USC Notre Dame Quarterback Comparison

It will not be the defense, it will not be the history, it will not be the running game or wether when USC plays Notre Dame.  The only comparison that will matter is the goldenness of the quarterbacks for the teams.  While Jimmy Clausen claims to be the golden boy from SoCal.   the photographs clearly demonstrate that Matt Barkley is much more golden.

No question, USC over Notre Dame.

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Final Score USC Over Cal

The Trojans played well for all but the first drive for Cal.  The games ends with USC over Cal by 30 – 3.

Best did not look like a Heisman winner tonight.  Both Barkley and McKnight played well.  It was great to see Taylor Mays back on the field, and as always Damian Williams was nails.

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Aaron Corp To Start At Quarterback For USC Against Washington

As previously predicted here on Dreadnaught, Aaron Corp will get the start at quarterback for USC against Washington.  Matt Barkley is still suffering from the bruised shoulder he suffered during the win over Ohio State.

USC quarterback Aaron Corp has been chosen to start the Trojans’ Pac-10 opener against Washington on Saturday, a person briefed on the decision told ESPN’s Joe Schad on Friday.

Freshman Matt Barkley is expected to regain his status as starter when he is healthy enough to resume throwing, the source said. Barkley continues to experience pain in his bruised right (throwing) shoulder, which was injured in the third-ranked Trojans’ 18-15 victory at Ohio State last weekend.

Here is a good team report for the Trojans,

Nobody will need to remind USC coach Pete Carroll what happened last season when the Trojans were feeling good after beating Ohio State.

They came out flat in the first half in the Pac-10 opener at Oregon State, and could never catch up, losing 27-21—the only blemish on USC’s season.

Once again, here are the Trojans, coming off an 18-15 win at Ohio State, ready to go on the road for their Pac-10 opener. This time, it’s against Washington, which ended a 15-game losing streak last week by beating Idaho 42-23.

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Update: Corp did not have a good game.  Washington played very well.  Not a good day to be a Trojan.

USC Football: Washington Game, Looks Like Aaron Corp Will Start At Quarterback For Trojans

As we enter Thursday practice before the USC v. Washington game, the decision about who will start at quarterback for the Trojans becomes a little more clear.  As previously predicted on Dreadnaught, it will be Aaron Corp.  (Note: Michael Lev at USC BLOG has also made the same prediction, so I am in good company).  Matt Barkley has missed his third consecutive practice, after it did not go well when he tried to throw before practice.  This stems from the bruised shoulder he suffered in the victory over Ohio State.  Coach Pete Carroll is expected to make the QB decision on Thursday morning.  Corp was asked earlier if he was ready to play, here is his answer,

“I’m ready. I was ready last week. I was ready two weeks ago. I’ll be ready if they need me.”

We shall see who makes the start in Seattle.

While on the topic of USC quarterbacks, it appears one QB may start at another position.  The starting punter position is open, and it looks like Mitch Mustain may be just the man for the job.  Best of luck to Mustain, he is a stud for coming to the Trojans with so much hype and being willing to do whatever it take to help the team.

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Note: If you are a USC football fan, you must read USC BLOG, TrojanWire, and inside usc.

USC Football: Quarterback For Washington Game Barkley Or Corp

This Saturday the Trojans face Washington.  The question remains who will start for USC at quarterback?  To answer this question one must look back at the quarterback competition at SC.  Coming out of spring practice Aaron Corp was named the starter by Coach Pete Carroll.  Corp then cracks his left fibula and Matt Barkley is named as the starting QB.  Barkley then starts against San Jose St. and stuns everyone in the come-from-behind victory over Ohio State.

Barkley did sustain an injury in the Ohio State game and is still suffering from a bruised shoulder.  Corp stands ready to play,

Mark Sanchez Rookie Of The Week In NFL

Former Trojan quarterback, and current Jets QB, Mark Sanchez has nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week.  Go here to vote and check back Friday afternoon to see who wins.

Sanchez’s stats:

Sanchez recorded the third most passing yards for a rookie in Week 1 in NFL history, completing 18 of 31 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 84.3 in the Jets’ 24-7 win over the Houston Texans. Sanchez led a Jets offense that gained a total of 462 yards and controlled the ball for nearly 39 minutes.

So much for Coach Carroll not being happy about Sanchez leaving, it did leave the job open for Matt Barkley.

