ESPN College Football

Typically, every preseason features a handful of quarterback competitions, even if we sort of feel like we know who will ultimately emerge.

Last fall, there was uncertainty at Arizona State, Colorado and Oregon.

At the end of the 2010 season, it looked like there would be plenty of ongoing quarterback intrigue. Arizona State was expected to feature another showdown with Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler. California was completely wide open with the departure of Kevin Riley. There was a new coach at Colorado, Jon Embree, who said every job was open. UCLA clearly had no clear No. 1. Washington had to replace Jake Locker.

But most of the mysteries were solved by the end of spring practices.

Threet was forced to retire because of multiple concussions, thereby handing the job to Osweiler. Cal coach Jeff Tedford surprised a few folks when he announced Zach Maynard had eclipsed Allan Bridgford and Brock Mansion. It was clear throughout spring drills that Tyler Hansen was the Buffaloes' best option. And Steve Sarkisian tapped Keith Price over Nick Montana before the spring game.

If you're looking for a potential source for making quarterback decisions before preseason camp, consider former USC coach Pete Carroll. He believed in "anointing" a starter after spring practices because he believed it helped them become leaders over the summer -- see Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez. Notably, Sarkisian chatted with Carroll before tapping Price.

While coaches will still talk about competition, and it wouldn't be wise for any of these guys to take their job for granted, the only team with remaining uncertainty behind center is UCLA, and even then most would project a healthy Kevin Prince -- the incumbent starter who suffered a season-ending knee injury that also knocked him out of spring practice -- is the likely choice.

Still, let's look at where the Bruins' competition stands.

The candidates:

Kevin Prince: While Prince's passing numbers were horrid in his five 2010 games before getting hurt, he showed in 2009 that he can be a capable passer. And last fall, he showed he could do a pretty good job running a pistol offense. But Prince had suffered myriad injuries even before he hurt his knee last fall, and while he enters the preseason reportedly at 100 percent, keeping him healthy is the critical element for him to become a reliable starter. Recall that the Bruins' ragged start on offense in 2010 could be attributed to Prince not practicing until the week before the season opener -- an embarrassing loss to a Kansas State team the Bruins pushed around the previous season. So it's fair to expect less running -- or at least more running out of bounds -- for Prince. He will be given every opportunity to win the job.

Richard Brehaut: There's no other way to say it: While Brehaut didn't play terribly well after replacing Prince, his passing numbers were better than what Prince did in 2010. That fact has engendered some not unreasonable sentiments that coach Rick Neuheisel has some sort of issue with Brehaut, a summary of which is provided here by Adam Maya (by the way, former offensive coordinator Norm Chow doggedly believed Prince was a better option than Brehaut). While Neuheisel said it was "nothing personal," it is fairly clear that Neuheisel questions Brehaut's complete commitment, which is reflected in Brehaut's apparently incomplete absorption of the offense. Further, knowing Neuheisel and how he works with quarterbacks, I can tell you that those little tirades he seems to have with his quarterbacks after a bad play mostly amounts to Neuheisel asking the quarterback to explain what he was thinking. And if the player doesn't have an answer, it drives Neuheisel crazy. A bad explanation -- "I didn't see the safety cheating over" -- is way, way better than "I don't know."

Brett Hundley: Hundley is the hotshot incoming freshman -- one of the nation's top dual-threat prep quarterbacks during the 2010-11 recruiting season -- whom many fans have been making googly-eyes at. But it ain't easy going from high school quarterback to college quarterback, and it was clear during spring practices that Hundley had a ways to go (though he also had some "wow" moments, too). Hundley was a bit of a long shot in any event, but after he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will be out most of camp, his chances of redshirting are now higher than of him winning the starting job. Still, if he comes back strong, he could earn playing time. And if the situation gets desperate, Neuheisel, under pressure to win now, might roll the dice with a true freshman.

Nick Crissman and Darius Bell: These are the two long shots. Crissman's career has been riddled by shoulder injuries, but he had a fairly good spring and he's got some skills. Bell, a JC transfer, is a far better runner than passer. Many Bruins fans probably recall his regrettable debut in relief of Brehaut during a loss at Washington: 0-for-3 with an interception and a tongue-lashing from Neuheisel.

The next turn in the weaving road of Mitch Mustain's football career points north.

Mustain, the touted prep All-American who transferred from Arkansas to USC but never broke through, has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

Mustain will be back on the field for the Ticats first rookie camp practice Thursday morning.

