USC Trojans

LOS ANGELES -- USC Trojans freshman defensive tackle Leonard Williams has not been suspended by the Pac-12 for the punch he threw against Colorado that earned him an ejection, and it appears unlikely he'll receive any punishment from the conference office.

Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said after Tuesday's practice that he wasn't "allowed" to address Williams' situation.

"I think that's confidential," Kiffin said.

Previously, Kiffin had said he expected to hear back from the conference office Monday about a possible punishment for Williams. USC had not heard anything as of Tuesday afternoon, a school spokesperson said.

No news is typically good news as far as suspensions go, although there remains the possibility that Williams could be suspended for all or part of Saturday's game at Arizona.

"There's no set time on when the conference would announce any public reprimands or suspensions," Pac-12 spokesperson Dave Hirsch wrote in an e-mail Monday afternoon.

But each of the last two USC-related Pac-12 reprimands or suspensions were announced on a Monday or Tuesday.

Safety T.J. McDonald was suspended on a Monday for a half after the loss to Stanford last year. Quarterback Matt Barkley was publicly reprimanded on a Tuesday for comments made the previous week about Vontaze Burfict leading up to the Trojans' eventual loss to Arizona State.

Williams is expected to start at defensive tackle for the Trojans in Tucson this weekend. He told teammates that he punched a Colorado player in the facemask because he was first spit on in a second-quarter pile-up.

LOS ANGELES -- Matt Barkley's early season performances took him out of the running for the Heisman Trophy he was favored to win just two months ago, but he's not out of it yet, according to his coach.

USC Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday that Barkley could still win the trophy if he continues to play the way he did against Colorado last weekend. Barkley set a school record for touchdown passes in a six-touchdown day against the Buffaloes, completing 19 of 20 pass attempts for 298 yards.

It was his best performance of the 2012 season and the best statistical game of his college career, although lowly Colorado didn't exactly present a ton of challenges.

Kiffin indirectly referenced Carson Palmer's 2002 Heisman-winning season at USC in arguing that Barkley could still win the award with five big late-season games. He'll have the stage to do it, too, with games coming up against top-10 teams Oregon and Notre Dame.

"Like I've said all along, the Heisman is a full body of work through the whole year," Kiffin said Tuesday. "Everybody wants to figure it out way early. There's been a lot of Heismans won in a lot of places, including a couple here, late in the year.

"So we'll wait and see and obviously if he keeps playing the way that he did, I think everybody will be happy."

Kansas State's Collin Klein seems to be considered the latest favorite after his team's 55-14 dismantling of Geno Smith and West Virginia last week.

Here’s a listing of Week 7 stats for the former USC players in the NFL:

Oakland Raiders

Carson Palmer: 26-46, 298 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 6 rush, 14 yards, 1 touchdown

David Ausberry: 2 tackles

Alex Parsons: no stats

Matt Leinart: no stats

New York Jets

QB Mark Sanchez: 28-41, 328 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 rush for zero yards

