Matt Barkley
Encyclopedia
Matt Barkley is an American football
quarterback
and student athlete
at the University of Southern California
, playing for the Trojans football team. As a high school player, Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of the year, becoming the first non-senior to win both awards. Barkley also won the 2007 Glenn Davis Award
, given to best high school football player in Southern California, as well as the inaugural Joe Montana
Award as the nation's top high school quarterback.
Barkley was rated as the first overall prospect in the nation for the Class of 2009 by ESPN
. At one point, he was also rated the first overall prospect by Rivals.com
(he ranked 5th in the final rankings). Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson
described Barkley as a cross between Joe Montana
and Tom Brady
.
of Santa Ana, California
. In 2005, he became the first freshman quarterback to start at Mater Dei High School since Todd Marinovich
. As a freshman he passed for 1,685 yards and 10 touchdowns, but suffered a season-ending injury (broken collarbone) during the playoffs in a quarter-final win over Colton High School
. Ironically, the injury was caused by future USC teammate, running back
Allen Bradford, who played linebacker
in high school.
Impressed by his ability, his high school coach permitted him to call his own plays, something he had never allowed a player to do during two decades at Mater Dei. As a sophomore, he passed for 1,349 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2006. Barkley passed for 3,576 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2007, completing 63% of his passes with nine interceptions. In three seasons, he passed for 6,994 yards and 57 TDs.
As a top high school player, Barkley was heavily recruited. On January 23, 2008, Barkley verbally committed to USC, ending speculation that he might join UCLA
, which had just hired coaches Rick Neuheisel
and Norm Chow
. Barkley had long been a fan of the Trojans; his father, Les Barkley, was an All-American water polo player at USC from 1976–79. Barkley made his decision more than a year before his National Signing Day
, telling his family and coaches and then calling USC coach Pete Carroll
on his cell phone. The previous quarterback to go to USC from Mater Dei was Heisman Trophy
-winner Matt Leinart
(the school had also graduated fellow Heisman winner John Huarte
). After committing to USC, Barkley began recruiting other elite high school players to join him.
His 2008 senior season started slow, with Barkley throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdown passes and the Monarchs barely keeping above .500; however his performance turned around and Mater Dei rallied to 7–3 and entered the playoffs. The Monarchs made it to the quarterfinal, falling to Tesoro High School
and ending the season 8–4. Barkley finished his Mater Dei career as the all-time passing yardage leader in Orange County, surpassing the record set by Todd Marinovich
in 1987. He graduated from high school on December 18, 2008.
On January 4, 2009, Barkley participated in the 2009 Under Armour All-America Game
at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
After a strong performance, where he completed 11-of-22 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and led the White team to a 27–16 victory over the Black team, he was named the game's co-MVP. Soon afterward, he was moved back to the number one high school prospect in America by ESPN, having dropped to tenth during his senior season.
, and with no clear successor, a three-way quarterback battle emerged during spring practices between Barkley and quarterbacks Aaron Corp
and Mitch Mustain
, both of whom had held the second quarterback spot at various times throughout the season; the latter had been the starting quarterback at Arkansas
for eight games. Barkley quickly adapted to the Trojans offense and gave strong performances during spring practices: trying for and making big plays but also throwing several key interceptions. Impressing his coaches, Barkley climbed to the number two spot at the end of Spring behind Corp. Afterward, ESPN
NFL Draft
analyst Mel Kiper stated he believed that in "three years Matt Barkley—who will be a true freshman this year—will be the No. 1 pick in the draft."
On August 27, during fall practices, Carroll named Barkley the starter for the 2009 season opener against San Jose State
. He is the first true freshman quarterback to ever start an opener for the Trojans, and also the first true freshman to start the opener for a preseason top-five team since Rick Leach did it for No. 3 Michigan in 1975. After a slow first quarter, Barkley finished his college debut 233 yards, throwing 15-for-19 with one touchdown in a 56–3 victory. His second game brought his first major test and first road game, against the highly-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes
. Before a sold-out, raucous crowd at Ohio Stadium
, Barkley led a game-winning, 86-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, earning significant praise from the sports media.
