Some Stats

Barkley has a ton of potential, the majority of which we have yet to see (owing to in part to the play calling) but Pete needs to stop it. Pete can't believe that anyone believes him or he is delusional. Even if he thinks the hype is going to help rankings or recruitment, or keep boosters happy or whatever it isn't working.

63 for 107, 985 yards and 3 td's, 2 picks? Three games where one of those opponents was San Jose and another was a Cal team that Oregon racked up 42 pts on the previous week?

Please tell me that this is not an attempt to show that he can make top national QB without Chow and Sark. The best way to do that is to open the playbook and let the SC media-relations office work the hype magic, not the coaching staff. Bark is about as marketable as you can get if he has decent numbers.

Timmay,

By no means do I buy the hype or believe Barkley is already perfection (although he one day may be). However, these comments are definitely not a media strategy by PC, these are a reflection of his values.

If you are familiar with concepts like Lou Tice, The Secret, The Inner Game of Tennis, you would realize that PC is simply conveying his motivation techniques, i.e. using positive affirmations to achieve his goals. PC says Barkley is the best thing ever because Pete is trying to develop him into just that. Positive affirmation and vision are core concepts of PC's belief system and something he preaches in and out of the program.

In the year 2013 perhaps we will all bow down and proclaim Matt Barclay as the greatest quarterback to ever walk on grass. In the year 2009 as we head for ND, however, it must accurately be said, he sucks. Jeremy Bates is not to blame. The man is limited to having as his first 3 options, run right, run left and run straight. Option 4, heaven forbid, is ohshit we have to throw. Let us hope that the 8 guys we look across the line of scrimmage and see in South Bend are on roller skates.

Carroll is turning into a clown, he really is. This man love gushing about a kid, who's very very average right now, is embarrassing.

I guess these motivational vomits didn't and don't apply to Aaron Corp who Carroll clearly despises for some reason.

FSC/timmay/barney, agree that the PC's Barkley quotes are over the top although clearly in doing so he's has an ulterior motive (interesting thought mdjusc) but give the kid a break - he orchestrated a 4th quarter comeback win at Ohio State and did a nice job of doing what needed to be done in crushing Cal on the road. PC doesn't despise Corp; after giving him the rock and seeing him flail (in probably the worst outing for a SC QB in the PC era), he's moved on. SC football under PC is way too good to break someone in to see if they are a gamer or not.

MDJ, that's an interesting reason that might explain the bizarre behavior but why then did PC spend most of last year trying to talk down Mark? Pete was always reticent in his praise and generous with criticism of our QB's which I thought was good team psychology and made sure there was no resentment, kept players hungry, etc. Virtually every team coach follows this approach. So why the sudden change for Pete?

You would have thought that if anyone needed to be given a confidence boost they would have hapless Aaron Corp numbers when... wait, the only person to have a worse completion rate than Aaron at Washington was Barkley at Ohio State! Meditate on that one. Barkley went 15-31, interception while Corp (who I agree STUNK) went 13 for 22, 1 interception. Corp threw for slightly more yards without YAC and no completions over 15 yards. And please don't say Barkley "engineered" the great performance of Joe McKnight any more than Corp engineered the fumble fest by McKnight and the other backs. I hate SC lose to a game but lemme tell you, if we didn't have one of those fumbles vs. UW we win that game there would be morons claiming Aaron for Heisman and saying he "engineered" or "managed" a win. But most of us would know better.

Bark has all the preparation and ability to be great so why lie about it when it hasn't happened yet? And if Pete believes it why strangle the playbook?

Pete isn't stupid so the delusional talk is either because he has a reason to shill or because he has so much emotionally invested that he believes what he is saying no matter how bizarre.

You're right, Bobo, I was rude and if you read this junk, Mrs. Barkley, please forgive me for my comments about your son. But if you think I'm unduly harsh you should hear what the Notre Dame defensive coaches are saying as we speak. And you will know when you look at their defenses. We already know what the Cal coaches thought. Cal is clearly troubled by worse qb problems than we have. And, Bobo, breaking someone in is what our coaches are doing.

Barney, coaches are absolutely breaking in Bark and he needs it. But to believe that "he sucks" seems to me as even more distorted than PC's crazy praise. Outside of Locker, I'd take Barkley as my starter over any other Pac 10 QB next week, forgetting how good he's likely to be a year or two from now.

