Trojans Fall Flat Against Cardinal
When Matt Barkley announced his intent to return to USC in December, he cited some "unfinished business" he and this Trojan team had to attent to.
It appears that some of that business will remain unfinished.
The No. 2 Trojans fell to No. 21 Stanford 21-14 in Palo Alto on Saturday, making Barkley 0-4 against the Cardinal in his career. His only chance at redemption is a potential rematch in the Pac-12 title game. But that's a long way's off.
It would be wrong to say the Trojans were upset by the Cardinal. An upset is when the better team loses. And anyone who watched Saturday's could tell who the better team was.
Said Matt Barkley after the game, "they played better football than us."
"That's one of the best front seven's in the country," said coach Lane Kiffin when asked about USC's rushing and pass protection woes.The numbers speak for themselves. Total offense: 417 for Stanford, 207 for USC. First downs: 22-15. Turnovers: 3-1. USC was an abysmal 1-13 on third down and finished the game with 27 net rushing yards. That is not a typo. Twenty-seven. The running backs actually did rush for 69 combined yards. But Matt Barkley was sacked four times for several huge losses.
Indeed, the offensive line was porous for the Trojans. Cyrus Hobbi, starting at center in place of injured captain Khaled Holmes, appeared completely overmatached both mentally and physically. Left tackle Aundrey Walker had arguably the worst game of his young career protecting Barkley's blind side, never more evident than on the Trojans final attempt at a game tying fourth quarter drive. Down 21-14 and faced with an already daunting third-and-28, Walker false started to make it third-and-33, then allowed his man to blow by him and sack Barkley untouched to make it an impossible fourth-and-39.
The ensuing hail mary fell incomplete, and the Trojans had lost to Stanford for the fourth time in as many games an for the fifth time in the last six matchups.
USC got on the board quick. Starting at the 50 on their second drive of the evening, Barkley found freshman recevier Nelson Agholor over the middle for a 49 yard gain to the one, where Silas Redd punched it in to make it 7-0.
Stanford responded immediately, however, as runningback Stephon Taylor found the endzone from 59 yards out to tie the score.
With 3:30 remaining in the first quarter, USC took over on their own 41 yard line, and spent 15 plays and 7:16 marching the ball downfield until Redd again punched it in from the one. The Trojans did not score again. USC went into the break up 14-7 in what had turned into much more of a slow and sloppy game than anyone expected, and came out lifeless.
The Cardinal outgained the Trojans 238-to-91 in the second half, as quarterback Josh Nunes, Andrew Luck's replacement, threw for 137 of his 215 yards and a pair of TDs after the break.
While a loss this early does not completely derail the Trojan's National Title hopes, it puts them on the outside looking in. But perhaps linebacker Anthony Sarao gave the most promising few of how the rest of the season will play out: "I feel very bad for the next team we are going to play."
