[Quack Attack]

USC 56, SAN JOSE STATE 3
Opener is fresh and easy for Trojans



Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is poised and efficient in debut, and Joe McKnight leads dominant running game in 56-3 rout of San Jose State.





Matt Barkley's first start for USC came rife with potential problems. A big Coliseum crowd might cause the freshman quarterback to flinch, or worse.

And San Jose State was led by a coach who had devised a scheme famous for rattling even the most experienced opponents.

The 18-year-old Barkley just shrugged.

Then he went out and played like a seasoned veteran, leading fourth-ranked USC to a 56-3 victory over San Jose State.

"Matt Barkley just absolutely handled this," Coach Pete Carroll said. "It was no big deal for him."

With a trip to Ohio State looming in the second week of the season, Barkley's ascent to the top of the Trojans' depth chart had been a huge talking point for media and fans after Carroll decided to make him the first true freshman quarterback to start an opener for the Trojans.

But the former Santa Ana Mater Dei High star showed he would not be flustered, even by a slow start.

More On This Story:

Opener is fresh and easy for Trojans -- latimes.com