RB Joe McKnight: 7 carries, 23 yards

Minnesota Vikings

DL Everson Griffen: no stats

OL Matt Kalil: started at left tackle

FB Rhett Ellison: 2 tackles

Cleveland Browns

LB Kaluka Maiava: 3 tackles, 1 sack

DL Frostee Rucker: 2 tackles, 1 sack

TE Jordan Cameron: 1 catch, 4 yards

Tennessee Titans

DT Jurrell Casey: no stats

WR Damian Williams: 3 catches, 38 yards

DT DaJohn Harris: no stats

Philadelphia Eagles

FB Stanley Havili: no stats

Seattle Seahawks

TE Anthony McCoy: no stats

LB Mike Morgan: no stats

LB Malcolm Smith: 1 tackle

Houston Texans

DT Shaun Cody: no stats

Cincinnati Bengals

LB Rey Maualuga: 4 tackles

DB Taylor Mays: no stats

New Orleans Saints

OL Charles Brown: no stats

DL Sedrick Ellis: 2 tackles

Indianapolis Colts

OL Winston Justice: started at tackle

DL Fili Moala: no stats

Green Bay Packers

LB Clay Matthews: 2 tackles, 1 sack

LB Nick Perry: no stats

Carolina Panthers

OL Jeff Byers: no stats

Pittsburgh Steelers

DB Troy Polamalu: no stats

Atlanta Falcons

OL Sam Baker: no stats

Washington Redskins

TE Fred Davis: 1 catch, 13 yards

Miami Dolphins

RB Reggie Bush: no stats

Kansas City Chiefs

QB Matt Cassel: no stats

Chicago Bears

OL Chilo Rachal: started at guard

Buffalo Bills

DE Kyle Moore: 0.5 sack

St. Louis Rams

Steve Smith: 4 catches, 26 yards

Detroit Lions

Lawrence Jackson: no stats

New York Giants

Keith Rivers: 6 tackles

Dallas Cowboys

Tyron Smith: started at tackle

As noted last week, Taylor Kelly was on the shortlist for my Heisman ballot because through the first six games, I believed he deserved the recognition -- with the stipulation that it may only last a week. And it did. But Kenjon Barner picked up a few more voters and has risen to third in the ESPN.com poll. Matt Barkley and De'Anthony Thomas continue to receive votes. Here's how the Pac-12 players shake out in the ESPN.com poll.

Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

• Week 8 numbers: Carried 16 times for 143 yards (8.9 average) with three touchdowns that included a 71-yard score.
• Season numbers: Has carried 132 times for 870 yards (6.6 average) with 12 touchdowns. Has 11 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
• What went well: While the nation tuned in to see what De'Anthony Thomas was all about, it was Barner who stole the show. His ankle-breaking moves were on full display as he showed burst, elusiveness and hard running.
• Any questions? Were enough people watching for him to at least garner some attention on a national scale? He's got a quarterback and a linebacker in front of him in the poll, but it seems like he's getting some more looks.

Others receiving votes

Matt Barkley, USC, QB

• Week 8 numbers: Was a sparkling 19-of-20 for 298 yards, 6 touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Season numbers: Has completed 140 of 213 passes (65.7) with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
• Thoughts: He's not out of it yet. A few more games with some big numbers -- especially on Nov. 3 against the Ducks -- could swing some voters back his way.

De'Anthony Thomas, RB/WR, Oregon

• Week 8 numbers: Carried 12 times for 25 yards and no touchdowns. Caught three balls for 4 yards and no touchdowns.
• Season numbers: Has 53 carries for 402 yards (7.6 average) and 6 touchdowns. Has caught 23 balls for 209 yards with 3 touchdowns.
• Thoughts: He picked up one second-place vote, but the touches just haven't been there. More and more people are starting to throw support to Barner, who at this point is clearly the better candidate.

Here is an update on performances of USC players who have been named to various college football award watch lists:

LB Dion Bailey, So. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Lombardi, Butkus): It was a quick night of work for Bailey against Colorado with one tackled in limited action before Lane Kiffin started pulling many of his starters.

QB Matt Barkley, Sr. (Camp, Maxwell, O’Brien): It was a night to remember for Barkley, who hit on 19 of 20 passes for 298 yards and six touchdowns (the only missed pass was a drop). Barkley set the career Pac-12 touchdown pass mark as well as the conference single-game completion-percentage record.

K Andre Heidari, So. (Groza): Made his only field-goal attempt, a 37-yard kick late in the game.

C Khaled Holmes, Sr. (Rimington): Helped keep Barkley upright, as the quarterback was not sacked on his record-breaking day.

WR Marqise Lee, So. (Biletnikoff, Maxwell): Lee was in the background to Robert Woods in this game, but he still managed six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.

DB T.J. McDonald, Sr. (Thorpe, Camp, Bednarik, Nagurski, Lott): Another steady stat line with six tackles, good for second on the team.

WR Robert Woods, Jr. (Biletnikoff, Camp, Maxwell): Woods also stepped into the record books in a big way as he became the all-time leading pass catcher in USC history after getting eight catches for 132 yards and four touchdowns (the most touchdown catches in a single game for a USC player).

