USC races to a 28-3 halftime lead

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With USC’s tailback-by-committee doing much of the heavy lifting, freshman quarterback Matt Barkley overcame his rough start and recorded a number of firsts -- the good kind -- in the second quarter of his team’s season opener against San Jose State at the Coliseum.

Starting near midfield, Barkley rolled left and tossed a short pass to fullback Stanley Havili for a 13-yard gain and a first down, the first of his college career. A few plays later, he followed up with a 10-yard dart to David Ausberry, setting up Stafon Johnson’s four-yard touchdown run that gave USC a 7-3 lead.

Those two completions appeared to have a settling effect, Barkley coming back in the next series to complete a pair of throws to Damian Williams, leading to another scoring run by Johnson.

The defense also found its rhythm, especially when San Jose State Coach Dick Tomey inexplicably decided to swap out starting quarterback Kyle Reed, who had driven his team to an early field goal.

The Trojans forced a fumble and later sacked quarterback Jordan La Secla on third down.

Barkley-philes might note that he scrambled for his first gain -- a modest yard -- just before tailback Allen Bradford burst through the line and raced 43 yards for a touchdown. The freshman then experienced his first two-minute drill, leading to Joe McKnight’s five-yard scoring run and a 28-3 halftime lead.

-- David Wharton