Mustain, a 6-2, 221-pound native of Springdale, Ark., spent the last two seasons at USC after transferring, but he couldn't beat out Mark Sanchez and then Matt Barkley. He threw for 505 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans' backup quarterback, losing his only start against Notre Dame.

There was a school of thought that Mustain might get drafted this spring by an NFL team desperate for help at quarterback, one that subscribed to the "Matt Cassel Path to a Lucrative NFL Career," which espouses that a USC backup is better than most team's starter.

A February arrest on suspicion of selling prescription drugs probably ended that possibility.

By the way, Mustain joins a team that features two former UCLA standouts: DE Justin Hickman and K Justin Medlock.

Washington released its post-spring depth chart on the same day that the new Pac-12 TV deal was being announced, so I didn't get a chance to comment on Keith Price earning top billing at quarterback over Nick Montana.

But, of course, I want to comment on it, or at least make a connection that seems interesting.

Recall this item from Ivan Maisel on April 26.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, trying to decide when to name sophomore Keith Price or redshirt freshman Nick Montana as the replacement for quarterback Jake Locker, made a crosstown phone call Monday to his former boss at USC. Sarkisian asked Seahawks coach Pete Carroll about how and when to tell the team. “I know what I feel. I know what I want,” Sarkisian said. “How do you get it all across?” One hint regarding timing: Sarkisian recalled 2003, when Carroll waited until after spring practice ended to name Matt Leinart as the starter over Matt Cassel.

After reading this, I felt like I had a pretty good idea that Sarkisian was about to make a call at quarterback because I know what Carroll would tell him. Why? Because of a conversation I had with Carroll at Pac-10 media day before the 2008 season about his decision to "anoint" -- his word -- Mark Sanchez after spring practices.

"Part of the reason for naming him is to see [leadership] come out," Carroll said. "He wasn't able to show it. He hadn't been anointed yet."
Telling Sanchez he was The Man, allowed him to embrace the role and lead without looking over his shoulder.

"If he was going to win the job -- and it looked like he was because he had so much more experience than the other guys -- then he might help our team get ready for the season better if he was put in that position then," said Carroll...

There's an interesting dynamic at work here. For one, we've all recall Carroll's widely praised "culture of competition" at USC. The theory behind it was you compete every day and every week to hold onto your starting job: Seniority doesn't matter. What you did last week doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is being the best player at your position heading into Saturday.

Carroll, of course, didn't invent that. A coach just gets lots of credit for stuff when he's lording over college football for seven seasons.

But maintaining competitiveness at practices isn't everything, particularly at quarterback. Quarterback is a unique position. It's the most difficult job in all of sport in terms of physical, mental and emotional demands. It's clearly a first-among-equals spot.

For one, the starting quarterback needs to exude a contagious confidence. That becomes the foundation of his ability to lead, which is critical in the locker room as well as the huddle.

Thus the "anointing." For Carroll, naming a starting quarterback was like naming a team leader. He believed his quarterback needed to be out front over the summer during unofficial workouts as a prelude for a successful fall dynamic.

Thus Sarkisian's apparent rationale here after a conversation with Carroll. Price didn't just play better than Montana this spring; he asserted himself, including a standout performance in the spring game. He earned an anointing that will provide him the right to show a little swagger during seven-on-seven workouts.

Of course, no coach wants to hand over a starting job and announce a competition at an end months before the regular season. Price, of course, still needs to play better than Montana this fall. If Price decides to get fat and happy, he could get eclipsed before the season-opener against Eastern Washington.

But, apparently, Sarkisian doesn't see that happening, which is why he reached out to Carroll, and Carroll, subsequently, suggested his protegee head down to the corner store and pick up some anointing oil.

LOS ANGELES -- Last summer, four guys with a lot in common hung out in Manhattan and at the ESPN offices in Bristol, Conn. They had a good time. They traded war stories. But, no, Matt Barkley, Nick Foles, Jake Locker and Andrew Luck did not become good buddies. They didn't start firing off text messages talking smack to each other the way young men do when they bond. They didn't plan a Vegas getaway so they could radiate awesomeness as a foursome.

Locker is a likely first-round NFL draft pick next week. Luck will be touted as the likely top overall draft pick in 2012. Foles could join him in the first round, as Barkley likely would if he opted to leave after his junior season at USC.

"We're all good [with each other]," Barkley said. "But we're all kind of doing our own thing."

And, for Barkley, he admits that "our own thing" includes competing to be the best of the group.