RB Curtis McNeal, Sr. (Maxwell, Walker): Had three rushes for 16 yards in limited action.

LB Hayes Pullard, So. (Lombardi): Had six tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.

RB Silas Redd, Jr. (Camp, Maxwell, Walker): Had three carries for 13 yards in limited action.

DB Nickell Robey, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe): Had three tackles and one pass break-up.

DL Wes Horton, Sr. (Lombardi): Had one tackle.

LOS ANGELES -- T.J. McDonald had to do a double take after what someone had just asked him.

"Do I think we can hang with them?" the All-American safety asked, repeating the question.

Yeah, do you think you can hang with them?

"Yeah," he snapped.

Proving time is coming, 12 days from now.

The second-ranked Oregon Ducks visit the Coliseum Nov. 3 -- a week from Saturday -- and for those few hours, this USC Trojans football team finally has a chance to prove to us all that it's as good as we thought it was back in August. That it's as explosive as it began suggesting one year ago. That the occasional bumbling and immaturity through these first seven games was only Lane Kiffin lying in the weeds.

The Trojans could have set every record since Y.A. Tittle on Saturday afternoon against a bad Colorado team -- and, at times, it felt as if they did -- but it didn't tell us anything about the test that's coming here soon in a blur of green-and-yellow and the thunder of Nike-shod feet.

Matt Barkley completed 95 percent of his passes Saturday. The only one he didn't complete Curtis McNeal dropped. Barkley was sitting on the bench by halfway through the third quarter. Robert Woods became the most accomplished USC receiver of all time, at least -- maybe -- until Marqise Lee passes him.

And the Trojans' afternoon was the second most-impressive offensive performance in the Pac-12.

Two nights before, USC players sat in their dorm rooms and watched Oregon on ESPN score six touchdowns in a span of 18 minutes on the road at Arizona State. Four of those touchdowns came on runs of more than 70 yards.

Yeah, the Trojans have to go to Arizona first -- and, who knows, they might blow the whole Oregon build-up by losing in the desert. Some have already called it a trap game. But it looks as if they'll still have the benefit of a national spotlight game against the Ducks to vault them back in the BCS mix. If they beat Oregon, the sky is the limit for this season.

The Trojans moved up another notch in the Associated Press rankings Sunday in the wake of the South Carolina blowout loss. They could vault over another team or three by winning their next two games and that means nothing -- including the BCS title game -- is off the table yet.

So, ready or not, here it comes. But are they ready for that kind of test?

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USC quarterback Matt Barkley was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week Monday following a record-setting performance at home against Colorado on Saturday.

Barkley completed 19 of his 20 pass attempts against the Buffaloes for 298 yards and six touchdowns, tying the single-game scoring throw record and breaking Matt Leinart's all-time career record with 102 career touchdown passes.

His 95 percent completion mark also broke the Pac-12 record set by former UCLA quarterback and coach Rick Neuheisel and came within a percent of the all-time mark, owned by current USC receivers coach Tee Martin.

Martin quarterbacked Tennessee to a 1998 national championship and set the record against South Carolina that season.

Barkley is the third USC Trojan to win Pac-12 player of the week honors this season. Marqise Lee and Randall Telfer each earned the special teams award earlier in the year.

Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas and Arizona receiver/returner Richard Morrison were the other player of the week honorees this time.

Some selected quotes from Lane Kiffin’s Sunday night conference call following the Trojans’ 50-6 victory over Colorado.

Open: “Overall, a really good day -- a really special day for all Trojans I think, [for] all Trojan fans. It was really exciting, and I just thought there were a lot of really neat things with not just the two anticipated records … but then to have on the side, an all-time completion percentage in the history of the conference in a game, and then the most touchdown passes by a USC team ever, and then the most touchdown catches by a single player ever, is pretty special. And I thought it just kind of went along with the day, from the Stanley Cup being there, to the SC championship team being there, to the great tribute after the records -- a lot of credit to Craig Kelley and Mark Jackson on that -- it was really neat and I think it just spoke volumes about L.A. and SC.”

