Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans had their finest game of the season on Saturday night, holding on for a 38-35 win over the No. 4 Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Barkley completed 26 of 34 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns as USC picked up its first win in the state of Oregon since 2005.
"I think this was a defining game for us," Barkley told the Associated Press after the game. "We set ourselves apart on both sides of the ball." Barkley, meanwhile, continues to set himself apart in the USC record book.
| USC Single Season Touchdown Passing Leaders | ||||||
| Player | Year | Games | Comp% | Yards | TD | Int |
| Matt Leinart | 2003 | 13 | 63.4% | 3,556 | 38 | 9 |
| Mark Sanchez | 2008 | 13 | 65.8% | 3,207 | 34 | 10 |
| Matt Barkley | 2011 | 11 | 67.6% | 3,105 | 33 | 7 |
| Carson Palmer | 2002 | 13 | 63.2% | 3,942 | 33 | 10 |
| Matt Leinart | 2004 | 13 | 65.3% | 3,322 | 33 | 6 |
| Rob Johnson | 1993 | 13 | 68.6% | 3,630 | 29 | 6 |
| John David Booty | 2006 | 13 | 61.7% | 3,347 | 29 | 9 |
Barkley has the eighth 3,000-yard passing season in school history. He is five touchdowns away from tying the school record for a single season, with Barkley having one fewer game than Matt Leinart in 2003. In addition, Barkley needs 36 completions to match Carson Palmer, who had 309 completions in his Heisman Trophy winning season in 2002.
The Trojans have one game remaining, a home contest against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum next Saturday night. The folks at Conquest Chronicles think Barkley needs a great game against the Bruins to get an invite to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
For more on the Trojans, head over to Conquest Chronicles.