Barkley suffered a shoulder bruise in the Ohio State game, and had to sit out the following week's game at Washington
. With Aaron Corp at the helm, the Trojans struggled in a major upset
loss, falling to the unranked Huskies 16–13 while putting up the lowest number of passing yards for a USC team since Carroll took over the program in 2001. As a result, Carroll had Barkley, who was not fully recovered from his injury, start the next game against Washington State
. Barkley contributed to a 27–6 victory, passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He followed this up with 282 passing yards in a 30–3 win over California
on October 3. The next week against Notre Dame, he was 19 for 29 with 2 TD's. He followed that up with a 15–25 two touchdown game against Oregon State
. Against Stanford
he threw 3 interceptions and only 1 touchdown. Two weeks later he went 1 touchdown and 1 interception in a 28–7 victory over UCLA
. The following week he also, went 1–1 in a 21–17 loss to Arizona
. He closed his freshman season by throwing for 350 yards and 2 touchdowns against Boston College
in the 2009 Emerald Bowl
.
and the first win under USC's 2010 NCAA probation and sanctions. Both teams amassed over 500 yards of total offense. Barkley said, "I'm just trying to be as perfect as I can be. Last week was pretty close, but that perfect game is kind of a goal and that's no completions." Coach Kiffin added, "We'll see if he can continue to do it again. Great quarterbacks put together good games every week." Matt Barkley continued a solid sophomore campaign. With notable performances against Stanford and Cal. Barkley sprained his ankle during a loss to Oregon State and was forced to the sideline for the Notre Dame game. He returned to lead the Trojans to a gutsy 28-14 victory over UCLA.
, one of the two additions to the Pac-12 in its inaugural season; the game was the first against Colorado since 2002. He had previously tied the single game TD record three times, sharing it with Rodney Peete
, Carson Palmer
, Matt Leinart
and Mark Sanchez
. On November 26, against the UCLA Bruins, he tied the single game touchdown record again in a 50-0 shutout of the Bruins. Over the 2011 season, Barkley accumulated 39 touchdowns, an all-time Pac-12 record.
and plays acoustic guitar
with a church youth group. His father Les co-owns an insurance business with his brother in-law. While he was a student at Mater Dei, Barkley's parents started the Monarchs for Marines (M4M) campaign, where hundreds of Mater Dei students, coaches and parents volunteered to landscape and renovate youth areas on nearby Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
. Barkley had a 3.77 GPA in high school and frequently speaks to young students about the importance of staying on top of school work. His cousin, Robbie Boyer, is a walk-on at USC. During his Christmas holiday in 2008, Barkley went with a group of friends and family to help run an orphanage in South Africa
. Barkley also appears on I Am Second
, sharing the story of his Christian faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of his USC career, Barkley befriended former USC Olympian, World War II
prisoner of war
and inspirational speaker Louis Zamperini
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and student athlete
Student athlete
A student athlete is a term used to describe a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled, a term primarily used in the United States. It is used to describe the direct balance of a full-time student and a full-time athlete...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, playing for the Trojans football team. As a high school player, Barkley was named 2007 football Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then the 2007 Gatorade national male athlete of the year, becoming the first non-senior to win both awards. Barkley also won the 2007 Glenn Davis Award
Glenn Davis Award
The Glenn Davis Award is given out annually since 1987 by the Los Angeles Times to the best high school football player in the Los Angeles area. It is named after Glenn Woodward Davis, the 1946 Heisman Trophy winner, who prepped at Bonita High School in La Verne, California and Cal Poly Pomona in...
, given to best high school football player in Southern California, as well as the inaugural Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
Award as the nation's top high school quarterback.
Barkley was rated as the first overall prospect in the nation for the Class of 2009 by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. At one point, he was also rated the first overall prospect by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
(he ranked 5th in the final rankings). Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson
Steve Clarkson
Steve Clarkson is an American football coach. He is considered one of the premier quarterback coaches. Clarkson has tutored Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, J. P...
described Barkley as a cross between Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
.
High school career
Barkley attended Mater Dei High SchoolMater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. With an enrollment of 2,100 students Mater Dei High School is one of the largest Catholic high schools in the United States...
of Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
. In 2005, he became the first freshman quarterback to start at Mater Dei High School since Todd Marinovich
Todd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League, and also in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League...
. As a freshman he passed for 1,685 yards and 10 touchdowns, but suffered a season-ending injury (broken collarbone) during the playoffs in a quarter-final win over Colton High School
Colton High School (California)
Colton High School is a public high school in Colton, California, United States. It is located just north of Interstate 10 at Rancho Avenue. The school currently enrolls 3314 students, which is more than its normal capacity. Colton High School opened in 1896 as the first High School of the Colton...
