Trojans Crush Spartans, 56 - 3

Well, it took a little while, but once the Trojan steamroller started moving, it left a trail of destruction the SJSU Spartans won't soon forget. USC moved into the Barkley era with a blowout victory, and answered a few questions along the way.

And now, let's grade 'em:

Offense

QBs - After a slow start, Barkley passed his first test with solid numbers of 15-19, 233 yards and a TD pass. Most importantly, he had no turnovers, no fumbled snaps, and didn't waste any timeouts because he was flustered. Aaron Corp got some mop up time and looked smooth on 4 for 4 passing and a TD pass. Grade: B

RBs/FBs - This was the RB unit's game to run wild. Joe McKnight, Allen Bradford and Marc Tyler each had spectacular long runs, and Stafon Johnson chipped in with (2) TDs. Stan Havili also had 3 receptions, and blocked very well on some long TD runs by the RBs. FB DJ Shoemate also had a TD catch. Grade: A minus

WRs/TEs - The WRs did a nice job of taking some short receptions and turning them into long runs. Damian Williams and TE Anthony McCoy led the way with 3 receptions. The only negative for the group was a fumble by McCoy in the first quarter.
Grade: B

OLine - The blocking at the point of attack and down-field was beautiful to see. Behind the big uglies, SC rushed for 342 yards. Grade: A minus

Defense

DLine - Great day for the young DLine that collected (5) sacks. DT/NT Jurell Casey was active, and redshirt freshmen DE Nick Perry tallied two sacks, while DE Wes Horton recovered a fumble. True frosh DE Devon Kennard had five tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, and JC transfer DT Loni Fangupo made his presence felt on the inside. Grade: B+

LBs - Nice game for the new posse. MLB Chris Galippo led the team in tackles with (9) including three TFLs. OLB Malcolm Smith was especially active, breaking up a pass while collecting 1.5 TFLs. True frosh Jarvis Jones also made his presence felt with (5) tackles. Grade: B+

DBs - These guys weren't tested much. Safety Taylor Mays, and CBs Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas supported the run defense well tallying (14) tackles, while holding SJSU to only 112 yards through the air. Grade: B

Special Teams

Kicking - Punter Billy O'Malley needs to improve upon his 34 yard average, but new kickoff specialist Jake Harfman impressed with three touchbacks. The return and coverage units were solid, with one spectacular hit from DJ Shoemate on the kickoff team. Grade: C+

Coaching - Coaches Carroll and Bates did a nice job of giving QB Barkley what he could handle, and easy options to choose from in the passing game. But as usual, a QB's best friend is the running game, and SC ran often to sprint away from SJSU. The defense did it's normal thing: Dominate. SJSU accounted for a measley 121 yards in total offense. Grade: B

Game Balls:

Offense - Offensive Line (Brown, Lewis, Byers, Parsons, Smith)
Defense - MLB Chris Galippo
Special Teams - FB DJ Shoemate


Prediction Winner: J-Man takes the cheese!