"I definitely have them on the radar," Barkley said. "I'm aware of them. It is competition. Every quarterback wants to be the best at what they do. When I hear their name, I'm always trying to one-up them."

The best quarterback in the Pac-12 next fall likely will be the best quarterback in the nation. The second-team all-conference quarterback could end up a second-team All-American. Luck entered the offseason as the leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Barkley, Foles and Oregon's Darron Thomas will make most preseason watch lists for the award.

It seems a bit odd that the USC quarterback, a position in recent years that almost automatically included front-runner status for the bronze statue, is an underdog in the group. Luck is the decided front-runner. Thomas was second-team All-Pac-10 in 2010 and led the Ducks to the national title game. Foles has the best supporting cast of receivers of them all and could end up with the biggest numbers.

And Barkley? He's been running for his life this spring behind a patchwork offensive line.

Last year, Barkley went 1-3 against the group. He put up bigger numbers than Luck in a 37-35 nail-biting defeat at Stanford -- Luck was more efficient -- but put up inferior numbers against the other three, including in a win over Foles and Arizona.

The first priority for Barkley and the Trojans is reversing those numbers and winning those games. But Barkley also is honest enough to admit that he wants to eclipse the other Pac-12 quarterbacks and, yes, he wants to push into the Heisman discussion.

"You grow up wanting to be the best and the Heisman Trophy is the mark of the best player in the country. So, yes, I've dreamed of that," he said. "It's kind of what you expect here."

Barkley has been the quarterback of record during a tumultuous time at USC. He won the job as a true freshman over Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain after Mark Sanchez surprised then-coach Pete Carroll by opting to leave early for the NFL. Carroll went from being perturbed with Sanchez to gushing over Barkley in rapid fashion, calling Barkley, the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation in 2009, an "outlier," a term Carroll adopted after reading Malcolm Gladwell's book titled the same.

"This is not a typical kid," Carroll said after Barkley won his first start over San Jose State.

Then Carroll bolted for the Seattle Seahawks, Lane Kiffin was hired and NCAA sanctions hammered the program. Along the way, Barkley's ride hasn't always been smooth. When his numbers are viewed from the perspective of being a starter as a true freshman and sophomore, 5,526 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and a 61 percent completion rate sound pretty darn good. But Carroll set him up as a mutant quarterback and he turned out to just be flesh and bone like everyone else -- see: 26 interceptions.

Further, going from Carroll's over-the-top praise to Kiffin's unadorned feedback was a challenge for Barkley. One of the first things Kiffin did was talk about how Barkley needed to lose some weight, and Barkley never seemed to be thrilled with his weight being an issue, even after he lost a few pounds.

"It was definitely different," Barkley said of the transition to Kiffin. "I didn't expect it. But you've got to learn to go with it and know how to react to him, what works with him and what doesn't."

But the tit-for-tat -- Barkley has made fun of Kiffin's inexperience on Twitter a couple of times this offseason -- doesn't seem to indicate tension between quarterback and coach.

"Everybody would ask me, 'What do you think of Kiffin?' expecting me to bash him. He's awesome," Barkley said. "He's a great playcaller. He pushes you to be the best."

And Kiffin likes what he's seen this spring from Barkley, who's the team's only returning captain while still being a young player (second semester sophomore).

"He's doing a really good job of being a leader," Kiffin said.

Other players have noticed. Said safety T.J. McDonald, "He's the centerpiece that's putting that all together, and you can see that by how the offensive members are responding."

Barkley wants to be the best. He admits that is a primary goal. He expects to become a Heisman Trophy candidate. And he expects to become a high NFL draft choice; though it's not a topic he will talk about, more than a few folks figure this is his last season at USC.

But the best way to accomplish his personal goals is to reverse the downward course of what had been a college football dynasty. Barkley's Heisman chances and perhaps even his NFL prospects will decline if the Trojans don't win.

"All that doesn't mean anything unless this year produces results," he said. "If this season doesn't produce what I want to do, which is be the best in the country, then it's worth nothing. If I'm playing my best football, it gives our team the best chance to be successful."

And if he plays his best football, Barkley believes he'll become the best quarterback in the land.

What about the night
Makes you change
From sweet to deranged?

