With no opportunity for a national championship, or a bowl game, or an undefeated season, some wondered what USC had left to play for this season.
How about decisive wins like Saturday’s 48-14 beatdown of in-state rival Cal?
The USC Trojans finally looked like the dominating team fans have come to expect: electrifying on offense and yes, stifling on defense.
The Golden Bears came to the Coliseum hoping for payback after USC defeated them, 30-3, at home last season. No such luck.
Trojans’ quarterback Matt Barkley threw for 352 yards and 5 touchdowns in just three quarters of play, tying the school record for touchdown passes in a game for the second time this season (Barkley also had five against Hawaii). His favorite target for the second straight week was flashy freshman wide receiver Robert Woods, who had 7 receptions for 116 yards.
After only limited playing time in the first part of the season, Woods has emerged as a reliable big playmaker for Barkley. The two connected for the first touchdown of the game – a diving grab on the right side of the end zone – on the Trojans’ first possession. The timing of Barkley’s throw and Woods’ positioning couldn’t have been better, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
In the second quarter, Barkley hit Woods again for a touchdown – and Woods was immediately hit by Cal defender Josh Hill but managed to hang on for the score. Woods showed his toughness again during the second half, when he caught a long pass for a big third-down conversion and was simultaneously drilled by two defenders. He lost his helmet but kept a tight grip on the ball and on his spot in the line-up.
Woods wasn’t the only guy on offense to make big plays – Barkley threw to nine different receivers, three of them (Woods, Ronald Johnson and David Ausberry) for touchdowns.
The offense racked up 21 points before the Golden Bears had even gotten a first down, but the even bigger story was the USC defense. Not only did they show up, they even looked like they knew what they were doing, and they were fired up about it.
After every game this season, the biggest criticisms had gone to the defense. They missed tackles, they didn’t force enough turnovers, they didn’t know where they were supposed to be, they gave up big plays. Against Washington, they allowed 536 yards of total offense; last week, at Stanford, they gave up 478.
This week, senior cornerback Shareece Wright called a players only meeting to get the defense to step up. It worked: USC’s newly stingy D held Cal to just 245 yards of total offense.
From the Golden Bears’ opening drive (3 plays, 5 yards), the Trojans’ defense was in control for the first time this season. Cal’s top running back, Shane Vereen, was shut down early, only gaining 53 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Kevin Riley was sacked twice, going 15-of-29 with two touchdown passes late in the game to match a pair of interceptions to T.J. McDonald and DaJohn Harris. Cal couldn’t get anything going on offense without double-teaming USC defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, who played like a brick wall in another beastly performance.
After the game, junior right tackle Tyron Smith, who played well despite a sprained ankle, told reporters: “This feels like the same team that I came in here with and got recruited for.”
Those Trojans shut down opponents early and often. On Saturday, USC went into the locker room at halftime with a 42-0 lead, prompting coach Lane Kiffin to say he was proud of the defense but “We have to play better in the second half.”
Barkley only played part of the third quarter before handing the ball to backup Mitch Mustain, who drove down the field for one more field goal.
The biggest downside of the Trojans’ win over Cal was a potentially season-ending knee injury suffered by fifth-year senior tailback C.J. Gable. Gable, who started as a freshman but slid down the depth chart under former coach Pete Carroll, was carted off the field on a kickoff return late in the fourth quarter and will undergo further tests but will likely miss significant time, if not the rest of the year.
The Trojans are off this week, giving them ample time to keep all cylinders firing on offense and defense in preparation for Oregon’s Halloween night trip to the Coliseum.
