USC Pulls Off Comeback Win

By Abel Berhanu

In dramatic fashion, the Trojans pulled out a comeback 18-15 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, further silencing any critics of SC or Matt Barkley. Despite what anyone may have to say about his pretty boy appearance or preppy background, when he was given the keys for that offense in the fourth quarter, its safe to say that he didn’t blow it.

Ignoring the cleverly crafted insults thrown at him by Ohio State (gems such as “go back to high school” and “you suck”), the freshman drove right down the field and made the necessary throws at the right times. Two of his three completions on that drive were on third down, totaling 55 yards for the drive. But if you mention Barkley, you also have include Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight in the fourth quarter discussion.

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times

McKnight was Barkley’s safe option on the dumpoffs, and he took one on third-and-8 and went 21 yards with it. Notch the completion for Barkley, but McKnight did the running. Stafon Johnson is starting to establish himself as a legitimate red zone running threat. Four touchdowns in two games so far, and he had both of the Trojans’ touchdowns in yesterday’s game.

As for Joe McKnight, he reminds me of Saddam Hussein in his prime: he’s hard to get a hold of. Pardon the terrorist reference, but there’s no denying that when he steps onto the field, the defense sighs a collective “aw shit”. The combination of McKnight’s elusiveness with Johnson’s Straight-Outta-Compton-no-bullshit running style gives defenses a fit, and on that last drive, the Buckeyes’ D was no different.

One surprising thing about last night was the way that Ohio State controlled the lines for the first three quarters. Most people (myself included) thought that the Trojan lines would bully the Buckeyes like Hussein and Kuwait (double jeopardy?). But it made for an extremely competitive game, one that had fans of both sides squeezing their asses in anxiety on every play.

That last drive, however, will go down as one of the most memorable in USC history, if not college football regular season history. A true freshman steps in during clutch time with the team down 5, makes the right throws (and some QB sneaks to boot), then the tailbacks finish it off with determined running. Sounds cheesy, but hey, tell that to the SC football team and see what they say about it. You can also try telling that to Pete Carroll, but he’ll just dismiss you like he does with everyone who’s not in an SC uniform, because he obviously has a ton of faith in what his team, especially Barkley, can do. And even though he made that cardinal sin of throwing behind his body while rolling to the left (why?! Feet set!), the arm strength and accuracy were there, enough to convince me and other football fans that he is the real deal.

On a somewhat yet completely unrelated note, Terrelle Pryor cannot, and I repeat CANNOT, run a 4.33 40-yard dash. And though Taylor Mays is the offspring of Hercules and Aphrodite, there’s no way he can run a 4.25. Chris Johnson ran a 4.24, so you’re telling me that both of these guys can even come close to matching his speed? I don’t think so. I can’t wait for them to run at the combine so I will be proven right once again.