• Arizona needs punter Kyle Dugandzic to come through.
• Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden talks about his knee injury, the future. Some notes from practice.
• California coach Jeff Tedford talks after practice.
• More on Tyler Hansen being named Colorado's quarterback.
• Interesting radio interview of Oregon coach Chip Kelly by John Canzano, but you Canzano critics can't listen. It's really, really interesting. But don't listen because it's Canzano. Fascinating stuff. But don't listen. Oregon set the uniform standard, and now other programs are following the Ducks lead.
• Some -- many, in fact -- generally optimistic thoughts on Oregon State thus far this spring. Dominic Glover has moved inside from DE to DT.
• Doctors are taking a closer look at UCLA safety Tony Dye's knee. Checking in with DT Cassius Marsh -- not sure if Bruins fans should worry about a couple of practice fights. When I covered Washington, OT Elliot Silvers got in a fight every day and he's all corporate now.
• Frankie Telfort was expected to become the next great LB for USC but he became a coach instead. Cool video of USC AD Pat Haden and former Trojans QB Mark Sanchez talking football.
• Folks at Block U appear to be fairly happy with Utah joining the Pac-12.
• Washington DT Alameda Ta'amu appears poised for a big breakthrough in 2011.
• Washington State's kicking game is a work in progress.

Happy Friday.

• Another look at Arizona defensive end C.J. Parish, who is turning heads this spring.
• Arizona State is working extremely hard to create buzz -- and maintain secrecy -- around what most expect to be a change to the uniforms. The Sun Devils are now looking to replace cornerback Omar Bolden, who is out with an ACL injury.
• The quarterback competition at California has narrowed to three candidates.
• Remember how we said new Colorado coach Jon Embree believes in "get good or get gone"? Well, some folks are about to get gone.
• For the most part, the youngsters are shining for Oregon.
• Oregon State picks up a new Beaver.
• Stanford loses a quarterback to BYU. Ryan Hewitt is Stanford's "Mr. Versatility." Some Cardinal notes.
• UCLA suffers an injury scare at center. The Bruins receivers are dropping too many passes.
• Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez attended practice. Linebacker Uona Kaveinga says it was "immature" when he picked USC over BYU, where he now plays after transferring. Hmm. A chat with AD Pat Haden.
• A former rugby star might make it big for Utah.
• A notebook from Washington practice.
• It appears Washington State has found some help at cornerback. The Cougars are banged up.
• Lots of interesting stuff in Bruce Feldman's notebook, including some quarterback recruiting competitions involving Pac-12 schools.

When it came to basketball Gail was a loss, but we had our own version of one-on-one and she thought I was the bravest guy in the world. Which, of course, I am. By the way, I charged the entire vacation to Mr. Underhill's American Express Card. Want the number?

• New Arizona State offensive line coach Scott Brown isn't being shy.
• There is no depth chart at California, and Jeff Tedford waffles a bit on calling plays.
• Colorado reports one secondary violation, and that actually feels like a positive (and the nature of it is notable, too).
• It might sound trite but it's real: For Oregon to equal (surpass) its 2010 season, it will need to find new sources of leadership. These Ducks are stronger.
• The Oregon State offensive line needs to find its nasty. And running back Ryan McCants needs to break through.
• You can watch Stanford's spring game on April 9.
• UCLA gets started, and quarterback Richard Brehaut wants to step up.
• USC receiver Brandon Carswell might be ready to make impact. The next Mark Sanchez?
• Utah quarterback Tyler Shreve is pulling double-duty. Who stepped up at Utes Pro Day?
• Washington running back Chris Polk, who dominated late in 2010, says he was too heavy at end of season. Nebraska and Washington State linebackers agree. Some practice notes.

Former USC quarterback Mitch Mustain was arrested late Tuesday night and held on a felony narcotics charge, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Bruce Borihanh confirmed Wednesday to ESPN Los Angeles.

Mustain was arrested at 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Bail was set at $30,000. Mustain has not paid bail and is still in jail, Borihanh said.

The LA Times reported "the arrest came as the result of a sting operation."

Mustain, 22, might be the nation's best-known backup quarterback. Considered one of the nation's top QB recruits in 2006, he signed with his home-state team, Arkansas, and he went 8-0 as the Razorbacks starter as a true freshman. But he opted to transfer to USC in 2007 after a highly publicized falling out with coach Houston Nutt.

At USC, however, he was unable to beat out Mark Sanchez and then Matt Barkley. While he only started one game at USC -- a 20-16 loss to Notre Dame this season, when Barkley was hurt -- he was still considered an NFL prospect.

This arrest, obviously, dims those prospects.

