Trojans spear Spartans 56-3 in victory

USC QB Matt Barkley vs San Jose State
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

True freshman Matt Barkley did not disappoint in his highly anticipated debut as the starting quarterback for Southern Cal.

Everyone, from the fans at home to the masses at the coliseum, were anxiously awaiting the first snap from USC’s starting quarterback. Unfortunately, they had to wait an agonizing minute as the Trojans were flagged for a false start before Barkley could make his move. Barkley finally got his first play off, a hand off to dynamic running back, Joe McKnight, who broke out for a 22-yard gain on the play.

McKnight had a huge game, rushing for a career high 145 yards on 14 carries, including touchdown runs of 6 and 54 yards.

Joe McKnight was not the only Trojans' running back to have success against the Spartans defense. Stafon Johnson added two touchdowns early on in the game, and Allen Bradford broke through the defense and added his own 43-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter.

Everyone was cheering when running back Marc Tyler added his own 63-yard burst in the fourth quarter. Tyler almost made it to the end zone but ran out of gas at the end of his run. Soon after, Tyler finished what he started and put six up on the board with a five-yard touchdown run.

While USC's stable of running backs put on quite a performance against the Spartans, all eyes were on Matt “Golden Boy” Barkley. After a slow start to the first quarter (5 possessions: 3 punts, 2 turnovers) Barkley and the rest of the crew settled down and went on to have a great game. Barkley finished with an impressive 15 of 19 performance for 233 yards while throwing one touchdown pass to USC tight end, Rhett Ellison.

Pete Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff were incredibly cautious with the play calling as they appeared to be slowly easing the true freshman into the game. The only time that Barkley even attempted a deep ball was when he was throwing the ball away due to pressure from the Spartans defense.

Aaron Corp made a cameo appearance late in the fourth quarter, going 4-4 for 45 yards through the air and throwing for one touchdown. Corp's performance was a great sign, should anything happen to Barkley during the course of the season.

While Matt Barkley and his slew of running backs stole the show, it was a staunch USC defense that held the Spartans in check for most of the game. Many wondered whether the Trojans could recover after losing eight starters on defense this past off-season, but one thing is for certain they have star potential.

Linebackers, Chris Galippo and Malcolm Smith (brother of New York Giant, Steve Smith) are fast and furious on the field. They seemed to be everywhere, which is exactly what the USC coaching staff wants out of their linebacking committee.

Josh Pinkard proved his worth at cornerback, breaking up a number of passes throughout the day. Devon Kennard made his presence felt when he was on the field, shutting down the Spartans run game and providing pressure on the quarterback.

After a shaky start to begin the game, the Men of Troy stormed back in an incredible display of strength. One hopes that their momentum does not wane as they head out to face the Buckeyes next week.

Quick notes from the game:
- Damian Williams looked pretty darn smooth on a 33-yard pass play in the 2nd quarter.
- Good news for the defense, linebacker Chris Galippo seems to be everywhere on the field.
- Malcolm Smith is looking pretty swift as well.
- Trojans have slowly churned out 279 yards of total offense in the first half after a slow start to the game.
- Jurrell Casey is a big boy, who is tough to stop at the DT position.
- Ausberry is filling in nicely for the injured Johnson. Johnson’s injury may give him a chance to finally break out and show his big-play potential.
- USC’s first five possessions (3 punts, 2 turnovers.
- USC’s next four possessions (4 touchdowns)
- Anthony McCoy needs to work on holding onto the ball when running after the catch.
- The “other” true freshman to watch, Devon Kennard, looks sharp when he is in the game, recording a couple of nice stops in the third quarter.
- Pinkard has a definite size advantage lining up at cornerback, but it remains to be seen if he has enough speed.
- McKnight already surpassed his personal best in rushing yards and it is only the third quarter.
-Mark Tyler really reminds me of LenDale White

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