LOS ANGELES - Matt Barkley has a new goal as No. 19 USC wraps up the final quarter of the regular season.
The goal has nothing to do with the Heisman or Maxwell Awards.
Not the Davey O’Brien Award either.
Nor does it have anything to do with the Rose Bowl.
“We did talk extensively yesterday about setting a goal of not throwing one (interception) over the next three weeks,” said USC head coach Lane Kiffin.
With two more interceptions last Saturday in the loss to Oregon, Barkley’s interception total is up to 10, which is three more than he had all of last season.
The turnovers have been the only blemish in what Kiffin says has been a great season for the senior quarterback. Barkley's thrown for 2,750 yards and 30 touchdowns.
“Everything, really, for the most part, is similar or better than last year outside of the interceptions,” Kiffin said of the Trojans' captain.
Barkley says he feels the offense has finally found a rhythm over the last two games. But as a result of the Trojans losing both of those games, none of the talk is about Barkley’s production, but rather the two-game losing streak.
“If we were winning these games,” Kiffin said, “the storyline would be about Matt’s play and how he’s even playing better than a year ago even though people would think it would (be) harder to do - to play better than what, arguably, was the best season in the history of the conference by a quarterback.”
In losses to Arizona and Oregon in consecutive weeks, Barkley has totaled 997 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. The 493 yards he threw at Arizona were a school record. Yet it’s not the lofty numbers that stick with him, it’s the mistakes.
He points to a first quarter interception he threw at Arizona inside Wildcats territory and also Marqise Lee’s fumble at the end of the first half against Oregon as drive killers that just eat at him.
“Those drives,” Barkley said, “those are the things you think about in bed, not the numbers or anything like that.”
To cut down on his mistakes, his decision making has to improve. Even as a fourth-year starter, he still needs some convincing that it’s OK to live and fight another down. That means not forcing balls, being able to throw a ball away when he’s under pressure, and also knowing taking a sack isn’t always a bad thing when worse things could happen if he doesn't.
“I hate taking sacks and so sometimes I try to get the ball out rather than taking a sack which kind of hurt us on that second pick (against Oregon),” he said.
Being interception free may not be the easiest thing to do for Barkley. Through the first nine games of the season, three times he’s had a game with zero interceptions.
Reaching his goal could be just what the Trojans need as they try to win the Pac-12 South. In Barkley’s career, the Trojans are 14-2 when he doesn’t throw a pick, including 3-0 this season.