Mustain is the second former Trojan to be arrested this week. Former defensive end Everson Griffen, now with the Minnesota Vikings, was arrested Monday on suspicion of felony battery, when LAPD officers used a Taser to subdue him after a traffic stop near campus. Prosecutors told the LA Times "that felony charges would not be filed because officers were not injured and Griffen lacked a criminal history. The case is being forwarded to the Los Angeles city attorney's office."

The SEC dominates college football, but the ACC and Pac-10 rock the NFL Pro Bowl.

Wheeeee!

As my esteemed colleague Heather Dinich pointed out in the ACC blog, the ACC led all conferences for the third consecutive year with 19 players selected to play in the Pro Bowl, which will be held on Jan. 30 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The SEC was second with 13 selections and the Pac-10 was third with 12. The Big Ten and the Big 12 had nine each.

But, of course, seeing that the Pac-10 at present has just 10 teams versus 12 for the ACC, SEC and Big 12, the numbers need to be adjusted for players per team. By that measure, the ACC is still No. 1 with 1.58 Pro Bowl players per ACC team, while the Pac-10 is second with 1.2 per team.

Here's the list of Pac-10 players in the Pro Bowl.

Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville (UCLA)
Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis (Oregon State)
DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia (California)
Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta (California)
Ryan Kalil, C, Carolina (USC)
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars (UCLA)*
Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore (Oregon)
Terrell Suggs, DE, Baltimore (Arizona State)
Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Oakland (California)
Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh (USC)
Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay (USC)
Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago (Arizona)

*Out of game due to injury

You also may have noticed that a Jets-Packers Super Bowl would mean both starting quarterbacks -- Mark Sanchez for the Jets (USC) and Aaron Rodgers for the Packers (California) -- hail from the Pac-10.

With QB Nick Foles out with a knee injury, Arizona mostly relied on its defense for a 24-7 victory at Washington State.

The Wildcats held the Cougars to just 174 total yards.

Foles apparently has a dislocated knee cap. Coach Mike Stoops said he doesn't believe it will end his season, though Foles could be out a few weeks. Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a dislocated knee camp during fall camp in 2008 and he was still able to start the opener three weeks later.

Matt Scott took over for Foles and completed 13-of-18 for 138 yards with an interception.

For Washington State, it was another competitive performance. The Cougs lost to Arizona 48-7 last year. But the end result is falling to 1-6 on the year and 0-4 in the Pac-10. Things don't get any easier: Up next is a visit to Stanford.

No. 17 Arizona improves to 5-1 and 2-1. The Wildcats play host to Washington next weekend.

"Philosophical" is not a term that often appears next to USC coach Lane Kiffin's name, but it accurately describes how he's responding to his Trojans "good news, bad news" performance at Hawaii last Thursday.

The good news was his offense rolling up 524 yards and 49 points, with quarterback Matt Barkley turning in a nearly flawless performance with five touchdown passes and no picks.

The bad news was the Trojans yielding an eye-popping 588 yards and 36 points and not tackling worth a spit.

"One game will not define us," Kiffin said. "Just like it will not define Matt on offense. Let's take a couple of games before we evaluate, before we make big statements about sides of the ball."

That said, Kiffin understands the concerns over his defense, which looked to be a strength entering the season, no matter a completely rebuilt secondary. The hand wringing over one bad game that, nonetheless, still ended up being a win is understandable, he said.

"That's who we are right now because it happened," he said.

See: Philosophical! The Trojans defense fell on a island and everyone saw it.

Therefore, that defense will be looking for redemption against Virginia on Saturday in the Coliseum, USC's only home game until Oct. 2. The Cavaliers beat Richmond 34-13 last weekend, the debut for new coach Mike London, but the Cavaliers only welcome back 12 starters from a 3-9 team that got Al Groh fired.

Moreover, Barkley might be working against a secondary minus its two best players: All-ACC cornerback Ras-I Dowling and junior strong safety Rodney McLeod didn't play against the Spiders. Dowling missed much of fall camp with a hamstring injury, while McLeod has a knee injury.

Another boost for the USC offense: The return of freshman running back Dillon Baxter from a one-game suspension. Kiffin has called Baxter USC's "most talented player."

The last time these two teams met in 2008, Mark Sanchez and the Trojans bludgeoned the Cavaliers 52-7 in Charlottesville. But the circumstances are much different this time. For one, there are two new head coaches. For another, USC is no longer riding a run of Pac-10 dominance to a certain BCS bowl berth. The rest of the Pac-10 took care of the former last fall, and the NCAA took care of the latter this summer.