On the team’s continuing issue with penalties: “I don’t really have a theory on it. Obviously [it’s] very disappointing. I’ve never spent a halftime like that before, where myself and the coaches -- the entire halftime was on penalties and on composure. Fortunately, we came out in the second half and did a better job, which was good, so hopefully somehow that fixed it.

“What I’m hoping is that we hit rock bottom in the first half. It’s one thing when [we’re] lined up offsides and stuff like that, but when we have the personal fouls … as I said afterwards, to me that’s a disgrace to our university and to all of our great players that have played here before. That’s nothing that we want to be associated with. So I think maybe in this one, somehow we had to hit rock bottom, and that locker room was.”

On the condition of offensive tackle Aundrey Walker: “I don’t think -- as you guys know -- I’m allowed to say very much on that. But I guess I could say that he was back in meetings today and things seem to be very positive.”

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USC Trojans (6-1 overall, 4-1 in Pac-12) vs. Arizona Wildcats (4-3 overall, 1-3 in Pac-12)

Date: Saturday, October 27

Time: 12:30 p.m. PT

Location: Wildcat Stadium (Tucson, Ariz.)

TV: ABC or ESPN2

Radio: ESPNLA 710 (pre-game show begins at 7 a.m. PT)

Scouting Arizona: Arizona, under new coach Rich Rodriguez, snapped a three-game losing streak (all to ranked teams) with a convincing 52-17 win against Washington on Saturday.

The Wildcats sport a potent offense that is fifth nationally in total offense (548.7 yards per game, first in Pac-12) and passing offense (352.3 ypg, first in Pac-12) and 20th in scoring offense (39.1, second in Pac-12). Senior QB Matt Scott (200 of 311, 64.3 percent, 2,355 yards, 17 TD, eight INT in 2012, plus 65 carries, 265 yards, 4.1 avg, three TD) is fourth nationally in total offense (374.3, first in Pac-12). Sophomore RB Ka’Deem Carey (155 carries, 842 yards, 5.4 avg, 11 TD, plus 22 receptions, 222 yards, 10.1 avg, one TD) is 14th nationally in rushing (120.3, fourth in Pac-12), 16th in all-purpose running (154.3, third in Pac-12) and tied for 18th in scoring (10.3, second in Pac-12). Sophomore WR Austin Hill (44 receptions, 678 yards, 15.4 avg, seven TD in 2012), who is 14th nationally in receiving yards (96.9, fourth in Pac-12) and senior Dan Buckner (44 rec, 599 yds, 13.6 avg, 2 TD in 2012) are the top pass catchers.

On the other hand, UA’s defense is in the bottom 20 nationally in total defense (464.7 yards per game, 11th in Pac-12). Junior MLB Jake Fischer (67 tackles, 4.5 for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries) is the Pac-12’s top tackler (9.6), while sophomore safety Tra’Mayne Bondurant (43 tackles, 10.5 for loss, one INT, 4 deflections, 1 forced fumble) and sophomore CB Jonathan McKnight (29 tackles, three INT, 3 deflections) lead the secondary. -- courtesy USC sports information

Taking stock of the eighth week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Oregon fumbled on its first possession at Arizona State and immediately yielded a touchdown. Ah, here's that road test we were talking about! Then the Ducks opened up a can of whup-butt and throttled the Sun Devils in one of the most dominating halves of football this season. Sure, the final was only 43-21. But it was 43-7 at the break, which allowed the Ducks to rest many of their starters much of the second half. Some test.

Best game: There were no close games this week, but Oregon State's 21-7 win over Utah certainly provided some tension for Beavers fans. With the Oregon State offense muted in Week 2 with backup QB Cody Vaz, the defense won the day, forcing four turnovers. Yes, it was a two-touchdown win, but things were in doubt well into the fourth quarter.

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LOS ANGELES -- USC Trojans coach Lane Kiffin addressed the media in his normal day-after game conference call Sunday night, talking about his team's 50-6 win over Colorado and briefly looking ahead at the remaining five regular-season games.

