USC gets destroyed by the Cardinal 55-21

2009 USC Trojans ... Head Coach: Pete Carroll

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1
2009 Record: 7-3

9/5 San Jose St W 56-3
9/12 at Ohio State W 18-15
9/19 at Washington L 16-13
9/26 Wash St  W 27-6
10/3 at California W 30-3
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/17 at Notre Dame W 34-27
10/24 Oregon St W 42-26
10/31 at Oregon L 47-20
11/7 at Arizona St W 14-9
11/14 Stanford L 55-21
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 UCLA
12/5 Arizona

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 12-1

8/30 at Virginia W 52-7
9/6 OPEN DATE
9/13 Ohio State W 35-7
9/20 OPEN DATE
9/25 at Oregon St L 27-21
10/4 Oregon W 44-10
10/11 Arizona State W 28-0
10/18 at Washington St W 69-0
10/25 at Arizona W 17-10
11/1 Washington W 56-0
11/8 California W 17-3
11/15 at Stanford W 45-23
11/22 OPEN DATE
11/29 Notre Dame W 38-3
12/6 at UCLA W 28-7
Rose Bowl
1/1 Penn State W 38-24

USC Trojans

Nov. 14
Stanford 55 … at USC 21
Stanford stunned USC with 469 yards of total offense and with timely scores to stay ahead. The Cardinal got up 14-0 with an Andrew Luck four-yard touchdown pass to Owen Marecic and a one-yard Toby Gerhart run, and then answered every score with a score. USC traded scores with Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight rushing for scores and Brice Butler catching a 36-yard touchdown pass, but Matt Barkley was picked off by Richard Sherman for a 42-yard score, Luck threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener and ran for another score, and Gerhart finished with three rushing touchdowns. Stanford scored 27 unanswered points with all coming in the fourth quarter. The 55 points were the most ever allowed by a USC team.
Player of the Game: Stanford RB Toby Gerhart ran 29 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns, and he caught a pass for nine yards.
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 21-31, 196 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 16-142, 1 TD, Receiving: Ronald Johnson, 7-69
Stanford: Passing: Andrew Luck, 12-22, 144 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Toby Gerhart, 29-178, 3 TD, Receiving: Ryan Whalen, 3-44
What It All Means: What happened to the defense? After getting gouged by Oregon a few weeks ago, and ripped up late by Notre Dame’s passing game, the USC D is getting shoved all over the place. The Trojans gave up 325 rushing yards to Stanford and almost never came up with a key stop. Andrew Luck and the passing game kept the chains moving, while Toby Gerhart powered his way over the USC front seven. On the plus side, Matt Barkley wasn’t bad, outside of his three interceptions, and Joe McKnight ran well, but the defense couldn’t get off the field and the offense couldn’t keep pace. But there’s still hope to finish strong and have a great season. It might not be the BCS, but beating UCLA and Arizona might mean the Holiday Bowl. A ten-win season is still possible. 

Nov. 7
USC 14 … at Arizona State 9
Will Harris picked off two passes taking one 55 yards for a touchdown and Damian Williams took a short pass 75 yards for a score as USC survived an ugly game. Arizona State outgained USC 347 yards to 258, but turned the ball over four times and only got into the end zone on a 23-yard Chris McGaha pass late in the third quarter. ASU had its chances late, but the USC defense stiffened time and again.
Player of the Game: USC S Will Harris made five tackles and two interceptions taking one for a touchdown
Arizona State: Passing: Brock Osweiler, 11-27, 153, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cameron Marshall, 16-42, Receiving: Chris McGaha, 9-118, 1 TD
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 7-22, 112 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 15-78, Receiving: Damian Williams, 2-81, 1 TD
What It All Means: Uh oh. Yeah it was a nice win coming off a clunker against Oregon, and yeah, Arizona State really does have a strong defense, but for USC to come up with just 258 yards of offense with 75 coming on one play is a major problem. Matt Barkley couldn’t get his downfield passing game to work and the running game never got on track, but right now, USC is going to have to get by on ugly wins. The final three games are at home, but if Stanford gets the offense rolling like it did in the win over the Ducks, the Trojans had better be ready to bring the firepower. However, it just might not be there this season.

Oct. 31
at Oregon 47 … USC 20
Oregon stunned USC by pounding away for 613 yards of total offense including 391 on the ground. With the game tied at 17 late in the second quarter, the Ducks rolled the rest of the way outscoring the Trojans 27 to 3 with Jeremiah Masoli connecting with Jamere Holland for a 17-yard score and LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner each running for short scores late in the third. USC cranked out 327 yards with Matt Barkley throwing two short second quarter touchdown passes, but the offense couldn’t keep up in the second half. Oregon averaged eight yards per carry.
Player of the Game: Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 19-of-31 passes for 222 yards and a score and ran 13 times for 164 yards and a score.
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 21-38, 187 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 15-95, Receiving: Damian Williams, 9-82, 1 TD
Oregon: Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 19-31, 222 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: LaMichael James, 24-183, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeffrey Maehl, 4-54
What It All Means: What happened to the USC defense? It’s not just that Oregon cranked out big yards; it’s that the defense couldn’t come up with tackles or stops needed to keep short to medium gains from being long ones. The offense wasn’t that bad, even though Matt Barkley only threw for 187 yards, but there were several false start penalties and the whole team was out of sync once Oregon started rumbling. This was bad, but a BCS at-large bid is still possible by winning out. After next week’s trip to Arizona State, the last three games are at home. 