Still, London said he doesn't see a neutered team.

"When you look at the game [film], you see athleticism -- from everybody," he said. "Even the water boy is athletic and fast."

So what went wrong at Hawaii on defense? Kiffin cited a number of things. For one, yes, it did hurt that the Trojans didn't do much full-contact work during fall camp in order to avoid injuries. That's an explanation for the poor tackling. Further, the Warriors surprised USC when they tweaked their spread scheme with a "pistol" formation.

Kiffin also gave credit to Hawaii: "That is a really good offense, and I think we'll see that throughout the year... They are going to put up lot of yards and points on people if they stay healthy."

Kiffin seemed excited that Virginia's style of offense will be more in the Trojans' comfort zone. He called the Hawaii game "a wake-up call" and expects his defense to be highly motivated after turning in an embarrassing performance.

And, no, the Trojans defense, which started hemorrhaging last year (though USC still led the Pac-10 in scoring defense at 19.8 ppg), hasn't lost its confidence. At least not yet.

"I look for us to play a lot better this week," Kiffin said. "If we play like that three weeks into the season, yeah, we're going to have a confidence issue. We're going to have a lot of issues. But I don't think that's going to be the case. I think our guys are going to really respond well this week."

Oh, and by the way, overconfidence shouldn't be a problem, either

"How we can be overconfident; we haven't done anything yet," Kiffin said.

USC got a look at what its offense might look like without starting quarterback Matt Barkley during the spring game. The verdict? Not too shabby.

With Barkley sidelined by a bruised hand, Mitch Mustain threw five touchdown passes while completing 19 of 29 for 299 yards to lead his team to victory.

While ESPN's College Football Live rates Barkley as "irreplaceable," the Trojans coaches doesn't seem too worried about the prospect of potentially turning to Mustain, a fifth-year senior.

"We'd be very comfortable," quarterbacks coach Clay Helton said.

Mustain is probably the nation's best known backup quarterback. He went 61-2 at Springdale (Ark.) High School and was named the 2005 Gatorade, USA Today and Parade Magazine National Player of the Year before becoming the biggest recruit in Arkansas history. He went 8-0 as a true freshman starter, yet things turned sour between Mustain and Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt -- let's just say it was complicated -- and Mustain opted to transfer to USC.

The Trojans offered a new start, but Mustain couldn't manage to win the starting job after sitting out a season, per transfer rules. He first served as Mark Sanchez's backup in 2008 and then failed to beat out Barkley last fall. He saw limited action in 2008 -- he passed for 157 yards with two TDs and two interceptions -- but didn't throw a pass last year and was a mostly a forgotten man under coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

With the arrival of new coach Lane Kiffin, however, the message was no job was safe. Even Barkley's.

"Mustain really wanted to come and compete and show that he's a big-time quarterback who can help the team in any way," Helton said. "We were very proud of the way Mitch responded during the spring."

While few expected Mustain to beat out Barkley, who emerged as a clear No. 1 when spring practices ended, he impressed the coaching staff, Helton said.

"I thought he really put in the extra effort and the extra time of really understanding the system," he said. "We're extremely pleased with him."

The good news is that Mustain's game experience likely means he won't be too wide-eyed if he's needed to step in for an injured Barkley. The bad news is that he's the last line of defense -- or offense. This spring, after Aaron Corp opted to transfer to Richmond, he and Barkley were the only two scholarship QBs on the roster, though James Boyd was moved from defensive end to fortify depth. In the fall, touted freshman Jesse Scroggins arrives, but turning to a true freshman quarterback is rarely a good thing in the Pac-10.

If Barkley is lights out and doesn't get hurt, it seems unlikely that Mustain will see much playing time. His future hope, of course, is to copy the path of Matt Cassel, Matt Leinart's backup at USC, who signed a six-year, $63 million contract in July 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Helton isn't writing off Mustain.

"I think he is going to be a guy who definitely helps us in his last year," he said.

This is an ESPN.com Insider story on Washington quarterback Jake Locker. A lot has been written about Locker this spring but -- as can be expected from Bruce Feldman -- this effort includes many interesting tidbits that you don't get elsewhere.

