A couple of quick but interesting reads for the OCR (BTW these guys are becoming my go to guys...they always have great stuff!)
Here is the first quick hit...
Well, I predicted back in spring Matt Barkley would win that competition.
But Aaron Corp's cracked fibula played a part.
Why I always thought Barkley would prevail:
He is the most college football-ready QB I have seen here in OC, and that group includes Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez; he is a cool-headed yet fired-up competitor (an unusual combination); his arm strength is ridiculous; and he stays in the present, i.e. learns from a mistake and then moves on.
If Barkley struggles a lot, Corp moves into that No. 1 slot and maybe never gives it back up. And it would have to be a lot of struggling for Coach Pete Carroll to do that, because he wants to be very careful not to mess up the freshman's psyche.
Here is the 2nd piece...
Well, here’s why:
- Aaron Corp isn’t 100 percent. If he plays and gets hurt more seriously, then it’s Matt Barkley and Mitch Mustain.
- Corp might be a better "changeup" as a No. 2, because he can run.
- Barkley was the 14-year-old freshman quarterback at Mater Dei. This is no harder than that was, especially with San Jose State as the opening foe, although I wouldn’t underestimate the troublesome wrinkles of a Dick Tomey defense.
- Ronald Johnson and Damian Williams are two real receivers, not just physical guys who can’t get open and can’t hold onto footballs, but look good on Signing Day. (Yeah, you, Vidal.) To keep eight people out of the defensive box, let Barkley heave it downfield to guys who can really catch.
- I’m tired of hearing about how Barkley never won anything at Mater Dei. They said the same thing about Peyton Manning at Tennessee. It’s a team game.
- The Trojans have a good offensive line, although it was better when Kristoffer O’Dowd was healthy. Barkley probably won’t be running for his life very often. He also has enough runners to neutralize the rush.
- If you’re worried about Barkley performing at Ohio Stadium in front of what will seem like 600,000 people, remember that Corp hasn’t been there either.
- If Barkley is as good as we think he is, he’ll play three years at USC and leave. Why not get as many games out of Barkley as you can? They didn’t get that much out of Mark Sanchez, as it turned out.
- This was a bit of a surprise, but Barkley has been through a spring and a fall practice, and Dave Money’s Mater Dei offense was not Dick & Jane stuff. I don’t think it’s a huge deal because both these guys will play a lot of QB at USC before they’re done.
Great points!
I have no idea how it will shake out. Maybe this is the rebuilding year that we all thought would come.
No one really knows...
But I do know that I tend to trust in Pete Carroll. He has delivered in the past with less experience around the QB. I will feel a lot better if O'Dowd is back on the field.
Corp isn't ready so why chance it. Mustain seems to be a distant third on the depth chart but he is ready to go in a pinch.
I am basically going to sit back and watch how it all unfolds...we are where we are so regardless of what we all think we need to get behind Barkley.
Anyway, I wanted to share these two great articles. I will more tomorrow. It will be a little dicey but we will be fine...