Oct. 24
at USC 42 … Oregon State 36
Oregon State outgained USC 489 yards to 429, but the Trojans got up early on two touchdown passes and a one-yard scoring run from Matt Barkley. Oregon State kept coming back, with Justin Kahut hitting three field goals and Sean Canfield throwing three touchdown passes, but Allen Bradford ran for third quarter scores from two and 43 yards away, and Damian Williams took a punt 63 yards for a score. Jacquizz Rodgers scored twice, including a one-yard run to pull the Beavers within six with 5:41 to play, but USC was able to run out the clock.
Player of the Game: USC RB Allen Bradford ran 15 times for 147 yards and two scores.
Oregon State: Passing: Sean Canfield, 30-43, 329 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Jacquizz Rodgers, 20-113, 1 TD, Receiving: Joe Halahuni, 9-127
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 15-25, 202 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Allen Bradford, 15-147, 2 TD, Receiving: Ronald Johnson, 6-99, 1 TD
What It All Means: Uhhhhh, the defense? Just when it seems like the offense is hitting its stride with a great performance from Matt Barkley and a strong day from RB Allen Bradford, the defense couldn’t seem to handle the Oregon State offense. All of a sudden, Sean Canfield became Tom Brady, and there has to be some concern about the play of the defensive front after giving up 5.7 yards per carry to Jacquizz Rodgers. It’s been a rough last five quarters for the Trojan D, and now comes the trip to Oregon. For the first time this year, it all has to come together. USC has been terrific in all areas, just not at the same time. 

Oct. 17
USC 34 … at Notre Dame 27
In a thriller, Jimmy Clausen misfired a pass into the end zone in what appeared to be the end of the game, but with USC celebrating on the field, one second was put back on the clock and Clausen had another chance. He missed again, and USC came away with the tough win. The Trojans were up 20 in the fourth quarter, but Clausen rallied the Irish with a two-yard touchdown run and a 15-yard scoring pass to Golden Tate to get within seven. That would be it, though, for the Irish scoring. USC got up on two short touchdown runs from Allen Bradford and Joe McKnight, and two Matt Barkley touchdown passes to Damian Williams from 41 and 20 yards away. USC hadn’t given up a touchdown pass coming into the game, but it allowed two to Tate, who caught a 45-yarder to go along with his second score. Jurrell Casey and Taylor Mays each made ten tackles for the Trojans.
Player of the Game: USC QB Matt Barkley completed 19-of-29 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Notre Dame: Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 24-43, 260 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Armando Allen, 12-51, Receiving: Robby Parris, 9-92
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 19-29, 380 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 19-79, 1 TD, Receiving: Anthony McCoy, 5-153
What It All Means: Matt Barkley can throw. That was never really a question, at least as far as his talent, but he hasn’t been asked to push the ball deep in a pressure situation. He has been great at making the short to midrange throws, he did that against Ohio State, but against the Irish he had to make more big things happen, and he did. He always kept his vision downfield and he pressured the Irish corners throughout. However, the D had a tough time closing. The secondary didn’t give Jimmy Clausen any good looks into the end zone at the very end, and the Trojans survived through a shaky final ten minutes. Now comes the revenge game against Oregon State before going to Oregon for what could be for the Pac 10 title. USC has to keep its focus. 

Oct. 3
USC 30 … at California 3
USC dominated on defense, holding cal to 285 yards and a meaningless late 29-yard field goal, while the offense led the way to three Jordan Congdon field goals and got a 38-yard touchdown run and a four-yard scoring dash from Joe McKnight. Damian Williams caught 101 yards of passes and returned a punt 66 yards for a second quarter touchdown on the way to a 23-0 lead. Taylor Mays led the USC defense with ten tackles.
Player of the Game: USC RB Joe McKnight ran 20 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 12 yards
California: Passing: Kevin Riley, 15-40, 199 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jahvid Best, 14-47, Receiving: Anthony Miller, 4-70
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 20-35, 283 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 20-119, 2 TD, Receiving: Damian Williams, 8-101
What It All Means: USC played its soundest, tightest game of the year with no major mistakes, a strong ground game, great special teams, and a fantastic game from the defense. Oregon’s defense shut down Cal, too, but USC did it to feed the offense. The O didn’t have to take any chances considering the defense wasn’t letting Cal get into the game, but against Notre Dame in two weeks it’ll be up to Matt Barkley and the passing game to open it up more. With the tragic accident to Stafon Johnson knocking him out for the year, Joe McKnight stepped up his play and Allen Bradford had a decent day with 53 yards. But it will come down to Barkley over the next several games as he has to be decisive in his deep throws and he has to be okay with letting his defense clean up the messes.