Some of highlights:

• "He doesn't play much golf, but he's the best 'Happy Gilmore' drive guy I've seen," said his dad, Scott Locker. "He can do the walk-up [swing] and hit it 350 yards."
• "Jake would get up Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays early for two years from the time he was 15, so he could go an hour and a half before school and do a sprinter's workout with the track coach to increase his speed," said his dad. "Sometimes, people think it's all God-given, but he's got a lot of work ethic, too."
• Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian on his USC QBs compared to Locker: "Jake's got the most going for him of all of them. There's one thing that he doesn't have going for him. You look at Carson [Palmer], [Matt] Leinart, [Matt] Cassel, [Mark] Sanchez, even Matt Barkley, those guys were trained by Bob Johnson or Steve Clarkson since they were fifth- and sixth-graders. It was Quarterback 101 in terms of stance, footwork, drop, re-sets, pocket presence, all of the nuances of the position. With Jake, we started all over one year ago. The strides he's made have been amazing. Physical standpoint, he's as good or better than all those guys."
• Feldman asks: "If Jake Locker ran a 4.9 instead of a 4.4 would people still be talking about his as a top 10 draft pick?" Said UW QBs coach Doug Nussmeier: "Yes, I really think so. He's got a wonderful arm. He can make every throw in the book. When you combine that with his size and speed, it's scary. He's got great velocity. He's his own guy. He's such a unique guy. We're just starting to scratch the surface."
• Sarkisian said Locker's arm strength compares to Carson Palmer: "It's close. Where Jake's arm can get a little skewed is if you throw in this stadium when the wind gets swirling, it's like throwing in the Meadowlands. Your arm strength can look poor. It's not like throwing at Howard Jones Field on an 80-degree sunny day."

LOS ANGELES -- When Pete Carroll was hired at USC in December of 2000, Matt Barkley was 10 years old. While the shock of Carroll's departure to the Seattle Seahawks hit Trojans fans hard -- weren't they going to "win forever" together? -- imagine what it was like for a kid from Orange County, Calif., who grew up rooting for the Trojans and became their starting quarterback as a true freshman.

"That's what I grew up knowing," Barkley said. "That's all I knew about. That's all I thought USC football was."

So it's understandable that Barkley felt "weird" early in spring practices watching Lane Kiffin call the shots and then seeing Carroll on the NFL channel wearing Seahawks colors.

"But I'm embracing the change and I think all the guys on the team are as well," Barkley said.

Couple of reasons for the embrace. For one, there wasn't much choice. Kiffin didn't bring in a warm-cuddly approach. Sad about Carroll bolting? Get over it. Get good or fall down the depth chart.

Kiffin immediately made it clear that Barkley wouldn't be handed the starting job, despite his passing for 2,735 yards and ranking third in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency as -- again, worth noting -- a true freshman.

Further, USC went 9-4 in 2009. It had lost nine games over the previous seven seasons. Carroll's wasn't the only big ego that was wounded last year, and those left behind are motivated to confront their newly empowered doubters, whoever captains the ship going forward.

"Last year was unacceptable, uncharacteristic of USC and this football program," Barkley said. "We expect something greater than that. We hold ourselves to a higher standard."

And, finally, Barkley intimates that -- just maybe -- change is good, particularly for him, considering how consistently mediocre the Trojans' offense was last year under coordinator Jeremy Bates.

He said he understood the concepts of Bates' offense. He said he was physically up to the job. He said that he was confident in himself and his supporting cast. And yet he kept recalling as the season progressed how past USC offenses looked different. You know: Good.

"I was kind of wondering,'Why aren't we there right now?'" he said, leaving it up to the audience to answer the question.

Barkley has appeared a lot closer to "there" this spring. In the last three scrimmages, he's thrown 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions. He's moving better in and out of the pocket. He seems to have quickly grasped Kiffin's offense, which is critical because Kiffin will call the plays.

While Kiffin started out seeming to want to challenge Barkley and perhaps even rattle him a bit and see how he responded to talk of competition, it appears Kiffin has been won over.

"He makes it very easy to forget he's a true freshman," Kiffin said. "I think a lot of people forget that. He's so far beyond a normal kid his age."

Still, Kiffin doesn't appear eager to mythologize Barkley, as Carroll did -- recall all that "outlier" talk that some reporters (cough, cough) ate up. In fact, one of the first things Kiffin told Barkley was he believed the quarterback was chubby.

How did the golden boy former super-recruit respond to that?

"He's bought into our conversations about changing his body," Kiffin said. "His body fat is way down. He's dropped weight and worked extremely hard. He's moving around completely different than he was a year ago on film."

