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SCOUT’S NOTEBOOK: STANFORD@USC

The Pac-12 battle between Stanford and USC was one for the ages, which saw the quarterbacks from both squads bring their “A” games, along with a host of others who flashed their skills on prime-time television .

No Luck involved in this one

Andrew Luck was sharp from the get-go, completing 29 of 40 throws for 330 yards and three touchdowns. In his first drive, he was successful in stepping away from pressure and throwing the ball on the move, as he did on a 23-yard hook-up with wide receiver Griff Whalen with Nick Perry breathing down his neck.

On 1^st-and-15, Luck was very poised and confident in going through his progressions and coming back to his shallow option, Levine Toilolo, for seven yards.

His passes weren’t always picture perfect in terms of accuracy, but that was mostly due to a ton of pressure being applied by USC, particularly from the left side. A five-yard shovel pass to Stepfan Taylor for six yards was a fine heads-up play by the future NFL starter under duress.

Luck was particularly impressive on a third-quarter touchdown drive in which he repeatedly used his cadence to make the defense show its cards in terms of what type of coverage he was about to face.

While the Houston native doesn’t put as much zip behind some of his passes as some of his critics may want to see, he did fit the ball into tight spaces when he needed to. That’s exactly what he did on a 15-yard completion to Whalen in the fourth quarter with three defenders in his area, between a USC safety and corner.

There is no need for over-analysis here with everyone talking about Luck these days. The one thing that stood out for me in this matchup was his ability to make off-balance throws under pressure, which came early and often compliments of Perry.

Don’t sleep on Barkley

Lost in all the buzz about Luck leading into the game, is the fact that Matt Barkley is legitimate NFL prospect. Not only were his stats comparable to his counterpart, but the blonde bomber wasted no time in showing off his arm strength.

His first-quarter seven-yard strike to Robert Woods was an eye-catching play in that Barkley threw the ball right while rolling left. He hit his man to the outside, which could have been a dangerous throw if the quarterback doesn’t put enough velocity behind it.

The junior signal caller was also polished enough in mixing up the snap count and luring the defense offsides.

Barkley’s decision making was solid as well, as evidenced by the way he came off his first target and looked to his secondary and tertiary options. In addition , he was quite adept at baffling the defense with a well-timed pump fake on an eight-yard pass to tight end Randall Telfer.

The one area where the young Trojan lags behind Luck is the way he handles pressure. Barkley badly overthrew Woods in one-on-one coverage when facing an early blitz in the first quarter.

The lone interception that was picked off by A.J. Tarpley was a lapse in judgment by the USC triggerman, as the  opposing linebacker jumped the intended receiver’s route. Tarpley’s athletic prowess in stepping in front of the receiver and lunging for the ball was remarkable.

Barkley was also victimized by dropped passes on the part of his receivers. His accuracy on short, quick-hitting throws, though, was very good. He generally gets the ball out of his hands immediately. That quick release will serve him well at the next level.

Offensive linemen on parade

Left tackle Ryan Kalil is being talked about as the first blind-side protector off the board next April and it is easy to see why. Outside linebacker Chase Thomas---a quality pass rusher in his own right---had no chance against the junior, who overpowered him, but also managed to slide and mirror the defender, exhibiting great lateral movement.

Kalil was also dominant versus the run. In fact, on a 2^nd-and-4 play where running back Curtis McNeal gained six yards, the menacing tackle blew the 263-pound end Ben Gardner off the ball with his considerable lower-body strength while using proper technique by getting low and maintaining his balance.

The all-world blocker was caught off guard by a slick up-and-over move by outside linebacker Trent Murphy at the start of the third quarter. But he bounced back by sealing the edge on McNeal’s 61-yard scamper.

While Kalil may not be as athletic as former teammate Tyron Smith, he is a bigger and stronger individual, who can be devastating as a run blocker due to his quick, strong hands that allow him to grab a firm hold of his opponents.

His slip-up on Murphy can be attributed to the fact that he took a poor angle, but his footwork has steadily improved and he looks to be very deserving of being a high first-round selection.