Sept. 26
at USC 27 … Washington State 6
Matt Barkley returned from a shoulder injury and connected with Brice Butler for a 29-yard touchdown and hit Damian Williams on a 57-yard scoring pass on the way to a 20-0 first quarter lead. The Trojans coasted from there as the defense forced three turnovers and came up with eight sacks. Stafon Johnson ran for a six-yard score in the fourth for a 27-0 USC lead. Wazzu didn’t get on the board until Dwight Tardy ran for a two-yard score with 22 seconds to play.
Player of the Game: USC WR Damian Williams caught five 100 yards and a score.
Washington State: Passing: Jeff Tuel, 14-22, 130 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 16-44, Receiving: Gino Simone, 8-83
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 13-22, 247 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Allen Bradford, 6-55, Receiving: Damian Williams, 5-100, 1 TD
What It All Means: USC had an easy time of it against Washington State, and it got up early to coast, but it’s Washington State. After losing to Washington, the Trojans needed to put a bigger number on the board. Matt Barkley was able to air it out a bit, and he claimed he had pain in his shoulder, but he was solid and didn’t make any mistakes. Coming up next is the tough run of four road games in the next five including trips to Cal and Notre Dame and the Halloween battle at Oregon. The offense needs to get more from the ground game, and the silly penalties have to stop. USC committed 13 for 115 yards against Wazzu. 

Sept. 19
at Washington 16 ... USC 13
Erik Folk nailed a 22-yard field goal with three seconds to play to give Washington the upset over the Trojans. The Husky defense held firm all game long, keeping USC to just a 25-yard Jordan Congdon field goal after the first quarter, while the UW offense got three Folk field goals and a four-yard Jake Locker touchdown run. The Trojans tied the game up with 4:07 to play, but Locker was able to lead UW 63 yards in ten plays, helped by a roughing the passer call, to get into a position for the win.
Player of the Game: Washington LB Donald Butler made 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, forced a fumble, and picked off a pass.
Washington: Passing: Jake Locker, 21-35, 237 yds
Rushing: Chris Polk, 25-71, 1 TD, Receiving: James Johnson, 7-72
USC: Passing: Aaron Corp, 13-22, 110 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 11-100, 1 TD, Receiving: Stanley Havili, 4-36
What It All Means: It's not like Matt Barkley was the Matt Barkley he's going to be 18 months from now. Aaron Corp was expected to start the season for a reason, but he didn't show it against the Huskies with too many poor decisions and too many rookie mistakes. Going 0-for-10 on third down conversions was the biggest problem, but not getting enough help from the running game was also an issue. The defense didn't come up with enough big stops, even though it stuffed the UW running game cold, and the special teams didn't come with any game-breaking plays, but this was a total team effort. USC, even without Barkley and Taylor Mays, should've been good enough to win.

Sept. 12
USC 18 ... at Ohio State 15
Matt Barkley marched the Trojans on a 14-play, 86-yard drive finishing with a two-yard Stafon Johnson touchdown run to give USC the tough comeback win. The Trojans started off the scoring with a one-yard Johnson run coming off a 51-yard interception return from Chris Galippo, but the Buckeyes controlled the action until late with a two-yard Dan Herron run and two Aaron Pettrey field goals coming on the way to a 15-10 lead. OSU had one last shot, but the drive never got going. USC outgained OSU 313 yards to 265.
Player of the Game: USC QB Matt Barkley completed 15-of-31 passes for 195 yards with an interception.
Ohio State: Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 11-25, 177 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan Herron, 18-44, 1 TD, Receiving: DeVier Posey, 6-81
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 15-31, 195 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 16-60, Receiving: Damien Williams, 5-51
What It All Means: Matt Barkley made the USC team his. Young quarterbacks only get a team's respect by pulling off wins, and in front of an insane 100,000+ crowd, and with the Trojans not playing all that well, Barkley marched his team with a cool, calm, 86-yard drive to win the game. While this wasn't a blowout win, that might be a positive. There won't be any big heads and there should be more of an even-keel season. After this win, the team should know it can't just show up and win this year.

Sept. 5
at USC 56 … San Jose State 3
Matt Barkley was awful … for four series. After sputtering and coughing with fumbles and misfires, the Trojan offense got it in gear after San Jose State took a 3-0 lead on a 41-yard Tyler Cope kick. USC scored 56 unanswered points with Stafon Johnson scoring from four and two yards out and Joe McKnight scoring from six and 54 yards away. Barkley settled down and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Rhett Ellison and finished with a sharp 15-of-19 day with no mistakes.
Player of the Game: USC RB Joe McKnight ran 14 times for 145 yards and two scores.
San Jose State: Passing: Kyle Reed, 9-17, 66 yds
Rushing: Patrick Perry, 14-48, Receiving: Kevin Jurovich, 5-64
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 15-19, 233 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 14-145, 2 TD, Receiving: Damien Williams, 3-67
What It All Means: Matt Barkley doesn’t need to be Matt Leinart right away, but he has to keep his mistakes to a minimum. He did that against San Jose State throwing accurately and avoiding interceptions, and he let the team around him do most of the heavy lifting. The running game and defense will carry the Trojans to wins, and Barkley will be able to ease his way into the job, even against Ohio State. Aaron Corp was perfect in his limited duty.