USC survives Minnesota, 19-17.

Matt Barkley will do all he can to will USC to win but what about the defense?!

What we learned:

· Matt Barkley is an accomplished Pac-12 passer, right behind Stanford’s Andrew Luck; if not in the top 5 of pocket passers in the nation.

· Barkley and sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods make a good tandem. Woods hauled in 17 catches (becoming the only wide receiver for USC to have 17 catches in a single game, breaking former player Johnnie Morton’s record of 15 catches) for 177 yards with three TD’s, and Barkley threw for 304 yards on the day, carving up Minnesota’s defense.

· The Men of Troy’s defense looks more stout and aggressive than the previous year; they still have to work on miss tackles.

· USC Sophomore Cornerback Torrin Harris needs to play the ball better in the air; he is usually caught not knowing where the ball is. He redeemed himself with a late interception to seal the game.

· Redshirt Freshman DJ Morgan made the best of his opportunity with senior running back Marc Tyler being suspended for the first game, showing speed, power, balance and vision. Morgan will have a bright future if he keeps up his production and true grit.

· Penalties made this game closer than what the score indicated, The Trojans could have put up more points if it wasn’t for costly penalties that put them in many third and long positions.

Going Forward: 

· USC’s offense is still a work in progress and is far from being refined. At times it looked methodical with the bubble screens to Woods. Barkley will have to spread the ball around to junior Brice Butler, true freshman Marquise Lee, true freshman George Farmer and Kyle Prater (if he can stay healthy). And there has to be a more balanced approach as far as run vs. the pass.

· The defense will be tested when they host Utah (Sept. 10), @Arizona State (Sept. 24), at home against Stanford (Oct. 29) and @Oregon (Nov. 19).

· The schedule does not led up for USC as they play back-to-back away games @Cal (Oct. 13) and @Notre Dame (Oct. 22) and then have a home game against the Cardinal. This will probably be the toughest stretch the Men of Troy will face all year and it will give the pundits and fans a barometer of progress from last season, especially on defense. It’s realistic to say that USC probably could match their win total of eight games from last season. It’s all about how the defense holds up.

· I’m eager to see how Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin deals with various the offensives run in college and how he deals with the spread-option attack which will a be equivalent to playing Russian roulette when they go to Autzen Stadium. If Kiffin is smart, his team will watch the LSU-Oregon game and break it down from every facet to see how LSU halted the express train AKA The Oregon Ducks. But stopping the Ducks, is it an issue of athleticism and discipline??

Matt Deringer weighs in on Minnesota-USC

TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is the nicest place you can watch a game this side of Stanford Stadium. ... Robert Woods' kick return for a touchdown after Minnesota went ahead 14-13 in the third quarter reversed momentum, and was the Play of the Game. ... Woods, a track star in high school, is going to be a superstar in college. ... Matt Barkley, a superstar in high school, isn't shining too bright for me in college. ... Lane Kiffin needs to quit going for two when he deems the "matchups" favor it; John McKay did OK kicking extra points; Pete Carroll only went on the most successful run in school history adding extra points; going for two, and coming up short (like USC did again Saturday) is eventually going to cost the Trojans a game. It's stupid and unnecessary. Or compensating for a lack for insecurity and unnecessary. Either way, it's unnecessary. ... Jurrell Casey could win the Nagurski Award if he came back for his senior year, which I don't think he will. ... Casey's still one of - if not the best - defensive tackles in the nation right now. ... Minnesota lost in part because Tim Brewester insisted on running at the strength of the Trojans' team, Casey and the other defensive tackles. Jim Harbaugh and Chip Kelly won't make the same mistake. ... USC's receivers and running backs are as good as any in the nation. ... USC's secondary will get by at Washington State and at home versus Jake Locker and Washington. But the pass rush needs to step up if the Trojans are going to have a chance against Stanford and Oregon and Notre Dame. ... I want to see more of Allen Bradford, Dillon Baxter and Robert Woods. ... It was good to see Ed Orgeron chew out Hebron Fangupo after a personal foul turned what would have been 3rd-and-long into a first down. If I had one criticism of Pete Carroll the last five years, it's that he missed a Bad Cop. ... OK, if I had one more criticism of Pete Carroll the last five years, it's that USC's special teams were mediocre at best. New coach John Baxter, however, is changing that. ... Imperfections aside, USC football was a lot more fun with Carroll running the show. ... USC needs to win its appeal - what the new uptight attitude around campus and practice is about, I think - to have the scholarship restrictions cut from 30 over three years to 15. The Trojans need players, period, and miss the depth they've enjoyed in recent years. Linebacker (like 2008) and offensive line (like 2005) aren't what they used to be. ... If the Trojans don't stomp Washington State, they've got problems bigger than only having 67 scholarship players or going through the motions until the season starts in earnest. ...