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USC Football: Carroll Has Talk With Barkley

Los Angeles-Not that Pete Carroll expects  Matt Barkley to suddenly go Todd Marinovich on him, but the USC coach said he met with the freshman quarterback Monday night to see how he’s handling life in the national spotlight.

“We sat down last night and talked about how Matt’s handling the attention and the constant questioning and all that stuff,” Carroll said. “There’s an innocence there that it’s great to see. He’s having fun. This does not change who he is. He clearly stated that and understands that. But we have to keep in contact with that. You know, stay around and hang with the people you always hang with. Stay close to us, you know. Don’t get very far away from the way we do things at any time.

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HT: USC BLOG

USC Ohio State Final Score: 18-15

USC was able to get the win over Ohio State, 18-15.  It was a great game by both teams.  This was a much better Ohio State team than the one the Trojans faced last year in Los Angeles.

As well as Matt Barkley played on the final drive, it was Joe McKnight who won that game.  It was good to see Barkley face a very hostile crowd and fight off the injury to his throwing arm.  Nonetheless, this game goes to McKnight.

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USC Football: No. 3 In Coaches’ Poll

After the impressive start for Matt Barkley, and 56-3 win over San Jose St., it is no surprise that USC is Number 3 it the USA Today Top25 Coaches’ Poll.

 

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USC Football: Matt Barkley To Start As Quarterback Against San Jose St.

At the end of spring ball, Aaron Corp was named starting QB for the Trojans.  Then Corp suffered a crack in his left fibula.  Freshman Matt Barkley stepped up and has now secured the starting quarterback spot for USC.   

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USC Football Quarterback Update Corp Injured Barkley In

Aaron Corp has suffered an injury, crack in his left fibula, which will keep him out of practice for the next three weeks.  That left room for Matt Barkley to step up and handle himself beautifully.

Also, Mitch Mustain is not out of the mix.

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USC Football: Quarterback For 2009 Aaron Corp Is Named By Pete Carroll

It was a hard-fought battle in spring practice between Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain, and Matt Barkley for the starting quarterback position for the Trojans.  See previous coverage, here, here, here, and, here.

WeAreSC is reporting,

Aaron Corp has been named the starting QB coming out of USC spring ball sessions with Matt Barkley as the back-up and Mitch Mustain in the #3 role.  The competition will continue into fall camp.

Pete Carroll had been clear that he wanted to name a starting quarterback by the end of spring and lately it had become pretty apparent that Corp would get that nod.  The freshman Barkley certainly put some pressure on but the fact that Corp did a great job of keeping on-field mistakes to a minimum (he didn’t have any interceptions through today) was a key factor in giving Corp the nod

With the loss of Mark Sanchez, this competition is great to see.

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USC Football: 2009 Quarterback Race Update III

From the USC BLOG, Matt Barkley is leading the USC quarterback race.

Here are the ratings for the three heading into practice No. 10 today:

1. Matt Barkley 142.36
2. Aaron Corp 130.26
3. Mitch Mustain 122.15

Rivals also notes that Barkley has a 10-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while Corp’s is 4-0.

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The Story Of Former USC Quarterback Todd Marinovich

Esquire magazine has a story about former Trojan great Todd Marinovich, Todd Marinovich: The Man Who Never Was.  Trojan fans will remember Marinovich, or Marijuanavich, as the starting quarterback for the Men of Troy in the 1989 and 1990 seasons.  He was first freshmen quarterback ever named to the All-PAC 10 team and led USC to victory in the Rose Bowl against Michigan, sending Bo Schembechler into retirement with a loss in his final game.

Marinovich was also notable for being bread to be a quarterback by his father,

He has never eaten a Big Mac or an Oreo or a Ding Dong. When he went to birthday parties as a kid, he would take his own cake and ice cream to avoid  sugar and refined white flour. He would eat homemade catsup, prepared with honey. He did consume beef but not the kind injected with hormones. He ate only unprocessed dairy products. He teethed on frozen kidney. When Todd was one month old, Marv was already working on his son’s physical conditioning. He stretched his hamstrings. Pushups were next. Marv invented a game in which Todd would try to lift a medicine ball onto a kitchen counter. Marv also put him on a balance beam. Both activities grew easier when Todd learned to walk. There was a football in Todd’s crib from day one. “Not a real NFL ball,” says Marv. “That would be sick; it was a stuffed ball.”

