Aaron Corp (Fall Camp 2009)
Photo by Jae C Hong (A/P)
When news first broke that Matt Barkley had suffered a bruised right throwing shoulder in last week’s game against the Buckeyes, it was thought by many, including Barkley himself, that he would be able to work through the injury and would be ready to go for the game against the Huskies. After Barkley struggled to make it on to the practice field this past week and work with the first-team offense, redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp got the nod.
Fortunately for the Trojans, they should not skip a beat with Barkley out, as redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp slides into the starting spot for USC. As many will recall, Corp had the starting job at quarterback until he lost it to the young and talented Barkley after Aaron broke his fibula in the middle of Fall Camp.
Pete Carroll, for one, put Corp on notice earlier in the week, “I got after Aaron. I looked over my shoulder, and he was watching. Then said to him again, come on, heat it up. It may be time to go. So that's what took place there.”
ESPN's Joe Schad said that a source with knowledge of the situation implied that, “Freshman Matt Barkley is expected to retain his status as starter when he is healthy enough to resume throwing.”
The ascension of Aaron Corp into the starting position is a good sign that Pete Carroll is not willing to risk the health of the up-and-coming prodigy that he has with Matt Barkley. By starting Corp and making it clear that Barkley will retain the starting job, Pete Carroll has, in essence, made sure that his new star quarterback will receive all the treatment he needs, thereby avoiding complications with Barkley's shoulder in the future.
Even if Aaron Corp is the starting quarterback, there are some who subscribe to the sentiments of John Tamanaha over at CollegeFootballTalk.com who so eloquently put it, “Who cares who quarterbacks USC?”
Said Tamanaha:
“If Barkley's wing isn't solid enough to make a go of it on Saturday, so be it. Aaron Corp, who was Carroll's previous golden child, will be just fine. Perhaps even better.
Then, let's say Corp, who sustained a small crack to his left fibula on Aug. 10, isn't able to play for whatever reason, that would open the door for Mitch Mustain. You remember him. He went 8-0 as a starter as a true freshman at Arkansas in 2006.
We're not trying to be disrespectful to Washington, but Garrett Green could start against the Huskies and USC would still roll to victory.”
In many respects it is hard to disagree with John.
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