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If former USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez is wondering how much different his role would be if he was playing for the Trojans instead of the New York Jets, Matt Barkley will quickly tell him, "not a whole lot different." Matt Barkley, like Sanchez, has a strong offensive line to protect him and a solid running game. The freshman phenom didn't have to be spectacular, although he was - he just had to manage the game, and that he did. Barkley was a success in his first outing as the Trojan starting Quarterback completing 15 of 19 passes for 233 yards and 1 touchdown leading the team to a 56-3 route of San Jose State.

Despite the slow start and conservative play calling, Pete Carroll stuck to his game plan of runs and play action that eventually wore out the Spartan defense and opened up the game for the young Barkley. After a scoreless 1st quarter the Trojans rumbled for long runs on the ground, and the fans got a chance to see Barkley's strong and accurate arm as he completed long passes to Damian Willams, Anthony McCoy, and David Ausberry.

The Trojans used eight different backs (including 2 fullbacks) to rush for 351 yards and 6 touchdowns. Three seperate backs, Mcknight, Tyler, and Bradford, each had a run longer than 40 yards including a spectacular Reggie Bush like scramble by Marc Tyler.

On the defensive end, the Trojans recorded so many tackles behind the line of scrimmage that despite of Patrick Perry's 48 rushing yards, the final stat board shows just 9 yards for the Spartans total rushing offense. It's hard to believe that the Trojans are only returning 2 starters on defense. A highly touted linebacker coming out of high school, Chris Galippo, finally had a chance to show what the hype was all about. He was all over the place making plays tackling the running backs, and rushing the QB.

Game Notes:

Joe Mcknight while looking bigger and stronger, still has the same fumbling issue, but unlike CJ Gable it didn't cause him any playing time.

Marc Tyler made the most of his opportunities with his 63 yard run on 3rd and long.

Corp showed poise completing all 4 of his passes including a touchdown on 4th down. However, he clearly isn't 100% from his leg injury.