Yesterday Matt Barkley made a huge decision to return to USC for his senior season. Barkley is considered by many to be the second best quarter back prospect behind consensus number 1 pick, Andrew Luck. In USC’s last game of the season Barkley led the Trojans to a 50-0 victory over rival UCLA. In this game Barkley threw for 423 yards and 6 Touchdowns. Barkley broke his own record for TD passes in a game as well as Matt Leinart’s USC single season record and the Pac-12 record for most touchdowns in a season. This game, ultimately led to the firing of coach Rick Neuheisel by UCLA. After such a strong season Barkley was a sure-fire top 10 pick, and USC fans believed they had watched Barkley’s final game at the Coliseum. However, Barkley brought the Trojans an early Christmas present and declared that he would return for his final season at USC. With only four starters leaving for the draft, USC will return almost all of their 5th ranked (AP Poll) team next season. As a team that starts many freshman and sophomores due to their sanctions, this team will only get better next year. Barkley claimed he has unfinished business at SC and intends to bring a championship to USC next season. But, I feel like we’ve seen the same story at USC. If we turn the page back to the 2004-2005 season, Matt Leinart made a crazy decision to return to USC after winning two straight national championships and a Heisman trophy. He had also cemented a top 5 draft spot as well. This proved to be a horrible decision for Leinart after he lost in the National Championship and dropped to 10th in the draft. Now, how do these two USC greats match-up?
Matt Barkley:
Career at USC: 35 Games Played, 9,054 yards, 80 TD’s, 33 INT’s
Matt Leinart:
Career at USC: 39 Games Played, 10,693 yards, 99 TD’s, 23 INT’s
Junior Season: 3,332 yards, 33TD’s, 6 INTS
Now a look at the stats will reveal that Leinart was statistically way better than Barkley, however, Barkley started as a true freshman with no mentor and never had great NFL caliber weapons until this past season. Meanwhile, Leinart threw to NFL wideouts his whole career, had Reggie Bush and LenWHALE White, and was mentored by USC great Carson Palmer for two years.
In Matt Leinart’s three years as a starter he became known as USC’s greatest QB ever. In his first season as a starter he led the Trojans to a 12-1 record and a share of the 2003-2004 National Championship after being denied a dominating win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Leinart’s junior season was highlighted by a non-shared National Championship after USC dominated Oklahoma 55-19. This Trojan team, despite the vacated championship, still goes down as one of the best teams ever, and Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy that season. However, despite a lofty draft stock as a potential #1 overall pick, Leinart decided to go for three straight championships and returned for his senior season. USC began the season ranked #1 and stayed there until their exciting defeat in the National Championship game against Texas. Leinart’s draft stock sank due to Texas’ Vince Young’s meteoric rise, and Leinart faced character problems with his ex-girlfriend and for partying too much. Despite many chances to take over as the Arizona Cardinals QB he never was able to hold on due to poor performance or injury. He is currently a back-up QB for the Houston Texans and broke his collarbone in his only start this season. Leinart’s decision to stay was probably the most scrutinized because he had already accomplished all he could accomplish as a QB in college. His staying led to scouts getting more time to scout him, which led them to see Leinart’s poor arm strength, which also led to a drop in draft stock. Despite his accomplishments at USC, Leinart still goes down as one of the biggest draft busts ever.
Matt Barkley was facing a similar decision at USC. No, Barkley hasn’t won a National Championship or a Heisman trophy, but after being USC’s only freshman to start the season at QB, and leading them to a season where they finished #5 in the AP poll despite being ineligible for postseason play, it was presumed that Barkley had done enough at USC, and would be a top 10 pick in this years NFL draft. However, despite Barkley’s decision being surprising due to his draft stock, he will be on a team that returns around 18 of its 22 starters, AND USC will be eligible to play in the Pac-12 Championship and Bowl Games next season. USC has a lot of momentum heading into the 2012 season now with Barkley staying, and if they can win a championship Barkley will become USC’s greatest quarter back of all time. However, Barkley runs the risk of ending up like Matt Leinart. Barkley now has the risks of injury and failure. USC will once again have that massive target on their backs as the team to take out, and with so many underclassmen starting it will be interesting to see how they can handle the pressure of being a preseason favorite for the National Championship. As a USC fan I’m hoping Barkley can pull off winning a championship in a story that would automatically become a great 30 for 30 episode. Barkley will head into the 2012 season as a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy and number 1 overall pick in the draft.
-Abergel
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