack. Last year, SC was fairly predictable when McKnight was in the game and he has to be multi-dimensional for SC to get away from showing its cards offensively.
Thoughts on Barkley, the Defense and Special Teams after the jump.
USC will be tested all year. Saturday is their first test. They have to travel to a hostile environment to play a worthy opponent. What will the outcome be? Your guess is as good as mine. But the Trojans always come to play on Saturday. If they can limit mistakes and stay cool under pressure, I expect things to go our way. Here is our second edition of TrojanWire Thoughts of the Day:
I was impressed by Jeremy Bates and the USC playing calling last week. Some said that the offense was very simple because USC had a true freshman under center. I disagree. Barkley was there all spring and has the tools and smarts to run a complex offense. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the starter. The Trojans just didn’t want to give anything away. Why show any trickery in week one? Lets surprise opponents as the season progresses. I have no problem with USC running the same play over and over if the other team can’t stop it. Coach Carroll has put together a great coaching staff. This will help the Trojans on Saturday.
The Galen Center, along with five other locations around the country, are showing the USC vs. Ohio State game in a special 3-D format. 3-D doesn’t work for Taylor Mays. The stuff on screen is afraid to get up in his face. Ahhhhhhhh SNAP! For more “facts” on Taylor Mays click here.
Allen Bradford (pictured above) is a beast. He looks like LenDale 2.0, but bigger, stronger and faster (and cooler tattoos). Jeremy Bates on Bradford, "I wish I had this guy on the Broncos last season."
More jaw-dropping, head spinning, bad ass analysis after the jump…
Daily headlines, notes and errata in anticipation of the Intersectional Game of the Decade of the Year. • No. 2 on No. 2. Truly elite athletes have a unique insight into one another's psyches and physicality that goes far beyond the slack-jawed, pedestrian awe of those us wiping tortilla chip crumbs from our shirts. So when USC's superfreak safety,... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller USC defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and cornerback Kevin Thomas, both starters, returned to practice Wednesday after missing the previous two days due to illness. It also appears likely that All-American center Kristofer O'Dowd will return to the starting lineup after missing the opener with a dislocated kneecap. The need for O'Dowd's presence might be... more »
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller I apologize I forgot to tell you last week to watch the post-game at Boise State. I talked to more than a few folks who clicked their TVs off either late in the fourth or at the final bell and missed all the, er, fun. As for this week, we've got three marquee nonconference... more »
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