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It is safe to say that the recent play of Matt Barkley has been some cause for concern for many of us.

We all marveled at his poise on the road against tOSU, Cal and ND. The tOSU and ND games were not the prettiest but the end result was achieved. We expected a certain amount of freshman mistakes. We knew there would be some periods of stagnation while Barkley continued to get comfortable to the college game. There is no question that he has grown but there are also some signs that he has not progressed in a few areas like he probably should have to this point in his first season.

The most disconcerting are some of the throws into coverage that have resulted in INT's or just missed INT's. Barkey had a bit of reputation in high school as an INT machine. We are seeing why over the past few games. I had less of an issue with the INT against ND, that was a timing issue that resulted in a tipped ball. But since then there has been more of that sort of throw as the season has moved on...not less.

Barkley is making a few more mistakes out there than some of us thought he would...

USC quarterback Matt Barkley lost a fumble and had three passes intercepted Saturday in Stanford's 55-21 victory over the Trojans.

Barkley came into the game having completed 12 of 38 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the previous six quarters.

The freshman was 21 for 31 for 196 yards and a touchdown against Stanford, but the Cardinal turned every turnover into a touchdown.

"I don't feel really flustered," Barkley said. "It's just we've had some bad breaks and I think maybe tried to do too much at times."

There is no question that Barkley is forcing things or not going through all of his check downs. That is not really surprising for a freshman especially with an O line that has not given him the best protection the past few weeks but none the less it is cause for some concern among the fan base and Pete Carroll addressed it earlier this week...

Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday that he had no thoughts of replacing the freshman after a four-turnover performance in the Trojans' 55-21 loss to Stanford.

Despite Barkley's struggles in much of the last three games, Carroll said he and his staff have a "clear thought" that the 19-year-old gives the Trojans the best chance to win.

"We see the potential, the playmaking, the mentality and all the stuff we're looking for," Carroll said.

Some will say that Barkley has regressed others will say he hasn't progressed...same difference to me. I expect some amount of plateauing but I think there should be a little more positive progress. But not so much that Barkley should lose his starting job.The coaching staff has hitched their wagon up to Matt Barkley. It his clear that he is the future..so much so that there has been little discussion of either Mitch Mustain or Aaron Corp. Those two seem like distant memories.

On the flip side I think the bar has been set incredibly high for Barkley. I also think that the coaching staff has tried to portray a picture that Matt Barkley has either done no wrong or can do no wrong. Pete Carroll gives that impression to me in yesterdays interview on PMS. I think not holding Matt accountable for some of his mistakes is a problem. The fan base knows better than that. We are not that blind. I would expect the coaches to do a fair amount of deflecting to keep the heat off of Barkley but there has to be some intellectual honesty as well. This stubborn side of Pete Carroll is what makes him great but it could be a stumbling block as well.

There is no question that the pass protection has not been up to par when compared to all the hype of this stud O line. I don't expect them protect Barkley on every play but it does appear that the O line has not been as good as was earlier in the season. I realize that O'Dowd has been out for a stretch but if we are going to rely on the play of just one player of that unit then I think the problems are bigger than we imagined. Even when Stanford stacked the box the offense was running the ball fairly effectively against Stanford so why go away from it? When Barkley threw that Pick-six you could just see the team deflate...

A lot of this on Barkley. He has to start making better decisions. Some of it is not on him...like Blake Ayles dropping easy catches that could prolong drives but there have been some plays that were clearly all on Barkley.

But there are some things he can improve...

The biggest one is turnovers, which were as significant a problem as run defense in last week’s 55-21 loss to Stanford. Barkley lost a fumble and threw an interception on the Trojans’ first two possessions, leading to a 14-0 deficit. Barkley threw three interceptions in all, giving him seven in the past four games.

“We’ve just got to take what they give us,” Bates said Wednesday. “We can’t try to win the (game) on one play, we can’t try to make a play when it’s not there. We’ve got to throw it away. We’ve got to take care of the football and live to see the next down. We can’t make plays that aren’t there, and that’s the biggest issue we’ve got going right now.”

That assessment is about the closest any USC coach has come to criticizing Barkley in public. Bates and Pete Carroll generally have tried to protect the Mater Dei High product whenever he and/or the offense have struggled.

I don't think Barkley needs to tuck it away or throw it away every time he feels some pressure but I wouldn't chuck it and duck either.

