Couple Trojans

I've been skeptical of USC quarterbacks. Mostly because they chose to attend USC but also because I've found them to be highly overrated since Carson Palmer. Matt Leinart was surrounded with so much talent that he would have had to try to fail in order to not succeed. Mark Sanchez started only one season. He had two redeeming games, a bunch of mediocre ones and a horrible performance against Cal. When he couldn't beat out John David Booty the year before I really knew all that I ever needed to know about Mark Sanchez. Without even giving him a chance, I had tossed current quarterback Matt Barkley into that same overrated basket. I believe that I was wrong to do so.

Barley's posted great numbers. I wrongly put those numbers more on the offensive system that he plays in and the fantastic receivers he throws to. Much like Leinart before him. He also has the difficult task of playing through my issues with USC in general. I'm leaning more to the current diversity of the USC offense being more a product of Barkley's talents. Andrew Luck got a bunch of attention and praise for calling many of his own plays. Apparently Barkley has similar freedoms. He's got skills. More than I gave him credit for. He also has a greater football mind than I thought. He truly gets "it." I thought that he was just another USC quarterbacking clown. Generally I just didn't give Matt Barkley any of the credit that he deserves. Another thing that impressed was an interesting friendship that he formed at USC.

Louie Zamperini is a walking history lesson. He was an excellent runner at USC in the '30s. He approached the four minute barrier in the mile over a decade before Roger Bannister broke it. Maybe he would have broken it first if world events hadn't gotten in the way. Zamperini earned a spot on the 1936 Olympic team where he roomed with Jesse Owens. Like Owens, Zamperini's Olympic performance caught the attention of Adolf Hitler. The German leader requested a meeting with the runner from USC. Zamperini went on to fly a B-24 bomber in World War II. He was shot down over the Pacific, spent 47 days avoiding sharks in a bullet-riddled raft, and then spent the next two years in Japanese prison camps. His life was one so striking that it was profiled in Laura Hillenbarnd's terrific book Unbroken. Through a professor of Barkley's, the past and present USC athletes met. The two have been friends ever since. Barkley would rather hang out with a 92-year old former USC runner than the Hollywood peeps favored by previous USC quarterbacks. I'm impressed and I'm going to pay more attention to Matt Barley's senior season at USC.