Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: USC's Barkley Next Up For CU's Ailing 'D'
November 01, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - In a quarterback-driven league, the Colorado Buffaloes are being driven into the ground - not by their QB play, but by a parade of talented Pac-12 quarterbacks who appear destined for long looks (and perhaps long careers) in the NFL.
Four games ago, the Buffs faced consensus No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck of Stanford, who threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinal's 48-7 rout. Last weekend, CU encountered Arizona State's 6-8 Brock Osweiler, who passed for 307 yards and two TDs in a 48-14 beat-down.
The hits (and long spirals) just keep coming. Friday night at Folsom Field (7 p.m., ESPN), the Buffs catch Southern California's Matt Barkley, and yet to come - Nov. 12 at Folsom - is Arizona's Nick Foles. Even defenses featuring experienced, healthy secondaries don't relish facing that foursome - and as November unfolds the Buffs' backend is neither experienced nor healthy.
The Foles-Barkley-Osweiler-Luck QB quartet ranks No. 1-No. 4, respectively, in the Pac-12 in yards passing per game, with Foles at 366.1, Barkley at 286.2, Osweiler at 284.4 and Luck at 277.2. They're also the Pac-12 top four, though not in that order, in total offense.
To be a Pac-12 contender or even a competitor, start with a top-tier QB. "You've got to have one," Embree said. "It's a quarterback-driven conference; there's no doubt you have to have it. We've got two good ones on campus in (redshirt freshman) Nick Hirschman and Connor Wood (transfer from Texas), who we're excited about. We've got a kid who's committed we're excited about.
"Between those guys, we have to have that. And you really have to have more than one - as we're finding out. You can't go the whole year and count on one guy to be healthy . . . this conference is a lot like the league (NFL); if you don't have a quarterback, or have good play at that position, you're fighting uphill from an offensive standpoint."
Embree saw enough of Luck to be impressed (who wouldn't be?), but he's also a big fan of Barkley, a 6-2 junior who has started for the Trojans since his freshman season. Embree calls Luck "1A," Barkley "1B" and says Barkley reminds him of Mark Sanchez, ex-USC QB now with the New York Jets, "but with a bigger arm . . .
"I remember watching Mark when he was coming up and he just had all the intangibles - the 'it' factor from a leadership standpoint, from how he prepared, all those things. You can see this kid (Barkley) has that, from his passion for the game, all the little things that go into being a great quarterback - he has it."
If Luck is a rare talent at football's marquee position, a once-in-a-generation kind of player, Embree believes Barkley "is right there behind him. He doesn't run as well as Andrew. It's hard to say how much he would get to do on his own, because he doesn't get to do it like Andrew does in calling his own plays . . .
"I think both of them would be great system quarterbacks. So from the standpoint of whoever gets those guys (in the NFL), they can come in and learn the system, get a grasp of it and be able to go out there and do it. The thing right now that probably separates them is size and speed by Luck . . . but 1A, 1B."
Barkley, a Newport Beach native (Mater Dei High School), has completed 204-of-303 passes (151.5 efficiency rating) for 2,290 yards and 22 touchdowns (five interceptions). His top target is Robert Woods (81 receptions, 991 yards, 9 TDs), and Embree calls the Barkley-Woods tandem "the best combination in the conference . . . they have great chemistry, great connections with each other."
Barkley went 28-for-45 for 284 yards and three scores (one interception) in USC's 56-48 triple overtime loss to Stanford last weekend. It was the highest scoring game (104 points) in USC history, with the Cardinal's 56 points the most ever allowed by the Trojans.
The quarterbacks the Buffs have faced in their first five conference games have thrown for 2,240 yards and 22 TD. CU ranks eighth in pass defense, yielding 248.9 yards a game, but last in pass defense efficiency with a 155.7 rating. The Buffs' 22 TD passes allowed are the most in the Pac-12, and their three interceptions are the lowest in the conference.
"We just have to find a way to create success," Embree said. "I've had people say, 'Why don't you blitz?' Well, you blitz and that means you're playing man coverage back there. You're not equipped right now to play man. You try to mix your blitzes, mix your zones . . .
"You're kind of stuck with some of the issues we have (injuries and inexperience). You have these great quarterbacks and if you blitz them and can't cover . . . and if you don't blitz them and they have all day, then it's kind of the same thing. You just kind of try and pick your spots and hope that when you pick 'em you're right."
BUFF BITS: Freshman tailback Malcolm Creer, who was injured at Arizona State, is scheduled to have surgery sometime after Thanksgiving or in early December. Creer, who had redshirted until the Oregon game (Oct. 22), suffered a torn MCL and ACL and will face about a five-month rehab process. Embree said he hopes Creer is cleared to practice in August . . . . Senior guard Ethan Adkins says freshman Paulay Asiata, who also plays that position, "can be one heck of a player . . . he's one of the most physical offensive linemen I've seen." . . . . Buffs players are jacked up about the first-ever Friday night game at Folsom and the prospect of playing on national TV (ESPN) before a "black out" home crowd. "It gets you going," said sophomore linebacker Derrick Webb. "These are the games you live for, you play college football for." . . . . On the flip side, the Friday night contest erases a day of preparation, and in USC's case the Thursday travel day erases yet another day of routine preparation. That's not a problem on the Buffs' end, and Embree says he's told athletic director Mike Bohn, "As long as it's a home game, play us any night." . . . . Embree daydreamed aloud during Tuesday's press conference, saying among his goals is getting ESPN's College Gameday back to Boulder. "But we have to our part . . . someday one of these big games will be about us." . . . . Memo to media: On your list of postgame questions for Embree, strike this one - "What did you say to them in the locker room?" Embree has answered that one a couple of times this season, and his brutally honest responses have created a bit of a buzz (see: ASU postgame). Embree stands behind those remarks on complacency, saying there's no place for it on the football field or later in life. But he also conceded, "Sure, there are ways to say things better." Embree said he cares as much for his players as he does his three children and never looks at himself as a "king of the kingdom guy . . . I'm trying to help these kids." . . . . Asked if the Trojans were as talented now as in the past, Embree answered: "Define past . . . you talking about Reggie (Bush) and the guys? No. They're not there at that level, but they're still very talented." . . . . Snow is in Saturday's forecast, but Embree wouldn't mind seeing it arrive a day earlier. "Snow, cold weather . . . we need it all," he said, adding he wouldn't mind seeing "one of those Green Bay/Denver Broncos Monday night games" where yard lines need to be cleared with shovels or mini-tractors between plays. The guy doesn't want just a little snow . . . . If the Trojans have foul-weather gear, they don't use it often. USC's last game played in the snow was on Nov. 30, 1957 at Notre Dame. The Trojans' point total was eight less than the temperature (20). The Irish cruised, 40-12.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
