Matt Barkley

USC quarterback Matt Barkley continued to struggle on Saturday in the Trojans' 14-9 victory over Arizona State. Barkley completed only seven of 22 passes for 112 yards, 75 of which came on a catch-and-run touchdown by receiver Damian Williams . Barkley was four for 11 for 24 yards in the first half and three for 11 for 88 yards in the second. He had one pass intercepted, and might have had two more if not for a penalty that overturned one and a drop that prevented another.

Fans rushed onto the Coliseum field after USC's end-of-spring scrimmage Saturday, lining up about 50 yards deep for quarterback Matt Barkley's signature during an autograph session. Neither Barkley nor the Trojans had been particularly scintillating during the 91-play, no-tackling exhibition. But that didn't deter USC faithful from wanting to share a few moments with Barkley, Coach Lane Kiffin and the rest of the players. USC's spring, marked more by injuries than revelations, is not expected to deter media outlets from ranking the Trojans among the contenders for a national title when training camp opens in August.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley , who started 12 games last season as a freshman, underwent wrist surgery Tuesday but is expected to be ready for the start of spring practice in March, the school announced. In a release, USC described the procedure as "minor" and said it was done to "relieve stiffness and clean up inflammation." Neither Barkley nor Coach Lane Kiffin could be reached for comment. Barkley suffered a shoulder injury in the second game against Ohio State and did not play against Washington.

USC landed one of the class of 2013's top quarterback prospects when Max Browne announced last week that he would join the Trojans. The junior from Sammamish, Wash., is working toward finishing high school in December so he can enroll at USC in January, in time to participate in spring practice a year from now and compete for an opportunity to become Matt Barkley's successor. Browne's plan is a familiar one for the Trojans: Barkley and redshirt freshman quarterbacks Max Wittek and Cody Kessler — who will play Saturday in USC's annual end-of-spring scrimmage — all left high school halfway through their senior years to jump-start their college careers.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley won't be eligible for the NFL draft until 2012. But the sophomore said Tuesday that he would watch with interest Thursday night to see how this year's quarterback class fares. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford , Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen , Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy are among those expected to be selected in the three-day draft. "I know a couple of them, so it's kind of cool," Barkley said. "I'm getting to that point where I can relate to some of them."

TEN REASONS MATT BARKLEY SHOULD ENTER THE UPCOMING NFL DRAFT: 10 . Some guy named Caleb Hanie started for Bears last week. 9. All those kids wearing No. 7 Trojans jerseys are actually fans of T.J. McDonald. 8. Don't worry, the empty trophy cases in Heritage Hall will be filled by the water polo team. 7. Tim Tebow should have a role model. 6. Pete Carroll has already told everyone that your Wonderlic scores are the best he's ever seen.

Matt Barkley anticipates no special greeting when USC plays California on Saturday at the Coliseum. He got one last season at Cal after saying a few days before the game that he didn't expect the crowd to be as loud as it was at Ohio Stadium. Fans at Memorial Stadium found fliers taped to their seats with a quote from Barkley and instructions to disrupt the then-freshman. One was slipped into Barkley's helmet before he went onto the field. Barkley shook off the potential distraction, passing for 283 yards in a 30-3 victory.

Matt Barkley put off becoming a multimillionaire for a year in exchange for the chance at immortality at USC. That seems like a fair trade-off to me. Most people are content to wait until they see some gray hair before reaching millionaire status. Who knows, maybe Matt's decision to stay in college for his senior year will become the norm instead of the exception. But whatever happens, Matt Barkley is an exceptional young man. Tom Turner Dana Point :: As a Notre Dame fan, I think that Matt Barkley's decision to come back for his senior year was about the dumbest thing he could have done.

Matt Barkley didn't do much celebrating last week after his record-setting performance against Minnesota. The junior quarterback completed a USC-record 34 passes — three for touchdowns — but the Trojans' offense stalled and was shut out in the second half of a 19-17 victory. Thursday, Barkley was looking forward to a quiet but festive dinner to mark his 21st birthday. "Going out with the family," he said. USC fans have watched Barkley grow up as a quarterback.

USC Coach Pete Carroll had indicated that Saturday's scrimmage at the Coliseum would be a final chance to evaluate quarterbacks and determine who would be the starter. But he couldn't wait that long. Today, he announced that freshman Matt Barkley was the Trojans starter. "He's the starting quarterback at USC -- it's not a one-game deal," Carroll said in a statement. "He seized the opportunity that was in front of him and took control. He deserves all the credit in the world and we expect nothing but great things from him."