Jonathan Martin has also been bandied about as a top tackle prospect if he decides to forego his senior year at the end of the season. Although, he has outstanding physical tools, including quick hands and feet in pass protection, he had lots of problems against Nick Perry.

What was most alarming was how Martin lost balance in the early going, as Perry zoomed by him on the third play of the game and almost got to Luck.

The junior blind-side specialist seemed to get on track by later using those hands of his to handle Perry’s counter moves. In fact, the junior lineman went on to assert his will on a first-down play in the second quarter by driving his man off the ball and pushing him out of Taylor’s path on a 5-yard advance.

But on that same drive, Martin failed to sustain his protection on Perry’s pass rush, as the Trojan once again almost got his mitts on the quarterback.

Martin acquitted himself much better in the running game by getting into space and overpowering his foes. In the pass protection department, however, he needs to maintain better leverage in his backpedal.

Right guard David DeCastro is hands down the best college player at his position and his performance last Saturday was nothing short of sensational.

His downfield block on inside linebacker Chris Gallipo was a thing of beauty. DeCastro not only showed the athletic ability to make the play in space, but he absolutely obliterated his man, pushing him about eight to 10-yards back almost making it appear as if the 250-pound Gallipo was on roller-skates.

He later showed tremendous instincts by picking up and anticipating a penetrating Perry on a 6-yard Taylor run in the fourth quarter.

Despite being having the size and raw power to be the classic pull blocker who leads the way on running plays, DeCastro has the agility to deliver text-book cut blocks, as well as being an excellent pass protector.

The 307-pound blocker’s durability and ability to diagnose blitz/stunt schemes make him the gold standard in guards if he decides to enter the draft in January.

McNeal a shot in the arm

Curtis McNeil stepped in for an injured Marc Tyler in the first quarter and put Stanford’s defense on its heels throughout the game with his exceptional burst. He led the running attack by gaining 145 yards on 20 carries, including two touchdowns.

He was electric on his 61-yard score in the second quarter, where he looked as though he were shot of a cannon and just blew by the opposition’s back-end defenders once he got passed the second level. On the run, he not only displayed great, quick-strike acceleration, but also showcased his long speed.

About four minutes later, the 5’7”, 185-pound back scored again by exploding past Stanford’s first-level defenders and easily outrunning the secondary on the 25-yard play.

McNeil is limited by his size in that he will never be a push-the-pile type, but he is a slippery sort with quick feet. Also, his low center of gravity makes him tough to take down. The junior doesn’t require a ton of space to generate positive yards.

Woods a star in the making

The 6’1” Robert Woods is quite raw when you consider the fact that he doesn’t always run the right routes and does drop some balls that should be caught. But even with those flaws, he is a dynamic and fluid runner who is hard to contain.

Woods was quite active by motioning in the backfield and showing superior elusiveness on quick-hitting plays after the catch.

He frequently confused defensive backs with a series of double moves at full speed, which speaks to his route running. What’s more, he used his muscle to make a key block on McNeil’s 61-yard touchdown.

Beware of Perry

Defensive end Nick Perry brought his lunch pail Saturday night. He kept on coming all game and was a disruptive presence throughout.

Perry’s lightning-quick first step on a first quarter pass rush threw Jonathan Martin off balance…and that was just start of Martin’s travails. In the second quarter, the 250-pound lineman came back on a 3^rd-and-15 play by using his leg drive to turn the corner and get underneath the left tackle on the near sack.

The undersized end used his quickness off the snap again in the fourth quarter to run past Martin and lay a lick on Luck after he completed an 11-yard throw on 2^nd-and-8.

Perry used his instincts later in the fourth quarter by getting his hands up and obstructing Luck’s view on an incomplete pass when he realized he couldn’t get to the quarterback.

The relentless Trojan’s ability to stay on his feet while he driving around the corner creates lots of issues for opposing blockers. His arm length certainly helps him maintain his balance.

For more college and pro football analysis, follow Ralph Mancini on his Twitter handle @reverendralph.