I understand that some progress eventually stalls but the trick is getting it back on track. I know Barkley can do it, he just has to dig down deep.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said in his weekly press conference that going for a 2-point conversion when his team was leading 48-21 with only 6:47 left in the game “wasn’t personal.”

"We were just trying to win a football game. ... The only reason we went for two was we really thought we could get it."

When asked if it was a strategic decision, Harbaugh responded:

"Yeah, exactly. ... I've been reading some people's opinion that somehow this is something personal with coach [Pete] Carroll. That couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing personal. I'm not trying to make any enemies. Life's too short for that. The way our relationship has been is it's been very competitive. And I really enjoy especially pregame with Pete Carroll. He's very loose. He's funny. We kind of yuck it up before the game. We kind of always end it with 'time to go to war.' And then you go out and try to gouge each other's eyes out. You do the same thing in recruiting. It's great competition. But these games are decided on the field by the players. We enjoy watching it. We enjoy being a part of it. From my end, and I'm pretty sure from Coach Carroll's end ... from my end, it's nothing but respect for him and his program. Certainly there's nothing personal involved in this."

This story is a getting a little blown out of proportion. Harbaugh is never going to say publicly, “yeah it was personal, we wanted to run the score up on the Trojans to send a message to their players, coaches and fans.” Whether Harbaugh was trying to send a message or not to Pete Carroll, one thing is for sure, the Staford vs. USC game is becoming a great rivalry. Mark your calendars, next season the Trojans plays Stanford in Palo Alto on 10/09/10.

Harbaugh: 2-point play 'wasn't personal' [espn]

The announcer says, "After all, it takes a special kind of man to be wanted for sexual harassment, drug trafficking, tax evasion, prostitution, child abuse and destructive flatulence."

Before we get into some of the issues that are plaguing the Trojans, USC fans must tip their cap to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford program. Harbaugh inherited a program that was 1-11 in 2006 and in his third year he has Stanford in a position to possibly go to the Rose Bowl. In the last two weeks, Stanford scored 106 points in victories over Top 10 teams and physically beat up the opponent. Harbaugh did exactly what Pete Carroll did when he came to USC. He loaded his staff up with experienced and hungry coaches and has given his players every opportunity to excel.

After seven years of “always competing” and finishing stronger than anybody, the Trojan program is in peril. USC only has 3 losses and you don’t want to overreact but the way the Trojans have lost and the fact the Trojans could easily have 5 or 6 losses at this point is very concerning with the amount of talent they have.

The issues can be addressed and the ship can be turned in the right direction but if you truly want to Win Forever you have to continually evolve, innovate and not let ego get in the way.

Discussion points for the water cooler and IM chats:

1- No Hunger- With seven consecutive AP top 4 finishes and ending the season with a bowl win 6 of those 7 years, the Trojan program and its fans seem to be living on its accomplishments of the past. The program seems to have forgotten how bitter losing can taste and do not play with the attitude “WE MUST WIN THIS GAME”.

An example of that was clear when after suffering one of the worst losses in USC history, some players were seen after the game smiling, laughing and carrying on like it was no big deal. Like some of the "new” LA fans that have joined the bandwagon the past 5 years, I wonder if some of the supposed “5” star recruits just wanted to be along for the ride and not put the necessary work in to become a high caliber player. When you’re the top dog with everyone gunning for you, especially with a young team, you have to outwork everyone else.

(lack of depth/experience, coaching attrition, Pete's focus after the jump)

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama–Ingram had another good game, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against Mississippi State.  He’ll pad his stats some more against Chattanooga next Saturday, then will have a chance to clinch the Heisman against Auburn and Florida.  On the year, he has 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns, with another 25 catches for 225 yards and three scores.  He is on pace to have 1,686 yards and 13 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due.   If he keeps doing what he has been doing and then closes out strong in a win over Florida, I like his chances of winning the Heisman.  However, the surges by running backs Toby Gerhart and C.J. Spiller could dilute some of his strength across the various voting regions.  Ingram’s old advantage of being the only legitimate running back in a race filled with quarterbacks might be turned on its head as he could end up being one of three running back candidates versus just one quarterback (McCoy).  This is one reason why I give him only a slight edge over McCoy right now.

