Thoughts from Saturday's scrimmage, through the eyes of USCRipsIt...
- Freshman orientation appears to over, as first-semester quarterback Matt Barkley shined during USC's 87-play mid-spring scrimmage Saturday, completing 10-of-13 passes for 195 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to headline an impressive all-around day for the Trojans. "There was a lot of playmaking today," Coach Carroll said in the post-practice huddle. "A lot of good stuff happened -- so many guys have a lot of plays to be proud of."
- Barkley led the Trojans on three long touchdown-scoring drives, one that went 11 plays for 72 yards before ending with a 15-yard touchdown toss to fullback Stanley Havili, the second that went one play for 60 yards on a shifty catch-and-run by wideout Travon Patterson and the last going nine plays for 81 yards, finishing with an 8-yard touchdown pass to wideout Damian Williams on 3rd-and-goal.
- While the stats and his three scoring drives speak for themselves, it was Barkley's cool demeanor and command of the offense that truly shimmered Saturday. On several occasions, Barkley was resourceful in the pocket by either dumping off a short pass to a running back, scrambling to create time for his receivers downfield or running for a short gain. And to top it all off, on an across-the-field cut-back run by tailback Curtis McNeal near the end of the day, Barkley used his hefty frame to lead block on the 27-yard run.
- Though Barkley's play was the talk of the scrimmage, Aaron Corp also had a stellar performance, going 8-for-15 for 146 yards and a touchdown while quarterbacking three scoring drives. One drive ended with a 29-yard Joe Houston field goal, another featured a 14-yard end-around rushing touchdown by wideout Brandon Carswell and the final drive of the day concluded with a 61-yard catch-and-run into the end zone by Ronald Johnson.
- Even with the bevy of scores, USC's defense didn't disappoint Saturday, as it mostly controlled the run game, recorded several sacks and forced three turnovers. Linebacker Malcolm Smith recovered a fumble at the start of the scrimmage, linebacker Uona Kaveinga dove to intercept a pass on the right side of the field and defensive back Marshall Jones had a pick of his own later in the day on a deep ball across the middle.
- Tailback Curtis McNeal also stood out Saturday, running for a team-high 101 yards on 13 carries (7.8 yards per rush). Damian Williams led the receivers with four catches for 43 yards (and a touchdown), while wideout Brice Butler (3 for 45 yards) and Stanley Havili (3 for 51 yards) weren't far behind.
- The sidelines were filled with celebrities Saturday, including alums Troy Polamalu, Steve Smith and Mark Sanchez; USC men's hoops coach Tim Floyd; and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
- Freshman orientation appears to over, as first-semester quarterback Matt Barkley shined during USC's 87-play mid-spring scrimmage Saturday, completing 10-of-13 passes for 195 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to headline an impressive all-around day for the Trojans. "There was a lot of playmaking today," Coach Carroll said in the post-practice huddle. "A lot of good stuff happened -- so many guys have a lot of plays to be proud of."
- Barkley led the Trojans on three long touchdown-scoring drives, one that went 11 plays for 72 yards before ending with a 15-yard touchdown toss to fullback Stanley Havili, the second that went one play for 60 yards on a shifty catch-and-run by wideout Travon Patterson and the last going nine plays for 81 yards, finishing with an 8-yard touchdown pass to wideout Damian Williams on 3rd-and-goal.
- While the stats and his three scoring drives speak for themselves, it was Barkley's cool demeanor and command of the offense that truly shimmered Saturday. On several occasions, Barkley was resourceful in the pocket by either dumping off a short pass to a running back, scrambling to create time for his receivers downfield or running for a short gain. And to top it all off, on an across-the-field cut-back run by tailback Curtis McNeal near the end of the day, Barkley used his hefty frame to lead block on the 27-yard run.
- Though Barkley's play was the talk of the scrimmage, Aaron Corp also had a stellar performance, going 8-for-15 for 146 yards and a touchdown while quarterbacking three scoring drives. One drive ended with a 29-yard Joe Houston field goal, another featured a 14-yard end-around rushing touchdown by wideout Brandon Carswell and the final drive of the day concluded with a 61-yard catch-and-run into the end zone by Ronald Johnson.
- Even with the bevy of scores, USC's defense didn't disappoint Saturday, as it mostly controlled the run game, recorded several sacks and forced three turnovers. Linebacker Malcolm Smith recovered a fumble at the start of the scrimmage, linebacker Uona Kaveinga dove to intercept a pass on the right side of the field and defensive back Marshall Jones had a pick of his own later in the day on a deep ball across the middle.
- Tailback Curtis McNeal also stood out Saturday, running for a team-high 101 yards on 13 carries (7.8 yards per rush). Damian Williams led the receivers with four catches for 43 yards (and a touchdown), while wideout Brice Butler (3 for 45 yards) and Stanley Havili (3 for 51 yards) weren't far behind.
- The sidelines were filled with celebrities Saturday, including alums Troy Polamalu, Steve Smith and Mark Sanchez; USC men's hoops coach Tim Floyd; and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
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