By Phil Soon

USC:
Despite a shocking early upset loss at Washington, the USC Trojans find themselves in a familiar position as they enter the second half of the season: in serious contention for the Pac-10 title and a possible shot at the BCS national championship game.  Heading into the season, many experts speculated that coach Pete Carroll’s Trojans were at their most vulnerable point since 2002, due to the loss of eight starters on defense and true freshman Matt Barkley starting at quarterback.

These predictions were seemingly confirmed on Sept. 19, when former USC offensive coordinator and current Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies sprung a 16-13 upset loss on the visiting Trojans.  A flurry of turnovers, the injury-related absences of Barkley and All-American safety Taylor Mays, and superior execution by Washington contributed to the loss, leading many to dismiss the Trojans’ national title game aspirations a mere week after USC’s thrilling win over then No. 8-ranked Ohio State.  However, Carroll’s team has responded with four straight wins, including a rout of supposed conference contender California, an eighth-consecutive win over rival Notre Dame, and a 42-36 shootout victory versus Oregon State, leaving the team with a 6-1 record heading into its Halloween matchup with conference-leading Oregon.

Midseason MVPs:
Offense: Matt Barkley
Despite his status as a true freshman, quarterback Matt Barkley is quickly becoming a star, showcasing next-level talent, poise, and confidence that belie his age.  Barkley has led the Trojans to victory in two memorable road games, leading a dramatic, 14-play, 86-yard game-winning drive at Ohio State and passing for 380 yards against rival Notre Dame.  Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates has opened up USC’s playbook, and Barkley’s performance over the second half of the season will determine how far the Trojans will go.
Defense:  Everson Griffen & Nick Perry
While All-American safety Taylor Mays receives the bulk of national media attention, defensive ends Griffen and Perry have anchored one of the nation’s most-talented defenses.  Both players have NFL-level talent, with Perry leading the Pac-10 in sacks and Griffen close behind.  Having two defensive ends of this caliber allows the Trojans to generate an incredible amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks without having to commit extra defenders, helping a Trojan defense that lost eight starters to the 2009 NFL draft remain among the nation’s best.

Second-Half Outlook:
USC’s hopes for the conference title and possible shot at the national championship game remain intact, but several key obstacles remain in their path.  First and foremost is an incredibly important game at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium Halloween night.  The winner of this game will have the inside track to the Pac-10 title, and a legitimate shot at reaching the national title game.  The Oregon Ducks are rolling, relying upon a high-powered offense to win six straight games for first-year head coach Chip Kelly.  Although Barkley and tailback Allen Bradford helped USC score enough points to win, the defense struggled to contain the Oregon State offense in a 42-36 shootout at the Coliseum, a troubling development in the week leading up to the Oregon game, which appears to be the most difficult game left on the schedule.  Carroll’s teams have shown a propensity to win big games but occasionally stumble against lesser foes, and upcoming games against Arizona and rival UCLA could also prove problematic.  If the Trojans can remain undefeated through the remainder of conference play, they will have as good a claim as any team for a shot at the BCS national championship.

UCLA:
Across town in Westwood, a promising 3-0 start has quickly turned into a struggle to save UCLA’s season.  A tough 19-15 win at SEC opponent Tennessee on September 12 showcased the Bruins’ strengths on defense, with Tennessee held to 208 total yards and four turnovers. However, four straight losses in Pac-10 conference play have illustrated the Bruins’ struggles to return to relevance, leaving the Bruins with a 3-4 record and no wins in conference play.

Despite having one of the Pac-10’s most talented defenses, UCLA’s has suffered from a lack of execution and consistency on offense.  Injuries and a lack of productivity at the quarterback position has been the main problem, preventing the Bruins from capitalizing upon the turnovers generated by their defense. In the Bruins’ recent 27-13 loss at Arizona, UCLA’s defense forced five turnovers.  Bruin free safety Rahim Moore, the NCAA’s co-leader in interceptions, picked off his sixth and seventh passes of the season, strong safety Tony Dye returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown, and all 13 Bruin points were generated as a result of turnovers.   Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel played three quarterbacks in the game – starter Kevin Prince, backup Kevin Craft, and freshman Richard Brehaut – but none was effective enough to generate consistent offensive drives.

Midseason MVPs:
Offense: Kai Forbath
In spite of UCLA’s inconsistencies on offense, kicker Kai Forbath is quite simply one of college football’s best kickers, having converted 19 out of 20 field goal attempts this season (is this the right word? A word was missing…).  A consistent source of points, Forbath’s range and accuracy have been repeatedly put to the test, given UCLA’s aforementioned inconsistencies on offense.  Forbath has missed only one field goal this season, a 51-yarder against Tennessee.
Defense:  Rahim Moore
Free safety Rahim Moore is the national co-leader in interceptions, having picked off two passes versus Arizona, three against SDSU, and two against Tennessee.  Moore’s presence in the Bruin secondary forces opposing offenses to alter their game plans, and his string of multi-interception games have helped the Bruin defense generate a high amount of turnovers.  On a defense with several NFL-caliber players, Moore is undoubtedly the Bruins’ most visible and valuable performer.

