Balls and bombs: Oregon State at USC

October 26, 11:29 AMUSC Trojans ExaminerNeal Leitereg

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Looking back at the Trojans' exciting game against the Beavers on Saturday, there were a number of notable performances and there were also a number of plays that made you want to pull your hair out. Let's take a look at some of the game balls and game bombs from Saturday’s game against the Beavers.

And the offensive game ball goes to...Allen Bradford

The redshirt junior tailback came up big when the Trojans needed it the most, scoring two touchdowns in the second half against an Oregon State team that just would not quit. While Bradford has seen a slight increase in workload due to the injury to Stafon Johnson, there have only been flashes of his bruising big play potential to date. That all changed Saturday night as Bradford broke out in a big way, piling up 147 yards rushing on only 15 carries. If Southern California can continue to get this kind of production out of the ever-improving Bradford, it will bode well for the rest of the season and in particular next weekend against the Oregon Ducks.

Honorable mention...Damian Williams (6 receptions for 58 yards, 68-yard punt return for TD)

And the offensive game bomb goes to...Matt Barkley

The Trojans' true freshman, Matt Barkley, did not have an awful game, but he did make enough mistakes to earn the offensive game bomb of the week. Barkley completed a respectable 15-of-25 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns; however, he also threw two interceptions and would have had a third had it not been nullified due to a Beavers penalty. The growth and development of any quarterback is always a work-in-progress and this is still the case with Barkley, even after his Heisman-esque performance against Notre Dame a week ago. To think that he might not have a few growing pains would be somewhat naive, although there is no questioning the amount of talent that Barkley possesses. The two INTs represent a minor blemish on a pretty spectacular start to his career and I have little doubt Barkley will continue to improve on his game week in and week out.

(Not exactly a) Dishonorable mention...but Kristofer O'Dowd (The first team All-Pac-10 player, who has been slowed due to injury, was benched with Jeff Byers sliding over from guard to fill his spot at center.  O'Dowd's steady presence on the O-line will definitely be missed)

And the defensive game ball goes to...Everson Griffen

Everson Griffen keeps making it easy when it comes to handing out the defensive game ball every week. After a big performance against the Irish in South Bend, Griffen followed it up with another strong game against the Beavers. Griffen again proved to be a defensive standout, forcing a fumble, recovering another fumble, getting one sack, as well as contributing with two tackles for a loss. If Griffen keeps it up, he could be looking at Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors when it is all said and done. Griffen now ranks first in sacks in the Pac-10 conference with eight on the year and is fifth among Pac-10 defenders in tackles for a loss.

Honorable mention...Kevin Thomas (11 tackles, 1TFL, 1FF, 2 passes broken up)

And the defensive game bomb goes to...Taylor Mays

Taylor Mays is quickly earning himself a reputation as a headhunter as evidenced by the last two games against both the Beavers and the Irish. On at least two occasions against Oregon State, Mays either lead with his helmet when tackling or tackled a defender by the helmet itself. Who knows what was missed. While the Trojans were not penalized for Mays' transgressions, that may not be the case in the future, especially away from the Coliseum. It is truly a joy to watch Mays on the field, moving around like a stealth missile locked on to an offensive target, but that can sometimes get the better of him, as evidenced in the last two games.

Dishonorable mention...Trojans' linebackers (Had a tough time bringing down Jacquizz Rodgers in the second half and cornerbacks should never lead your team in tackles)

And the coaching game ball goes to...Push

It is hard to question Pete Carroll's coaching abilities, and I am not going to start doing so today. However, Oregon State head coach Mike Riley made all the necessary adjustments at halftime to keep the Beavers close in the second half. While Oregon State was only down 21-to-9 going into the half, they definitely missed more than a couple of opportunities through the first two quarters of play. That did not happen in the second half as the Beavers went touchdown-happy against a very good Trojans' defense, scoring four touchdowns on Oregon State’s five post-halftime possessions. Even though the Beavers came away without a win, they did enough on USC's field to warrant some hard-earned respect.