Marinovich’s life did not turn out as planned.  His NFL career only lasted three years with the Raiders.  And things when down from there. He was most recently arrested, in April 2009, for failing to appear in drug court.

USC Football: 2009 Quarterback Race Update II

The latest from the always informative inside usc with scott wolf, the QB ratings for Tuesday, 7APR09, practice:

 

1. Aaron Corp
2. Mitch Mustain
3. Matt Barkley

USC Coach Pete Carroll on Aaron Corp,

“I don’t know what he sees it as. It’s motivation for me, I’m going to come out and keep slinging it and just get better at it. Hopefully they’ll give us the whole four weeks and I’ve just got to keep pushing. He didn’t specify what he meant by it so I’m taking it as nothing and keep working.

Coach Pete Carroll on Mitch Mustain,

USC Football: 2009 Quarterback Race Update

As previously reported, Aaron Corp was the frontrunner for the QB position for the Trojans.  He is followed by Mitch Mustain and Matt Barkley.  Corp is still holding on to that front spot,

He still looks a little deliberate at times throwing the ball, but his feet are a real asset. Defenses hate playing against mobile quarterbacks, and starting Corp would give Pete Carroll a weapon he never has had at USC.

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USC Football: 2009 Quarterback Race

In January Mark Sanchez announced he would be leaving USC to enter the NFL.  This left a gaping hole at quarterback for the Trojans.  There are three possible players to fill that void. (No disrespect intended to the very athletic and talented Garrett Green).

• Aaron Corp – Class of 2007.  Saw limited play in 2008.
• Mitch Mustain – Class of 2006.  Transfer from Arkansas, where he had a number of starts in 2007.
• Matt Barkley –  Class of 2009.  True freshman from Mater Dei HS (same HS as Matt Leinart), where he was the only freshman to start in the modern era. 

Over at USCFOOTBALL.COM, they have devised a rating system to rank the quarterbacks during spring practice. 

As of 1APR09, Corp was followed by Mustain and Barkley. 

Dreadnaught’s prediction for 2009: Corp will be the starting quarterback.  For what it is worth, Mark Sanchez also thinks Corp will be the new quarterback for the Trojans.

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USC Football: Quarterback Mark Sanchez To NFL

Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez to leave USC and move on to the NFL.  Coach Pete Carroll is not happy about the decision.

Dreadnaught prediction: the starting quarterback for next season will be Aaron Corp.  Not to take anything away from Mitch Mustain or Matt Barkley, but Corp will be the man for 2009.

Corp on Sanchez:

I’m not going to say I’m as enthusiastic as Mark is at times, but I can be.

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Video of Mark Sanchez’s press conference:

USC Football Recruiting: 2009 Under Armour High School All-American Game

The 2009 Under Armour High School All-American Game featured a number of future Trojans.

• QB Matt Barkley
• WR Alshon Jeffrey
• OL Kevin Graf
• OG John Martinez

Barkley had a standout performance, he,

threw for two early touchdown passes to lead his White Team to a 27-16 victory over the Black Team on Sunday night.

“It really felt good out there,” he said. “It was a fun game with a lot of great players.”

Barkley, from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., hit Marlon Brown of Memphis for a 71-yard score on the game’s first possession, then followed with a 35-yard TD pass to Jamal Reid.

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Trojans Continue To Recruit Well For 2009

Matt Barkley signed in January.

Hebron Fangupo, the top JUCO defensive player, signed in May.

Alshon Jeffrey signed in June.

And the recruiting just keeps getting better for the Men of Troy.  The 2009 class is shaping up to be the number on recruiting class in the nation, according to Paul Peszko of bleacher report,

Vontaze Burfict, a five-star, 6’2″, 235-pound linebacker from Centennial High School in Corona, CA; Devon Flournoy, a four-star, 6’2″, 4.40 wide receiver from Birmingham High School, Van Nuys, CA; Patrick Hall, a four-star, 6’1″, 181-pound safety from St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, CA; and Chris Metcalf, a three-star, 6’1″, 190-pound safety from Compton (CA) High School gave their commitments to the Trojans.

In May the Trojans got a commitment from a five-star JC defensive tackle, Hebron Fangupo, 6’2″, 230 pounds from Mount San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, CA.