USC Football: Matt Barkley Sets USC, Pac-12 Record For Touchdown Passes

Oct 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) throws a pass against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

With his 17-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods, Matt Barkley tied/broke Matt Leinart’s USC and conference record for career touchdown passes.

The Trojans came into this matchup with Colorado as 40-point favorites, a game that has so far allowed USC to flex their muscles a little bit. On their first play of the game, Barkley hit Woods for an 11-yard pass and then followed that up with a 55-yard bomb to Marqise Lee for the Trojans’ first TD of the day.

Two plays, two passes, and 50 seconds later, the Trojans came out of the gates firing.

His second TD of the night was to Woods this time, a 39-yard heave completed when Woods trotted into the endzone for another score. Woods is three catches shy of setting a school record in his own right.

Hungry for more, Barkley has been playing with a ferocity we haven’t seen from him much this season. After a USC fumble recovery, Barkley again hit another target, this time TE Xavier Grimble from eight yards out for USC’s third touchdown in the first quarter.

In doing so, he tied Matt Leinart’s USC and Pac-12 conference career touchdown passes record, with 99.

But the big one came when Barkley connected with Woods on third and four, early in the second quarter, for a 29-yard TD pass to Robert Woods.

With that catch, Woods is now just one catch away from his own record. Right after the record-setting pass, all eyes in the stadium turned to the video board, where a video montage featuring Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Clippers Star Chris Paul, LA Kings President Luc Robitaille, LA Galaxy Star Landon Donovan, Clippers Star Blake Griffin, Former USC Head Coach Pete Carroll and Keyshawn Johnson all sent Barkley congratulatory messages.

There was really no doubt that Kiffin would help Barkley hit this incredible career accomplishment today, and through one and a half quarters, it has been the Matt Barkley, Robert Woods, and Marqise Lee show.

Matt Barkley now has 100 career touchdowns through three and a half seasons with USC.