Draft Scout Snapshot: A closer look at the Eagles' picks: 4/98 - Matt Barkley, QB, 6-3, 227, USC...The Eagles feel they got a top-50 talent with the 98th pick. Barkley's selection proves mobility isn't a required skill in Kelly's offense. He ran a 4.9 in pre-draft workouts, but threw 12 touchdown passes in four games against Kelly's Oregon Ducks. QUOTES TO NOTE: "I'm going to steal a quote from Sam Rutligliano. He used to say, 'With a quarterback, it's like a tea bag. You don't know what you have until you put it in hot water.' The first time I saw Matt Barkley, he was a true freshman and he came into (Oregon's) Autzen Stadium, which is one of the toughest places to play in the world, and it didn't phase him a bit. Matt was never a freshman. There was just a poise about him. There was a calm about him." - Coach Chip Kelly on fourth-round pick Matt Barkley. - The Sports Xchange
Matt Barkley/Southern Cal football Videos
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09/07/12 - QB Matt Barkley took a positive step in the Heisman race, completing 23 of 38 passes for 372 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He'll need to do something similar against the better teams on the schedule to win the stiff-armed trophy, but it was still an impressive start on the way to accumulating the needed stats. And having Marqise Lee turn an easy pass into a 75-yard score doesn't hurt, either. - The Sports Xchange
09/04/12 - Week One Rewind - Geno Smith steals the show: Cam Newton seemingly came out of nowhere to win the Heisman Trophy, lead his team to a BCS title and wind up as the No. 1 overall pick of the draft in 2011. Exactly one year ago today, it was Robert Griffin III whose sparkling performance in Baylor's upset over TCU, the defending Rose Bowl champs, led off my initial Weekly Review of the 2011 season. New year, same type of story: West Virginia's Geno Smith stole the spotlight over the weekend from this year's Heisman favorite and presumptive No. 1 overall pick, Southern Cal's Matt Barkley. Barkley and his top-ranked Trojans were predictably dominant over Hawaii Saturday, Smith was even better. Continuing the torrid pace he began by tossing six touchdowns in a 70-33 thrashing of Clemson January 4 in the Orange Bowl, Smith completed an eye-popping 32 of 36 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns Saturday in the Mountaineers' opener against Marshall. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
09/02/12 - QB Matt Barkley took a positive step in the Heisman race, completing 23 of 38 passes for 372 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He'll need to do something similar against the better teams on the schedule to win the stiff-armed trophy, but it was still an impressive start on the way to accumulating the needed stats. And having Marqise Lee turn an easy pass into a 75-yard score doesn't hurt, either.
09/01/12 - USC quarterback Matt Barkley is considered a Heisman Trophy front-runner, but wide receiver Marqise Lee might have overtaken his teammate in the race Saturday with an electrifying performance on offense and special teams. Lee returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and caught 10 passes for 197 yards as the Trojans breezed to an easy 49-10 victory over Hawaii before an announced crowd of 93,607 at the Coliseum. Lee caught a short pass on the first play of the game and ran 75 yards down the sideline to set the tone for the season opener for both teams. He and Barkley led the blowout with marquee performances that only enhanced their images as two of the top players in the country. Barkley passed for 377 yards, completing 23 of 38 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lee caught eight passes for 176 yards in the first half alone. It was a stark contrast to last year's opener, when USC squeaked past Minnesota 19-17 at the Coliseum. The Trojans spoiled the debut of new Hawaii coach Norm Chow, who is probably best known for being a USC assistant when the school won two national titles under former coach Pete Carroll. About the only thing USC couldn't do was convert two-point plays as the Trojans were 0 for 3 in the first half after kicker Andre Heidari was injured. - The Sports Xchange
08/30/12 - Rob Rang's 08/30/12 Top 32 NFL Draft Big Board: 2. Matt Barkley, QB, Southern California: Barkley's lack of ideal size (6-1, 218) and arm strength means that he's no shoo-in as the No. 1 overall prospect for the 2013 draft. His accuracy, mobility and experience in a pro-style offense would have earned Barkley a top-five selection had he entered the 2012 draft. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
08/28/12 - MOST IMPORTANT USC PLAYER: QB Matt Barkley - Was there any doubt? He is coming off a season in which he completed 308 of 446 passes for 3,528 yards, with 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has improved his arm strength and his mobility through his college career, and probably would have been a top five pick in the NFL Draft if he had come out after his junior season. Not only is he the team leader, and the linchpin to a national championship run, it's not as if the Trojans have a ready-made backup, as he backed by redshirt freshmen Cody Kessler and Max Wittek. - The Sports Xchange