My point is in a season measured typically 0 - 2 losses including bowl games, there's no room to give Corp another real shot if Bark goes down. If Corp gets scrub time in the 4th quarter well ahead in a blowout, it really wont tell us much since there won't be much pressure. Corp's Wash game may have been a fluke, and Corp may be a great QB, but it was so bad, and lasted a full 4 quarters that there's no room in a season measured by 0 - 2 losses to give him another chance in a real situation. Seems to me like Mustain is real #2 until proven otherwise. If given a chance and Mustain also chokes, then let the Corp/Mustain #2 debate begin. Until then, I'd be shocked if Mustain isnt #2.

Timmay, to compare Corp's abject failure at UW with that of Barkley's OSU performance is a joke. Stats don't always tell all but I can guarantee you that if we are down late at ND, every player on the team would vote to have Bark under center not Corp. Wouldnt you?

Bobo

I said the kid was very very average at this point, and he is, so what? He can get better, probably will and then Carroll will mouth even sillier things about him.

Carroll's over the top drooling was my point. He has become a cartoon character about this, almost to the point of man boy love, it's pathetic.

And Corp failed at UW thanks to the head games played by coach EGO, he really screwed the kid over. Corp wasn't good by any means, but his coach didn't make it any easier on him either.

Oh-oh, I just figured it out. Bobo IS Mrs. Barkley.

Sheesh, what a tough room. I'm just glad (for your sakes) that this blog wasn't around in the Tollner and Hackett years. Many of you would have committed hari kari by now!

PC and his staff KNOW their talent, that's why he's so high on Barkley and not so high on the others. Honestly, If Barkley were to go down, I'd trust Green over the other two kids. Regardless, I'm pretty happy about what's developing here and proud for sure.

I'm curious FSC, do you like anyone, besides yourself or anything?

Gillyking, who knows if those above posters were around during those Tollner and Hackett years. Those years were horrible and frustrating times. Carroll has brought this program back to prominence and I thank him for it.

I am sick and tired of hearing/reading about Corp's ego was shattered, head games, etc.. Pleeeezzzzeeee, in the end this is FBS football, not pee wee football, not high school football. Corp was, and so far is, the number two QB and should be ready to go at all times.

The Cal fans around me continually stated how can a freshman make those throws and their QB couldn't. Be happy we have Barkley beccause the cupboard may not be full.

no need to bring in Corp or Mustain because Barkley is the greatest QB of all time....

AMEN Luv's

I think PC is a great face of the program. Don't take that too far though. PC didn't bring back SC football from the Tollner or the true nadir, the Hackett era. SC football is a machine.

I hate having to say this on a public forum but we all know why we can stack up top classes and kids keep coming. Money.

USC is perfectly situated next to biggest talent bank and to the biggest group of agents in the country and it is in the media capital. USC also has old fashioned SEC type boosters that will do what they have to so that SC wins. There is booster money, agent money to kids and families and all sorts of involved parties. We also have the great media exposure, LA weather, agents and runners swarming HH and campus like locusts, west side clubs that treat kids like they NFL stars and money men that will make sure they are comped.

When SC goes wrong as it did during the bad days it is because the money becomes too much. Not only was I around during the time, I was on campus and as an athlete saw the stuff going on. But you couldn't miss it even in those pre-internet news days. We had SAT qualifying scandals, illiterate kids with big gold chains and new cars, players suing the coaches (that whole incident would make great tv), drop in coaches yelling at each other during games, players yelling at coaches during games, drugs being consumed at rates that could only happen in Hollywood. Boosters were acting like they were the coaches. That's why a guy like Hackett, who was a successful NFL coordinator couldn't succeed. The program itself had become a cesspool.

It was only when things were just that bad that boosters and agents waned enough that Sample and Jackson (and yes Garrett) could step in and clean house. And it was made clear to the new coaches and players and everyone else that we wanted a program where all the same things (recruitment supporting boosters, hovering agents, etc) would be tolerated but not any sort of public embarrassment or disregard for order. Anyone who was a fan remember all the kids that were shown the door. Guess what? There was still tons of talent.

With the PAC 10 other programs down any competent coach could have walked in and owned the Rose Bowl. Pete however brought arguably the best OC in the country in. That put us in the stratosphere. But if Pete leaves tomorrow we won't be any different than Miami when they had the program clicking and the right environment- new name on the door but the wins will keep coming. SC is greater than any single coach.

timmay,
by your own argument, Ucla should be a dominant football program, too...same locale, same industry, same beaches...different results.

'Splain please.