The USC Trojans secured an important 48-41 win over the Arizona Wildcats last Saturday. With the victory, the Trojans successfully rebounded from a 43-22 road loss at Arizona State and gave themselves a respectable 4-1 record heading into their bye week. Quarterback Matt Barkley and safety T.J. McDonald received awards for their big roles in Saturday's win, according to a Michael Lev of the Orange County Register.
Barkley set a USC school record by passing for 468 yards, completing 32 of his 39 passes with four touchdowns and only one pick en route to his massive total. His passing proficiency helped keep the Wildcats just far enough off the lead throughout Saturday's shootout, and he has deservingly been named this week's Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.
McDonald played a crucial role in the first quarter of the Arizona game, picking off Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles twice in the game's opening quarter and helping USC establish an early 17-0 lead. Foles hadn't thrown a pick all season, but McDonald changed that quickly in the game's opening 15 minutes. McDonald has been named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week. McDonald also secured an onside kick.
Those are nice pick-ups for Barkley and McDonald, giving the team some positive momentum as it heads into its bye week. The Trojans will resume play in two weeks when they travel to Cal and take on the Golden Bears on Oct. 13th.