08/21/12 - Southern California is No. 1 in the AP Top 25, tossing off the weight of NCAA sanctions and returning to a familiar place in the rankings - with a boost from LSU's problems. USC earned the top spot in The Associated Press' preseason college football poll for the seventh time in school history and the first time in five seasons, edging out No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 LSU. The Trojans, who were banned from postseason play the past two seasons, received 25 of a possible 60 first-place votes from a media panel in a close vote. USC received 1,445 points. Defending national champion Alabama had 17 first-place votes and 1,411 points while LSU, the Crimson Tide's SEC rival, got 16 first-place votes and 1,402 points. "We definitely didn't come here to be underdogs," Trojans safety T.J. McDonald said Saturday. "The ranking doesn't mean we've done anything as a team. But it's good to see we're back where we're supposed to be." Oklahoma was fourth with a single first-place vote and Oregon was fifth. Michigan, at No. 8, received the only other first-place vote. The Tigers were poised to start the season No. 1 before Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu got kicked off the team a week ago. In light of that development, the AP extended the voting deadline. Before Mathieu was dismissed, reportedly for failed drug tests, LSU had received 28 of a possible 60 first-place votes. USC was a close second with 22 first-place votes and Alabama was third with nine. The USA Today coaches' poll, which was released Aug. 2, had LSU at No. 1, followed by Alabama and USC. - AP Sports
08/16/12 - Matt Barkley's progression at Southern California has taken him from a heralded freshman who sometimes made questionable decisions to one of the best quarterbacks in college football. So once he finished his junior season, the general belief was that he would leave the Trojans for the NFL. He was, after all, already a polished quarterback and was expected to be a high NFL draft pick. But when the time came to make a decision, Barkley surprised just about everyone. He was coming back, forgoing a big payday in the NFL for one more college season and a chance to play for a national title. And with Barkley back, the Trojans are among the front-runners to win a title. "I assume he would have been a top-5 pick, totally ready to go in and be the face of a franchise and be ready to play in the NFL," USC coach Lane Kiffin said. "His situation was different, and I think it was about him wanting to do something special. What some people have written, he may be able to go down as the most historic Trojan ever if we do big things this year." The Trojans certainly have that chance. The past two seasons, USC has been ineligible for the postseason because of NCAA sanctions. Now, the Trojans are bowl-eligible again and have the type of players who could make not just a bowl run, but contend for much more. "I do think that the sanctions have brought our team closer together and strengthened us in a way that I didn't anticipate," Barkley said. "It made us stronger in terms of character and, you know, it allowed us to face adversity in a unique way that guys our age aren't really used to. "It seemed all bad at first, but ultimately, I think it worked in our favor for this point where we are today." - AP Sports
08/09/12 - Matt Barkley plans to take a freshman approach to his fourth and final training camp for Southern California. ''I'm not really thinking of it as my last camp,'' Barkley said Wednesday. ''I just don't think of stuff like that, but kind of try to approach it like my freshman year. ... I know a lot more than I did that year, but it's still a fun experience.'' While coach Lane Kiffin said Barkley's approach hasn't changed much year to year, Barkley acknowledged that the goals are different this time around with the team being bowl eligible after it was banned for the past two seasons because of sanctions stemming from the Reggie Bush scandal. ''I think our mindset to this year has just changed in terms of being bowl-eligible and the chance to do something special,'' Barkley said. ''You just have to keep your head up and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.'' The constant learning that comes with being a quarterback has kept Barkley's mindset fresh. After starting as a freshman and playing two years without a postseason, he decided against going to the NFL in December to play with the Trojans one more year with a shot at a bowl. ''I've always just figured I don't want anyone else to know something that I don't know so if I'm studying film or whether it's the playbook, I have the fear of failure of being asked a question or being out there not knowing what to do,'' he said. - AP Sports
08/04/12 - 2012 PRESEASON JOHNNY UNITAS GOLDEN ARM AWARD CANDIDATE: Matt Barkley, USC...The senior is widely considered to be college football’s best player and opens 2012 as a frontrunner for most national awards. Barkley has thrown for 80 career touchdowns and is an Athlon Sports first-team All-American for 2012. - The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
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