Matt Barkley Struggles, Mitch Mustain Shines in USC's 2010 Spring Game

On a day where most expected Matt Barkley to prove why he's the starting QB for USC, Barkley undoubtedly raised some red flags on Head Coach Lane Kiffin's coaching staff.

It's safe to say that Barkley didn't quite have the performance Trojans fans were expecting.

Not to mention the fact that he bruised his right hand after smashing it into the helmet of DT Jurrell Casey in the third quarter.

Barkley says it's fine, but we still should be worried.

The kid just had arthroscopic surgery on his wrist in January.

Barkley's performance was mediocre at best, as he completed only seven of his 16 pass attempts, one of those being a 41-yard TD pass to Travon Patterson.

Mitch Mustain, the QB transfer from Arkansas, did a much better job than Barkley, and gave some possible competition to the sophomore QB, as he completed 19 of 29 passes for 299 yards and five TDs.

So the big question here is: will Lane Kiffin choose not to start Barkley after his weak performance today, and give the starting role to Mustain instead?

I would certainly think not, but after Barkley's poor performance, coupled with the injury to his right hand—which is his throwing hand—Kiffin may feel the need to hold Barkley out for this season, or for just a few games until Kiffin is absolutely sure Barkley can play. 

It's an unlikely scenario, but one that's not impossible nonetheless.

Let's not forget, Barkley is the one who led the Trojans to an 18-15 lead in the Horseshoe against Ohio State. Remember, he was a true freshman.

But after today's shoddy performance, Kiffin may be second-guessing his choice. 

Impact Players 

These players made a huge impact on today's game, which means they will likely make the same huge impact come the regular season:

Dillion Baxter: this true freshman RB could quite possibly be the next Reggie Bush at USC. He rattled off a 58 yard TD run in the third quarter, and ended the day with 13 carries for 129 yards and one TD. 

Stanley Havili: As a FB, Havili hasn't been much of an impact player at USC. In his career at USC, Havili has only 55 carries with 343 yards and two TDs. However, Havili is much more dangerous as a receiver. In his career at USC, Havili has 894 receiving yards and 10 TDs.

He led all receivers in today's game, with five catches for 129 yards and three TDs.

Michael Morgan: led the Trojans' defense with seven tackles.

Malcolm Smith: had six tackles and a deflection.

Shareece Wright: had five tackles and three deflections.

While the linebacking corps isn't too deep, they performed extremely well today, and hopefully today was a step in the right direction to stiffening up the Trojans' defense from 2009.

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