Fact is, Barkley was fairly solid last year, though his 14 interceptions were more than any other Pac-10 quarterback. Watching him this spring -- the liveliness of his arm, his mechanics and accuracy -- it's easy to wonder if he might end up being mentioned along with Washington's Jake Locker and Stanford's Andrew Luck as the best quarterback in the conference by season's end.

When asked what he is working on, he mentions subtleties: mastering protections and check-downs, anticipating blitzes and coverages. He also seems to now better understand that, as cool as he might be, it's a mental and emotional challenge to be the USC quarterback, a position that produced two Heisman Trophies and three top-10 draft picks under Carroll.

"Being a quarterback here -- I don't consider it pressure -- but it has that weight from the fans, from the media, from even the students here at school," Barkley said. "You know that coming in. There's only one quarterback. You have to take that responsibility."

As for that quarterbacking legacy and all the acclaim -- and awards and NFL attention -- that come with it, Barkley ranks them behind a goal that will, in any event, have to be accomplished first in order for him to join the ranks of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez.

"Getting back to the point where winning is the only thing we know and not accepting anything less," he said.

When Lane Kiffin bolted Tennessee for USC, it was the second biggest -- and most controversial -- story of the offseason.

The biggest story, of course, was Pete Carroll leaving the Trojans for the Seattle Seahawks.

Kiffin, 34, was mostly hammered by the media for spending just one year in Knoxville before leaving the Volunteers following a 7-6 season. His 12-21 record as a head coach, which included a brief and contentious tenure with the Oakland Raiders, was used to bolster his image as a guy whose meteoric climb through the coaching ranks was inexplicable and unjustified.

And yet when the smoke cleared on national signing day, USC once again had an elite recruiting class. And it's hard to ignore that Kiffin's staff, though not yet complete, looks to be as good as any in the Pac-10.

Things have settled down a bit, so it seemed like a good time to check in with the Trojans new general.

This is Part I of the Q&A.

We've heard a lot about how well things went in recruiting during the transition: What didn't go well or at least needs to get better going forward?

Lane Kiffin: I don't think anything is ever perfect. We'd liked to get every single person in the country. But I thought it went extremely well, to be able to close the way this staff did, with the short period of time we had, with the short transition of coaches coming in and out. I think it speaks volumes of what has been done here before at 'SC and what will be done in the future.

Where do you stand with finalizing your staff?

LK: That's still an on-going process. I take my time on this to make sure that the staff fits right and that it's the best possible staff we can put together for our players.

Are you still interviewing some of the guys who are holdovers from Pete's staff?

LK: Yes.

So looking back: You took a lot of heat for leaving Tennessee after one year: Any reflections on how things went down? Any regrets?

LK: Well, I was trying to do it the best it could be done as far as getting back from the SEC head coaches meeting that I was at to speak to the team. As I think you'd be familiar with, most of the time people don't speak to the local media and I was trying to do that out of respect to them because there are some great people there. I guess I should have listened to other people and just got out of there and went to my new job instead of trying to do what I thought was right.

You got hit pretty hard by the national media: Did any of it hurt? Did it bother you at all?

LK: Not at all. Because every person who I talked to about this decision, when I laid out the facts, every single person said not only that it wasn't close but basically that it was a no-brainer. So, if people were familiar with all the details of the situations -- which they never will be -- I think that people would definitely understand. And, even with people back there. I understand people are hurt but the sense I've gotten from the people I still talk to back there or who have called me -- people involved in business -- understand the move and don't fault me for it.

Any "details" you mentioned that you want to share with us?

LK: No.

Lots of speculation about USC and possible NCAA sanctions: What were you told about that before and after you took the job?

LK: I can't really get into detail with that. Obviously, it's on-going. Hopefully, there will be closure on that soon. I can't get into detail on that.

When you look at film of USC in 2009, what was different compared to the dominant years when you guys won consecutive national titles?

LK: You had a lot of new players. 21 players were drafted over the last two drafts. That's a lot of good players, including some guys who have had immediate success in the NFL. You lose four linebackers in the first three rounds the same year. And you lose your quarterback a year early. I think [Carroll] thought Mark [Sanchez] was going to come back because Mark had not started that many games here. So that forced you to play a true freshman quarterback. Also, losing both coordinators, 21 players to the NFL, I think most head coaches in most places would be pretty jacked to come out of that and still win nine games.

How does the SEC compare to the Pac-10? What does Kiffin think of Matt Barkley? And what about the rivalry with UCLA and Rick Neuheisel?

Read Part II Friday!