COLUMBUS, Ohio — He is 19 years old, blonder than you, and living, irrefutable proof that life ain’t fair. Right up there with Guitar Hero or trust-fund baby, Matt Barkley just might have inherited the sweetest gig in the world: quarterback for the USC Trojans.
What does a teenager think when dropped in a stadium filled with more than 100,000 people praying for him to fail, with his eardrums being rocked from the sound of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes blaring over the loudspeakers and the entire length of the field, not to mention the Ohio State defense, standing between him and the winning touchdown?
“I knew we were going to score,” said Barkley, who led third-ranked USC on a 14-play, 86-yard drive in the fourth quarter to beat No. 8 Ohio State 18-15 on Saturday night.
In Southern California, there is a job way cooler than movie star. Sure, Kobe Bryant has rings. But the once and future king of sports in Los Angeles is whoever’s lucky enough to be the quarterback of USC.
Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez all matriculated to NFL huddles. The money’s good. But why am I thinking that in terms of fun, it’s a step down to leave the Trojans for the pros?
Being quarterback at USC was all supposed to be too much glitz and too much pressure for a true freshman to handle. National championship? This was the season when the Trojans were expected to have a difficult time winning the Pac-10 Conference.
“I understood why a lot of people would question (Barkley), but he is a legitimate player,” Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll said.
The first truly important college game of 2009 turned out to be a corn-fed, Midwest-values, slobber-knocking defensive struggle. “That was a tough ballgame, especially if you were a quarterback,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Especially tough if you were Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He compiled some nice statistics against USC, passing for 177 yards and gaining 36 on the ground, but threw one costly interception and could not get Ohio State in the end zone after the first quarter.
Weren’t we told that the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Pryor was going to be the next big thing in college football?
Well, what would Pryor be at USC? A bench-warmer.
After starting slowly and playing conservatively, Barkley found himself in a situation that would make a lot of teenagers crying for mommy.
Down 15-10 with 7 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and lucky to be that close thanks to some uncommonly conservative strategic decisions by Tressel, Barkley broke USC from the huddle at his own 14-yard line after a short Ohio State punt.
The Trojans then immediately retreated 9 yards, courtesy of a sack and a false-start penalty.
The task seemed like too much to ask a freshman to do.
But with plenty of help from tailback Joe McKnight and a suddenly ornery USC offensive line, Barkley calmly delivered twice in third-down situations and converted another time on fourth down as the Trojans marched to the decisive score. A 2-yard run by Stafon Johnson produced the winning touchdown.
It was like more than 100,000 suddenly depressed fans in Ohio Stadium were blindsided by a mute button.
Barkley, who completed 15-of-31 passes for 195 yards against the Buckeyes, said, “We’re unstoppable.”
Aren’t the Trojans always unstoppable?
The USC freshman aced his first big exam.
But what did Barkley learn?
“I learned it really is fun,” he said.
Well, duh.
They make the sun brighter, the teeth whiter and the quarterbacks cooler in Southern California.
Folks down in Florida might think Tim Tebow is the best thing this side of heaven.
Ben Roethlisberger is the quarterback of the NFL champions.
But the location of the sweetest gig in football?
The zip code is 90089. That’s where Barkley is the big man on campus.
Beats working.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