Here are notes and quotes from the call:

Injury updates

Defensive end Devon Kennard (torn pec) will sit out the rest of the season and redshirt, Kiffin said.
Kennard will be a redshirt senior in 2013. He tore his pec in a July weight-lifting accident and previously said he had hopes of returning in November for a final NFL trial run.

Kiffin also provided updates on two other players, cornerback Brian Baucham and defensive tackle Cody Temple. Both players are out for the 2012 season, Baucham with a unspecified issue and Temple with an ankle injury.

Left tackle Aundrey Walker, who appeared to suffer a neck injury in the third quarter of Saturday's game, was released from the hospital Sunday after spending the night there.

Kiffin said Walker was back in meetings with the team Sunday. "Things seemed to be very positive," Kiffin said. "That's about all I'd be allowed to say."

Special-teams trickery

So the holder wearing No. 35 who took off running on the two-point play after USC's second touchdown in the first quarter?

That wasn't Kyle Negrete, USC's punter, who normally wears No. 35. That was Cody Kessler, third-string quarterback and recent new holder. Kiffin had Kessler sport No. 35 for the first half of Saturday's game -- presumably to run the fake kick -- and then switch back to No. 6 for the second half, when he came in the game in garbage time at quarterback and completed the first throws of his college career.

It's a legal move, but an ethically dubious one. Kessler was listed as the ballcarrier on the play in the postgame statistics, but he was not announced as such in the press box or over the PA.

It also opens the floodgates for many more potential shenanigans. If Kiffin tried that against Colorado, what might he try against Oregon? So much is suddenly in play.

Sunday, Kiffin deflected a question about who was the holder in the first half, saying, "I'd really rather not get into that at this time for certain reasons."

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LOS ANGELES -- The records are nice and the score will look good in a couple of months, but if there's one thing to take away from the USC Trojans' 50-6 dismantling of Colorado at the Coliseum on Saturday, it's this: USC might be better equipped to take down Oregon than we realized.

More specifically, maybe the Trojans can make a no-huddle offense work for them, too. Oregon has done it to perfection in recent years. USC broke it in Saturday for the first time and looked pretty good doing it, albeit against the dismal Buffaloes.

Coach Lane Kiffin admitted Saturday that his team has been practicing the no-huddle all season. He just kept it under wraps until now to surprise the Trojans' next two opponents in Arizona and Oregon.

Now, the Wildcats and Ducks have to prepare for it. Even if USC doesn't break it out in either of the next two games, that's still one thing more to account for.

"That's why we do a lot of the stuff that we do," Kiffin said Sunday.

And if the Trojans do show more no-huddle, then, well, it'll be interesting.

"We didn't do the no-huddle wanting Arizona or whoever to see it," USC receivers coach Tee Martin said after Saturday's game. "We did the no-huddle because it gave us an advantage today."

So, does that mean they'll use it again?

"If Arizona and whoever gives us that advantage, then maybe so," Martin said. "If not, we'll do our normal stuff."

Center Khaled Holmes didn't say the Trojans were better in a no-huddle offense, but he did say they were about as good. Considering the newness of it, that's about the same thing.

"I think the whole offensive line, the whole offense, is successful and comfortable at that pace," Holmes said Saturday. "We were successful tonight, too, which always makes us seem more comfortable."

Kiffin has long said that quarterback Matt Barkley is comfortable adjusting plays at the line and calling audibles based on defensive schemes. Running a successful no-huddle doesn't require much more than that from the quarterback.

And, based on how USC's play-calling has routinely rotated between a select group of plays, it wouldn't limit Kiffin's creativity too much to narrow things down to a few options for Barkley to select from at the line.

Coincidence or not, USC also didn't commit a false-start or delay-of-game penalty against Colorado. The Trojans were called for nine of those over the previous two weeks.

Kiffin attributed most of that to playing on the road the previous two games, but also allowed that his team reacted well to the increased speed of the no-huddle offense.

Arizona coach, Rich Rodriguez, is a no-huddle pioneer, so it all lines up for another test this Saturday.