Freshman Matt Barkley fakes a hand off to running back Joe McKnight before
throwing a touchdown pass during the third quarter of Saturday's scrimmage.
(Photo by Kevin Patra)

Two days after being announced USC's starting quarterback,
freshman Matt Barkley overcame a rocky start to throw for a touchdown and run for another as the team's first and second string players walloped the reserves, 36-0, in an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum.

Barkley started off shaky on his first series of the season tune-up. 
After connecting with  receiver Damien William on a bootleg, he
miscommuncated with Williams and aired a pass down field to no one.  He later stared down another receiver leading to a defection and interception.

The young quarterback shook off the rocky start to go 10-17 for 159 yards before getting replaced by Aaron Corp (5-7, 89 yards) with under 30 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.

There were moments when Barkley looked the part of a freshman
quarterback, staring down receivers, forcing passes, throwing off his back foot and not
stepping into throws, and not knowing when to throw
the ball away--especially near the end zone.

However, Barkley did several things well Saturday.  His play action
fake was well executed, which he utilized on his touchdown pass to
tight end Blake Ayles in the third quarter to put the starters up 28-0. 
He calmed down after his first series and moved decently in the
pocket--most likely after he realized his offensive line was giving him
all day to throw the ball.  He showed some toughness on several QB
sneaks, including a 1-yard run for a touchdown.  Barkley seemed in
control of the huddle and wasn't phased by the fake noise piped into
the stadium meant to emulate a crowed bigger than the 6,000 reported in
attendance. 

The Trojans' four first and second string running backs (Joe McKnight, Stafon
Johnson, CJ Gable and Allen Bradford) carried only 13 times, gaining
only 66 yards.  (Junior Marc Tyler played on both squads and carried 10
times for a total of 39 yards and a touchdown with the starters.) 

But there could be several reasons for the low number of carries:  The
coaching staff wanted to see how Barkley would perform.  The Trojans
didn't want to give other teams anything to scout early on--at least
before the trip to Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 12.  Or given the large mismatch in the
trenches, the coaches might not have wanted to run the ball down the throats of
their reserve squad.  There were several plays early in the game where USC starter Joe
McKnight didn't have to do much but sit behind his offensive line as
they bullied the reserve defensive line down field. 

The best stat of the game comes from running back Stafon Johnson who carried twice for 5 yards, but scored two touchdowns.

The Trojans' offense did not leave the scrimmage unscathed, however, as Ronald Johnson broke his collarbone, forcing him to miss the next 6-8 weeks of the season. Johnson was hit after catching a 34-yard pass from Barkley to set up the Trojans first touchdown.

USC head coach Pete Carroll called the injury a "crusher."  David
Ausberry, a 6-foot-4 and 235-pound senior, will be taking Johnson's place in the
starting lineup, according to reports.  

Meanwhile, the defense had little trouble handling the reserve offense led by
senior quarterback Garrett Green.  Green took all the snaps for the
"Blackshirts" as third string QB Mitch Mustain missed the scrimmage due to a reported illness. 

The starters intercepted Green three times, including an acrobatic
diving pick by sophomore TJ Bryant in the fourth quarter--although some in
attendance claimed that if it were a real game, it would have been
challenged and overruled, as the nose of the ball might have touched the
ground before Bryant corralled it between his legs. 

The defense also scored a safety on red shirt freshman running back
Curtis McNeal when it bowled over the reserve offensive line, forcing
the speedy back to spin backwards into the end zone where he was bombarded by several Trojan starters.

Little can be made of how well the defense will be this season from the scrimmage, as the reserves had several opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but dropped the ball. 

The Trojans open their season next Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Coliseum.