2. Colt McCoy, Texas–McCoy is playing well of late and is coming off a 181-yard, two-TD performance in a rout of Baylor.  On the year, he has 2,628 passing yards, with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while completing 72 percent of his passes.  He is on pace to have 3,416 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions by the time the Heisman vote is due.  Is this enough to overcome Ingram’s late surge?  The imminent collapse of Case Keenum’s candidacy should move some voters his way and many will be impressed by his career achievements, including the most wins ever by a quarterback.  McCoy is in a fairly good position:  If Alabama beats Florida, it eliminates the last quarterback with a shot at garnering significant support (Tebow) and makes McCoy the most viable option at that position.  If Florida beats Alabama, though, it could increase Tebow’s support at Ingram’s expense while making it likely that neither can beat out McCoy.  Of course, McCoy has to finish strong and get Texas to the BCS title game to make all this work.   

3. Toby Gerhart, Stanford–I wrote earlier last week about the player with the best chance of mounting a late-season run at the Heisman.  It was a wild scenario dependent on Gerhart having a big game against USC.  Well, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans, giving him 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.  He’s on pace to have 1,674 yards and 23 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due (in 12 games, versus 13 for Ingram and McCoy).  Gerhart is still a longshot, but he does have a shot.  Of course, Stanford needs to win out, which would mean respectable wins over Cal and Notre Dame to give the Cardinal a 9-3 record.  He would need for Ingram to wilt down the stretch, yet for Alabama to beat Florida, thus eliminating both Ingram and Tebow.  Meanwhile, McCoy would have to underwhelm the rest of the way, while Gerhart closes with big games against the Bears and the Irish.  Can it happen?  Sure.  Will it?  There’s the rub.  Stanford needs to start making its case on his behalf, anyway. 

4. Tim Tebow, Florida–Tebow had 199 yards and one touchdown passing, along with 26 yards and a touchdown rushing against South Carolina.  On the year, he has 1,730 passing yards, 12 TD passes and four interceptions, along with 604 rushing yards and 10 scores.   He is on pace to have 2,249 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, five interceptions, 785 rushing yards and 13 scores by the time the Heisman vote is due.  I think Tebow’s Heisman hopes are dwindling fast and his only hope is to put up crazy numbers from this point on.  Of course, the Gators need to win out, but he also needs for Ingram, McCoy and Gerhart to tank.  I think that is unlikely to happen, but you never know.

If the vote were held today

1. Mark Ingram

2. Colt McCoy

3. Tim Tebow

4. Toby Gerhart

5. Case Keenum

6. C.J. Spiller

7. Kellen Moore

8. Ndamukong Suh

9. Jimmy Clausen

10. Jordan Shipley

It was just two years ago that Harbaugh inherited a football program that was one of the worst in the country and used the biggest upset in college football history against USC (Stanford was a 42.5 point underdog) that year as a stepping stone to building a top 25 team.

The heart and soul of Stanford is Toby Gerhart, a 6’1, 235 pound physical powerhouse running back who is one of the best in the nation. He is one of the few backs in the country that can and will carry the ball over 30 times a game and beat defenders up. His mentality has crossed over to his teammates who thrive off playing a physical brand of football.

Another key to Stanford’s success is they play intelligently and usually will not beat themselves. The development of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Luck has been tremendous and gives Stanford the balance on offense that makes them dangerous anywhere on the field. In the past 3 games, Luck was 50-83 for 910 yards and 5 TD’s against only 1 interceptions and that included games against two top 25 teams (Oregon and Arizona) and against one of the best defenses in the conferences Arizona State.

The banged up Trojans will have to play far better than they have the past 6 quarters to leave the Coliseum with a victory. It is going to be tough as the offense will need to come to life without #1 wideout/punt returner Damian Williams (high ankle sprain) and Wide Receiver Ronald Johnson and Tight End Anthony McCoy not operating at 100%.

The Stanford defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack and the Trojans offense is not only going to have to generate at least 24 points of offense but also grind away at the game clock to rest the defense which will be involved in a very physical battle.

4 Keys to the Game:

Hold Gerhart to under 4 yards a carry: It is going to be difficult to completely shut down a back as physical as Toby Gerhart. The Trojans have to look to contain him and not allow him to frequently gain over 5 yards a carry. The Defensive Line will have to play very physical and win the line of scrimmage battle.

The shift of Defensive Lineman Devon Kennard to Linebacker could be a huge factor. Kennard looked great in practice this week and has the size and strength to handle a guy like Gerhart. He gives the undersized linebacking core a physical presence that is sorely needed in a game like this. USC coaches are very enthusiastic about Kennard's physical and mental attributes. He can be a “55” type linebacker. However, a lot is being asked of a freshman who has not played the position before.

More keys and injury updates after the jump