. Ironically, the injury was caused by future USC teammate, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Allen Bradford, who played linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in high school.
Impressed by his ability, his high school coach permitted him to call his own plays, something he had never allowed a player to do during two decades at Mater Dei. As a sophomore, he passed for 1,349 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2006. Barkley passed for 3,576 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2007, completing 63% of his passes with nine interceptions. In three seasons, he passed for 6,994 yards and 57 TDs.
As a top high school player, Barkley was heavily recruited. On January 23, 2008, Barkley verbally committed to USC, ending speculation that he might join UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, which had just hired coaches Rick Neuheisel
Rick Neuheisel
Richard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...
and Norm Chow
Norm Chow
Norman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
. Barkley had long been a fan of the Trojans; his father, Les Barkley, was an All-American water polo player at USC from 1976–79. Barkley made his decision more than a year before his National Signing Day
National Signing Day
National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...
, telling his family and coaches and then calling USC coach Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
on his cell phone. The previous quarterback to go to USC from Mater Dei was Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
-winner Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
(the school had also graduated fellow Heisman winner John Huarte
John Huarte
John Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for...
). After committing to USC, Barkley began recruiting other elite high school players to join him.
His 2008 senior season started slow, with Barkley throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdown passes and the Monarchs barely keeping above .500; however his performance turned around and Mater Dei rallied to 7–3 and entered the playoffs. The Monarchs made it to the quarterfinal, falling to Tesoro High School
Tesoro High School
Tesoro High School is a public school found in the southern Orange County area of Las Flores, California. Established in the fall of 2001, Tesoro is 1 of 7 high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. As of the 2009-2010 year, Tesoro serves nearly 3,000 students in grades 9-12...
and ending the season 8–4. Barkley finished his Mater Dei career as the all-time passing yardage leader in Orange County, surpassing the record set by Todd Marinovich
Todd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League, and also in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League...
in 1987. He graduated from high school on December 18, 2008.
On January 4, 2009, Barkley participated in the 2009 Under Armour All-America Game
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, 2008 and is annually been played at the Citrus Bowl...
at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
After a strong performance, where he completed 11-of-22 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and led the White team to a 27–16 victory over the Black team, he was named the game's co-MVP. Soon afterward, he was moved back to the number one high school prospect in America by ESPN, having dropped to tenth during his senior season.
College career
2009
After graduating from high school a semester early, Barkley enrolled at USC in January 2009 so he could participate in spring practice. With the early departure of the previous season's starting quarterback Mark SanchezMark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
, and with no clear successor, a three-way quarterback battle emerged during spring practices between Barkley and quarterbacks Aaron Corp
Aaron Corp
Aaron Corp is an American football quarterback for the University of Richmond Spiders.-High school:Corp had an outstanding high school career at Orange Lutheran High School. A dual-threat quarterback, Corp completed 212-of-311 of his passes for 2,750 yards, 21 TDs and 7 interceptions, plus ran...
and Mitch Mustain
Mitch Mustain
Mitchell Mustain is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League. He played college football at USC. Mustain played his freshman year of college at the University of Arkansas in 2006 before transferring to USC in 2007...
, both of whom had held the second quarterback spot at various times throughout the season; the latter had been the starting quarterback at Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
for eight games. Barkley quickly adapted to the Trojans offense and gave strong performances during spring practices: trying for and making big plays but also throwing several key interceptions. Impressing his coaches, Barkley climbed to the number two spot at the end of Spring behind Corp. Afterward, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
analyst Mel Kiper stated he believed that in "three years Matt Barkley—who will be a true freshman this year—will be the No. 1 pick in the draft."
On August 27, during fall practices, Carroll named Barkley the starter for the 2009 season opener against San Jose State
San José State Spartans Football
The San Jose State Spartans represent San Jose State University and the Silicon Valley in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Spartans play all home games in Spartan Stadium, which offers a seating capacity of over 30,000...
. He is the first true freshman quarterback to ever start an opener for the Trojans, and also the first true freshman to start the opener for a preseason top-five team since Rick Leach did it for No. 3 Michigan in 1975. After a slow first quarter, Barkley finished his college debut 233 yards, throwing 15-for-19 with one touchdown in a 56–3 victory. His second game brought his first major test and first road game, against the highly-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
. Before a sold-out, raucous crowd at Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...
