LOS ANGELES — If the door for Matt Barkley was slightly ajar before, now it’s wide open.

With Wednesday’s news that Aaron Corp will miss 1-3 weeks because of a cracked fibula, Barkley inched that much closer to overtaking him and claiming the starting quarterback job for USC’s Sept. 5 season opener against San Jose State.
Coach Pete Carroll wouldn’t look that far ahead, but he did acknowledge that this situation is different from the one involving Mark Sanchez a year ago. Sanchez missed most of August because of a knee injury. But once he returned, there was no doubt who would be the starter.
“I felt more that way, that he was securely the No. 1 guy,” Carroll said. “This competition is obvious here.”
Carroll repeatedly has said Barkley is more advanced than any freshman quarterback he has worked with at USC — a group that includes current NFL players Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel, John David Booty and Sanchez. Carroll took it a step further Wednesday, referring to Barkley as an “outlier” as defined by Malcolm Gladwell in his best-selling book.
“He talks about guys that, through their development and upbringing, at times they can accelerate past other people because of the amount of time (spent), the makeup, the support group. Whatever it is, he (Barkley) is off the charts,” Carroll said.
“If Matt is able to work his way to the No. 1 spot and hold onto that, we have an unusually gifted guy.”
Barkley (Mater Dei High) took the majority of the first-team reps for the second day in a row. He connected on long passes to tailback Joe McKnight and tight end Blake Ayles. Even more important,
Barkley continued to avoid interceptions, something he couldn’t do in spring.
Asked about the opportunity presented to him first by Sanchez’s departure for the NFL, then by Corp’s injury Barkley said: “This has been my dream for quite some time, and it’s almost becoming a reality. I pray a lot about it. It’s getting close, but there’s no reason to lay off and think I have it. I’m just going to keep my head down and work at it.”
Although he knew he had no ligament damage and expected to be back sooner than later, Corp expressed relief that the injury isn’t one that will keep him out for months or the entire season. But he did disclose that the worst-case scenario is three weeks which would leave less than a week to prepare for the season opener.
“I want to be out there,” Corp said. “Practice is fun. Anytime you can’t do something you want to do, it kind of stinks.
“I want to get back out there as soon as possible. I don’t think it’s going to take three weeks.”
An MRI exam revealed the small crack at the top of Corp’s left fibula. He suffered the injury Monday when a lineman rolled into his lead leg.
Corp (Orange Lutheran) can throw while he’s out, but he currently can’t do any of the movements required of a quarterback. He will wear a brace when he returns but doesn’t expect his mobility to be hindered.
“I’m going to come back when I’m ready and I can do everything in the offense,” Corp said. “I don’t think I’ll be limited that way.”
The question is whether he still will be running the offense when that time comes.
NOTES
Defensive tackle Averell Spicer, who has had a strong camp, suffered a sprained left ankle and had to be helped off the field. ... Cornerback Shareece Wright missed his second consecutive day because of a bruised knee. Carroll said Wright also has some academic work to finish. ... The Trojans practiced in full pads for the time in training camp.