Jojo Doria

USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley was beaten up physically by Stanford in the Cardinal's upset victory and he is feeling it menatlly too.

USC coach Lane Kiffin said he watched Barkley make two of the worst decisions he's ever seen his star signalcaller ever make in the 21-14 setback.

Barkley threw two interceptions late in the second quarter and the Trojans were shutout in the second half by a physical Stanford defense.

"(That was) really unusual by Matt," Kiffin said in his Sunday evening conference call with reporters. "Probably two of his worst decisions in our three years together on back-to-back plays."

Barkley had thrown just one interception in nine quarters of football until that point, but was under pressure most of the game due to poor offensive line play.

"He's pretty beat up, mentally and physically," Kiffin said of Barkley.

A senior, Barkley will now end his college career without beating Stanford, but he could get another shot if the teams meet in the Pac-12 championship game in November.

Kiffin said Barkley was hurt by the performance and another loss to Stanford.

"You can imagine the disappointment of a 22-year-old, when you come back and all that you put into it and the game goes the way that it did and having never beat those guys," Kiffin said. "(But) he'll be fine. He'll rally, just like he has before and he'll play great this Saturday."

Barkley completed 20-of-41 passes for 254 yards and no touchdowns. It was the first time since October 2010 Barkley played a whole game and failed to throw for a touchdown.

 

USC's Barkley Beat Up After Loss to Stanford