USC Football Season in Review: 5 Best Games of the 2011 Season

What a season it was.

The Trojans started off the season with a two-point victory over lowly Minnesota at home. Then they finished it off with a huge upset victory at Autzen Stadium and then a shutout against rival UCLA.

Just those two sentences showed how much USC improved over three months, and during those three months the Trojans played a handful of memorable games that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

In fact, three of the top five games of the 2011 season will probably be talked about on Exposition and Figueroa for years to come.

5. Barkley Throws Six TDs in Frozen Colorado

Who said Matt Barkley can't perform in cold weather?

A week after he went toe-to-toe against Andrew Luck of Stanford, Barkley threw for six touchdown passes against Colorado in chilly Boulder as the Trojans won their first-ever Friday night game, 42-17.

What's most amazing about Barkley's performance is that in USC's rich history, no other quarterback had thrown for six touchdowns ever. Barkley made history on that cold night in Boulder. 

Robert Woods and Marqise Lee each caught two touchdowns for USC, and they each had over 120 receiving yards.

The win put Barkley on the Heisman map and gave the Trojans momentum going into their huge road tilt at Oregon.

4. Kalil's Block Gives USC the Win

In an early-season game that shouldn't have been as close as it was, Matt Kalil blocked a late field goal that would have tied the game for the Utah Utes and sent the game into overtime.

Instead, the block was recovered by the Trojans and taken the other way for a touchdown. 

What was strange about this game was that the last touchdown scored on the field-goal block was not actually recorded until two hours after the game ended. The Las Vegas spread on the game was nine points. If the touchdown hadn't counted, the game would've been a three-point deficit, but in the end, the call was correctly overturned, and it turned out to be a push.

However, if they had made the correct call on the field, an extra point would've been kicked to turn the deficit into 10 points, meaning those who bet USC -9 would have won their bet.

Confused yet?

Either way, it was an exciting early-season win for the Trojans. Losing this game could have deterred USC, but it instead gained some much-needed confidence, and the Trojans later showed in the season that they were able to learn from their early-season mistakes.

3. Barkley vs. Luck

Yes, USC lost this one. How could a USC loss be in this list?

Because this was a game that officially put USC back on the map. Many felt after this loss to Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal that USC was back from the dead. 

The game went to triple overtime. Both Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley were stellar and showed signs that they were NFL-ready. It seemed like a duel that we're going to be seeing many times on Sunday in the next decade or so.

USC tailback Curtis McNeal had probably one of the most turbulent games anyone could have. He rushed for two touchdowns and 145 yards, but he fumbled the ball in triple overtime, giving Stanford the win. 

That being said, it was a big game for him, as he slowly took over the starting job at running back and set up the Trojans well for next year.

The thrilling game at the Coliseum featured over 90,000 screaming fans, and it certainly felt like a game from the Reggie Bush days. It was a sign of things to come for USC.

An omen to the rest of the nation that the Trojans are back, and they had better beware.

2. 50-0

It was the game that got Rick Neuheisel fired. He had said he felt UCLA had closed the gap with USC.

The game showed otherwise.

USC dominated UCLA from the get-go and didn't even let the Bruins breathe. The Trojans rubbed it in with a successful two-point conversion attempt when they were up 20-0. Then when they were up big at the start of the second half, USC didn't didn't stop. They threw the ball, and Barkley connected for a touchdown.

One of his most beautiful touchdowns came in the red zone on a fourth-down situation. Barkley exemplified sheer athleticism and grace as he connected on an off-balance throw to his receiver. It was just pure brilliance.

Barkley ended up throwing for six touchdowns, finishing the season with 39. He really raised his hopes for a chance for the Heisman Trophy, and he had fans chanting "One more year!" at the end of the game.

Barkley only had seven incompletions throughout the entire game, and for a second fans were wondering if they were watching Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. He couldn't be stopped. 

This could've been Barkley's last start as a Trojan, and if it was, what a way to leave.

1. The Upset at Oregon

Any Trojan fan would've told you that if there was one game USC was absolutely going to lose, it was going to be the mid-November match at Autzen Stadium.

The state of Oregon had been a house of horrors for USC, and as talented as the Ducks were, it just seemed like a long shot for the Trojans to come away with a victory.

That being said, they had momentum from beating their rival Notre Dame, keeping it close against Stanford and crushing Colorado on the road. Barkley came in with plenty of confidence. He threw for four touchdowns, and by the end of the third quarter USC was up 38-14.

Duck fans had no idea what was going on. Barkley and USC believed in themselves so much they knew exactly what they were doing. No one thought they could win except them. Quite frankly, that's all that mattered.

Oregon would not go out without a fight, though. The Ducks came all the way back and trailed by three points in the last seconds of the game. However, they missed a field goal, and this secured the win for USC, certifying that the Trojans were definitely back.