Second Half Outlook:
While UCLA has struggled mightily over its last few games, the fact remains that the Bruins can still reach a bowl game if the offense can step up its production.  In terms of personnel, UCLA is one of the more talented teams in the Pac-10, but Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow must find a way to improve the struggling Bruin offense.  Coach Neuheisel is a great recruiter, bringing in several nationally-ranked recruiting classes, but his team’s on-field performance can only be described as mediocre.  Currently, the Bruin offense is unable to capitalize on the turnovers and opportunities its defense gives it, and the team has failed to execute at crucial moments.  UCLA is near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings, but remains a dangerous team, with considerable talent on both offense and defense.  Winnable games against Washington and Washington State lie ahead, but the Bruin offense must improve for the team to have any chance of turning its season in a positive direction.  If not, a season on the brink could quickly turn into a nightmare.

Former UCLA star Maurice Jones-Drew now plays as a running back for the Jacksonville JaquarsUSC alumn Mark Sanchez is starting quarterback for the New York Jets.

By Alexander Mehdipour

USC

1) Mark Sanchez: The fifth pick overall in the 2009 NFL draft has been handed the keys to the team and started off week one with a win and an impressive stat line of18-31 for 272 yards and 1 touchdown. His ability to manage the game and limit turnovers will be the key to the Jets’ season.

2) LenDale White: He supposedly lost weight by eliminating tequila from his diet, but he has to deal with being the backup to Chris Johnson in his contract year.

3) Reggie Bush: He has never lived up to the hype and was not the Saints running back to rush for more than 100 yards in the Saints first game against Detroit – that would be Mike Bell.

4) Carson Palmer: He claims he is finally healed from his arm injury and is completely healthy for the first time in a long time, but the Bengals were only able to put up 7 points against the Broncos and the loss of T.J. Houshmanzadeh might be detrimental to his success.

5) Matt Cassel: He parlayed his chance in New England into a big contract in Kansas City. Now is the time to prove he was worth it.

UCLA

1) Maurice Jones-Drew: With Fred Taylor now in New England, this will be the first time he has to carry the entire workload, and with Jacksonville playing two rookie tackles, yards may be difficult to come by.

2) Marcedes Lewis: Like Jones-Drew, Jacksonville will lean heavily on Lewis to get the Jaguars to the playoffs and score points.

3) Kenyon Coleman: The journeyman lineman followed coach Eric Mangini and is trying to continue his success in Mangini’s defensive scheme.

4) Chris Horton: The second-year safety was impressive in his rookie year, and now is the time for him to show that it was not a fluke and that he is going to be a star defensive player for years to come.

5) Chris Kluwe: Punters don’t often get mentioned, but when you play on the same team as Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, field position may be the one factor that prevents the Vikings from getting out of the first round of the playoffs.

By Tara Radley, 3L

After a rough 2008 football campaign, the UCLA Bruins looked poised this year to get back on their feet and to hold their own in the Pac-10. Relatively speaking, the Bruins did not look half bad in the first two games of the year against San Diego State and Tennessee, both wins. These victories could be largely attributed to sub-par competition, but also to the fact that UCLA finally has a quarterback who can throw a football – a good trait for a quarterback, but something that has not been seen at UCLA since the likes of Drew Olson in 2005.

All signs looked promising in the first two wins until UCLA became faced with the problem that has plagued each of their past three seasons: no quarterback. Redshirt freshman Kevin Prince went down with a broken jaw in the Bruins win against Tennessee and is projected to be out at least three weeks. If you are a UCLA fan, this probably was no shock to you.

In 2008, Ben Olson, a former top-rated high school quarterback of the year, who was at best a flop during his college career, suffered a foot fracture during spring drills and remained sidelined for the entire season. In fact, it seems that Olson was never fated to actually play football during his six-year college career: in 2007, he threw seven touchdowns with six interceptions in another injury-filled season; and in 2006, he played in only five games before suffering a knee injury that kept him off the field for the rest of the season as well. Indeed, when he was invited after his senior season to play in UCLA’s Pro Day in front of NFL scouts – you guessed it – he broke his foot during drills, and his professional football career never saw the light of day.

Unfortunately, this tale of woe is just one of many for UCLA quarterbacks over the past few seasons. When second-string quarterback Pat Cowan, another player who could not stay off the injured list if his life depended on it, went down with a season-ending knee injury, this left the ball in the hands of Kevin Craft. The problem with Craft was that he did not know how to throw a football – which lead to a school record in interceptions.

This string of disappointments did not instill much hope in UCLA fans for 2009. However, with the emergence of Prince and the potential he brought to the team, UCLA fans began to get excited. But when Prince went down, leaving the ball in the hands of true freshman Richard Brehaut – or even worse: Kevin Craft – this can only leave fans wondering if UCLA is ever destined to get a quarterback who can lead the Bruins back to football prominence.