, Barkley led a game-winning, 86-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, earning significant praise from the sports media.
Barkley suffered a shoulder bruise in the Ohio State game, and had to sit out the following week's game at Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
. With Aaron Corp at the helm, the Trojans struggled in a major upset
Upset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...
loss, falling to the unranked Huskies 16–13 while putting up the lowest number of passing yards for a USC team since Carroll took over the program in 2001. As a result, Carroll had Barkley, who was not fully recovered from his injury, start the next game against Washington State
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
. Barkley contributed to a 27–6 victory, passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He followed this up with 282 passing yards in a 30–3 win over California
2009 California Golden Bears football team
The 2009 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition during the 2009 season...
on October 3. The next week against Notre Dame, he was 19 for 29 with 2 TD's. He followed that up with a 15–25 two touchdown game against Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
. Against Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
he threw 3 interceptions and only 1 touchdown. Two weeks later he went 1 touchdown and 1 interception in a 28–7 victory over UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
. The following week he also, went 1–1 in a 21–17 loss to Arizona
Arizona Wildcats football
The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
. He closed his freshman season by throwing for 350 yards and 2 touchdowns against Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
in the 2009 Emerald Bowl
2009 Emerald Bowl
The 2009 Emerald Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. The game started at 5:00 PM PST on Saturday, December 26, 2009. The game was telecast on ESPN. USC defeated Boston College 24–13.The presenting sponsor of the...
.
2010
On September 2, 2010, Barkley led the Trojans to an opening week victory at Hawaii 49-36. Barkley contributed 5 passing touchdowns (3 to wide receiver Ronald Johnson) on 17-of-23 passing for 257 yards. The win marked a successful debut for new USC head coach Lane KiffinLane Kiffin
Lane Monte Kiffin is the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans college football team. He was previously the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team, the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, and the offensive coordinator for the Trojans...
and the first win under USC's 2010 NCAA probation and sanctions. Both teams amassed over 500 yards of total offense. Barkley said, "I'm just trying to be as perfect as I can be. Last week was pretty close, but that perfect game is kind of a goal and that's no completions." Coach Kiffin added, "We'll see if he can continue to do it again. Great quarterbacks put together good games every week." Matt Barkley continued a solid sophomore campaign. With notable performances against Stanford and Cal. Barkley sprained his ankle during a loss to Oregon State and was forced to the sideline for the Notre Dame game. He returned to lead the Trojans to a gutsy 28-14 victory over UCLA.
2011
Matt Barkley began 2011 by setting the USC single game record for completions with 34 against Minnesota. Through nine games he is at a 28-6 touchdown interception ratio and completing 67% of his passes. On November 4, he passed for a USC single game record for touchdowns in a game with 6, against the Colorado BuffaloesColorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
, one of the two additions to the Pac-12 in its inaugural season; the game was the first against Colorado since 2002. He had previously tied the single game TD record three times, sharing it with Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete is a former American football quarterback from the University of Southern California who played in the National Football League for 16 years. He retired in 2004 and is now in broadcasting.-Early life:...
, Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
, Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
and Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
. On November 26, against the UCLA Bruins, he tied the single game touchdown record again in a 50-0 shutout of the Bruins. Over the 2011 season, Barkley accumulated 39 touchdowns, an all-time Pac-12 record.
Personal
Barkley is devout ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and plays acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
with a church youth group. His father Les co-owns an insurance business with his brother in-law. While he was a student at Mater Dei, Barkley's parents started the Monarchs for Marines (M4M) campaign, where hundreds of Mater Dei students, coaches and parents volunteered to landscape and renovate youth areas on nearby Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
. Barkley had a 3.77 GPA in high school and frequently speaks to young students about the importance of staying on top of school work. His cousin, Robbie Boyer, is a walk-on at USC. During his Christmas holiday in 2008, Barkley went with a group of friends and family to help run an orphanage in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Barkley also appears on I Am Second
I Am Second
I Am Second is an evangelical Christian multimedia movement and not-for-profit organization that is designed to inspire people to live for Jesus Christ and others...
, sharing the story of his Christian faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of his USC career, Barkley befriended former USC Olympian, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
and inspirational speaker Louis Zamperini
Louis Zamperini
Louis Silvie Zamperini is a World War II prisoner of war survivor, inspirational speaker, and former American Olympic distance runner.-Early life:...
.