USC tailback Curtis McNeal has enjoyed a quiet spring. No injuries. No uncertainty about grades. Just work on the field, which is just fine with the fifth-year senior. Maneuverings to address depth issues at tailback have provided plenty of drama, but the Trojans' top returning rusher has not been distracted — or sidelined. "I got through it healthy," McNeal said after practice Tuesday, "and I'm looking to continue that. " The Trojans have only two workouts remaining, a practice Thursday and the spring finale at the Coliseum on Saturday.

USC tailback Javorious Allen broke through the line of scrimmage and heard the official's whistle ending the play, but he kept running more than 40 yards to the end zone. That, perhaps, was the most telling event Saturday during USC's workout at the Coliseum. It showed that Allen, a redshirt freshman from Florida, was back from a hamstring strain, or at least willing to play through the final stages of recovery from the latest in a series of injuries that have kept him sidelined.

USC's first 10 spring workouts routinely ended with Coach Lane Kiffin providing an optimistic outlook based on the day's events. Not Thursday. Sophomore tailback Tre Madden , who has impressed in his switch from linebacker, fell to the ground without being hit late in the workout. He was assisted off the field because of an apparent left knee injury and was taken to the locker room after practice. Asked if he was concerned that Madden might have suffered a severe injury, a somber Kiffin said, "There's that concern any time with knees, where guys can't really walk afterward.

USC safety T.J. McDonald remembers the scrapbook. He saw it at quarterback Matt Barkley's home, a collection of photographs from the Barkley family's trip to Nigeria a few years ago, a journey that included humanitarian work. "I told him I would be interested in going on the next trip when they did something like that," McDonald said Tuesday. McDonald will get his wish next month. Barkley, McDonald and 13 other Trojans are scheduled to travel to Haiti, which continues to rebuild from the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Hundreds of fans and more than a dozen recruits at the Coliseum on Saturday saw USC players making spectacular touchdown catches, game-breaking runs and momentum-turning defensive plays. It was quite a show. Unfortunately, the highlights were from last season and seasons past, and they appeared on the stadium's giant video board accompanied by a pulsating soundtrack. Meantime, down on the field, the short-handed Trojans completed their third week of spring practice by going through a workout that featured a mostly pedestrian scrimmage period.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley threw his seventh interception of spring practice on Thursday and, as Coach Lane Kiffin noted, it wasn't the end of the world. It wasn't the end of Barkley's Heisman Trophy chances, either. Kiffin even joked when asked if he was alarmed over Barkley's wayward practice throws, including the pass picked off Thursday by safety Demetrius Wright. "He can still declare for the supplemental draft, so I can't yell at him quite yet," Kiffin said after the session at Howard Jones Field.

Each time he broke a USC record last season, Matt Barkley humbly acknowledged his place in a Trojans quarterback lineage that includes Heisman Trophy winners and leaders of national championship teams. Now, Barkley is mulling whether to return for a final college season or join former USC quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel and Mark Sanchez in the NFL. Barkley's place in USC history is secure because he has played through some of the most severe NCAA penalties ever imposed in college football.

Deck the halls with boughs of Barkley. Three days before Christmas, the USC football program was stunned Thursday to discover three shiny, previously unobtainable objects under its tree. A possible 2012 national championship. A possible 2012 Heisman Trophy. An impossibly glowing kid named Matt Barkley. PHOTOS: Decision day for Matt Barkley Yeah, he's staying. Against all odds, he's staying. Defying all practical advice, he's staying. Turning down buckets of NFL money to embrace a community of Trojans hearts, quarterback Barkley announced Thursday he was returning to school for a final college season that his presence could turn into one of the most memorable in school history.

Cody Kessler and Jesse Scroggins saw it unfold live on television. Max Wittek was on a practice field going through an individual workout when he heard the news. It was Dec. 22 and USC quarterback Matt Barkley had just announced that he was forgoing a chance to turn pro and would remain in school through his senior season. While the decision brought wild cheers from USC fans — and a giddy grin from Coach Lane Kiffin — the three young players who would have competed to replace Barkley indulged in a moment of reflection.

The vanity license plate is hard to miss as the black BMW sport-utility vehicle pulls into a parking spot outside a middle school in San Marino. QB CLUB. From behind the wheel steps a man dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and ball cap, all black. From the passenger side emerges a teenage boy, tall and slender, wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts, cleats — and clutching a football. The two walk determinedly past an expansive grass field and head toward the playground. The young quarterback drops the ball, and then grips the post of a chin-up bar and stretches his right arm. As the man barks instruction about the fundamentals of throwing a pass, it is clear they are there for more than a simple game of catch.