Commentary
A report card to be proud of
There was very little to dislike about USC's performance in its rout of Washington
Updated: November 17, 2011, 11:41 AM ET
By
Kyle Williams | We Are SC
Right after a game ends, coaches immediately watch the film and grade their players. The grades consist of two things, mainly -- assignment and technique. Here are my position grades after Saturday's 40-17 win over Washington.
Quarterback: 88 percent (B+)
With the running game working on all cylinders, Matt Barkley got a lot of work on his running back exchanges. Barkley did a good job managing the game and making his checks at the line of scrimmage. He had a rushing touchdown and threw a couple nice balls to Marqise Lee and one to Brice Butler. There were two passes during the game that easily could have been intercepted and shifted the momentum to Washington. I put the blame on Barkley for the only sack USC allowed. The play was a quick screen, where Barkley throws the ball to his running back who's stationed around the line of scrimmage. However, Curtis McNeal got caught up with one of Washington's D-linemen, so Barkley had no one to throw it to. Looking back on the tape, Barkley will see that he should have just thrown the ball away.
With the running game working on all cylinders, Matt Barkley got a lot of work on his running back exchanges. Barkley did a good job managing the game and making his checks at the line of scrimmage. He had a rushing touchdown and threw a couple nice balls to Marqise Lee and one to Brice Butler. There were two passes during the game that easily could have been intercepted and shifted the momentum to Washington. I put the blame on Barkley for the only sack USC allowed. The play was a quick screen, where Barkley throws the ball to his running back who's stationed around the line of scrimmage. However, Curtis McNeal got caught up with one of Washington's D-linemen, so Barkley had no one to throw it to. Looking back on the tape, Barkley will see that he should have just thrown the ball away.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
-
ESPN The Magazine subscribers
-
Need more information?
- USC Trojans analyst
- Played offensive tackle at USC from 2002-06
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
SPONSORED HEADLINES
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HEADLINES
- Notre Dame paid Weis more than Kelly in 2011
- Ex-Penn State QB Bench transferring to USF
- Host Finebaum joining SEC Network, ESPN
- SEC hires Vincent as associate commissioner
MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM
EDITORS' PICKS

- Separation Anxiety
- Summer can be a frustrating time of year for coaches. Mark Schlabach »

- Today Is The Day
- If the season started today, I think ... Conference Call


- Working Vacation
- Recruiting is how college coaches spend summer. Jeremy Crabtree



