Matt Barkley's senior year
December 1st, 2008, 3:58 pm · 15 Comments · posted by STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com
He threw a county-high 18 interceptions, and his Mater Dei team got beat in the second round of the playoffs to finish 8-4.
That is not the type of senior year expected of Barkley, the Gatorade national player of the year as a junior in 2007.
From this view, Barkley tried to make big plays that weren't there at times, his fastball-of-a-pass sometimes had too much heat for high school receivers to catch (a problem he won't have at USC), and the offensive line at Mater Dei was not a team strength. Then there was the extraordinary pressure from all of the preseason accolades and expectations.
Peel it all away and this is what you have – Matt Barkley is a high school kid.
15 Comments
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Barkley will do fine at USC. He's still a big, raw kid, who didn't have the talent around him this season. Somehow I don't think that will be a problem at the next level.
Matt is a very overrated quarterback. I was at the game vs. tesoro ( on the visiters side) and i saw a great team around him. Dont git me wrong, he is good, but all the hipe is just insane. He had multiple horrible passes that ended up incomplete or interceptions. And i dont care how bad the team is around you(and its not) you still will not throw the most interceptions in the league if you are as good as they say you are. Matt has a good season last year, but this year he was just another player.
Having seen every game Matt Barkley has played as a MD fan, it is amazing the comments made from people that have no clue about talent or football in general, let alone Matt Bakley as a fine young HIGH SCHOOL 17 year old..
Matt is surely not over rated. Pure QB talent alone he has skills coaches and kids dream about.
Did he have rough( below expectations) senior year..yes. Did he force passes this year that he never did before ...yes. Did he have 5 new WR and OL that maybe did not gel as expected...yes. Did he try to do to much himself at times...yes. Were defenses designed to focus on him...yes.
We must still remember it is a team sport where the best team still wins not just individuals.
Thank you Matt for 4 great years...you will be just fine at USC.
PS...how many highschool kids call every play at the line of scrimage?
Enough said.
As a football fan in Colorado, I had the privilege to see a variety of variety of QBs come and go. The annual ritual for the Broncos was to find a QB who could at least make the team competitive. They had a few successes and more than a few failures. When John Elway showed up, he looked like another over-hyped, under-equipped pretender. He threw passes that sometimes weren't even near the receiver, threw into triple coverage, and showed every sign of being a complete bust. We all know how the story ends, but what became apparent to me is how hard this position is to play, and how the slightest disruption can lead sub-par performances. Matt reminds me of a young Elway, who tried to carry a team on his back to respectability. Will Matt be the greatest ever? Who knows. But he gave Mater Dei fans four years of his best efforts, and no one worked harder on or off the field to succeed. Thanks, Matt for giving OC football fans four years of excitement.
All great comments. However, "Spectater" comments are just not fair. If you would have been present to see the pressure that this kid was put under, you would think otherwise. Throughout the summer, he had microphones in his face, his picture in every paper, news media, sports report, etc... He got to a point where his parents stopped answering the door and phone. My son has been on the same team for 4 years and I know that my son and all his other teammates could not have been able to handled the pressure. We all knew in the summer that the media was setting him up to be a target and a target he was. Last year, we all knew that this team promised to be a big let down from last year. We just didn't have the same offensive line. As it was, the offensive line over achieved and they still couldn't help Barkley out. I don't know any kid that would have walked into every game and made it through the taunts, yells of "overrated", and the media that couldn't wait to see him loose. The kid did well, and it has been an honor for my son to play with him. If we are to point the finger somewhere, in my opinion, we were outcoached most of the year just like we were last year.
Unfortunately I did not attend the game, but it seems that Matt tried to do too much during that Tesoro game i.e. forcing throws. Mater Dei had great success with the running game, which is why in my keys to the game, I stated that MD's greatest offensive production would come from the O-line making holes for the running backs and to mix it up with a short pass once in a while to throw the defense off. MD's running backs also had very good ball control during the season. I can only think of a few lost fumbles the entire season. MD's Servite game plan would have worked well against Tesoro. Pound the ball and fire a quick reliable pass for those important downs. I knew that if they depended on the line to protect Barkley, as with Crespi in 07, eventually Tesoro would put too much pressure and disrupt his[Barkley's] passing game. It is a team game and even with those interceptions, had the receivers held on to those 6-10 dropped passes, who knows how the game would have ended up. What if the kicker had made the field goal and went into overtime? There are just too many scenarios that could have played out. I was disappointed to learn that MD lost, but I was happy to see that they came back and played hard. My family went and they said it was a great game right down to the wire. It was bittersweet four years for Barkley and the program, but I am sure that Matt will do fine in the future. He is smart and has an undeniable talent that will take him far in life. Good luck Matt/the MD seniors for playing well and making each game exciting to watch.
We were going to do a twice-a-week blog report with Barkley. His father asked us to not do it. We complied, our of respect for the request and compassion for the young man. Matt Barkley and his family were first-class people to work with all four years.
it is sad how online sources now annoint the next great player before they even play their games, When Carson Palmer played Tustin in the finals in '97, he was bombarded all night by a great pass rush and still made AMAZING plays, the pressure is what showed what a great player this kid will become. I dont predict the same success from a KID that threw 18 picks this season and it is sad that high school kids are put through this kind of ridicule. He didnt play well, and that was that, instead he ALREADY has signed with USC and never will play there, because he proved in his senior year that he isnt good enough to have been given the scholarship already. Nobody should be able to sign prior to the completion of their senior year. At least SC will have a practice qb that will help their DB's on how to return a pick for a TD.
The 8-4 record doesn't say much either. Maybe Garorade will get a clue and not give the award out to somebody just because they are in a high profile program. Barkley is a great QB and probably the best in California. He could be starting as soon as Sanchez leaves. But next time save the award for somebody who wins his last game.
Sac....obviously, not a student of the game and more of a MD hater.
Guessing you haven't seen him play much if ever.
Don't blame the kid for the annointing.
For everyone that wants to criticize the 18 interceptions...I hope they saw the other hundred throws that no other high school kid could make or even attempt for that matter.
Oh ya, he could of thrown a few away this year...could have tucked a few away and ran.
Last time a checked , statistically, he was still the 3rd best QB in OC.
What have we heard for years....QB's get to much blame for losses and probably to much credit for wins. It comes with the territory and only a few class acts can handle it.
As for bitter Servite Friar...Gatorade award is much more than Matt's success between the lines...but also for his success outside the lines...do a little background check about Matt and the award before you make "Credo" mistakes.
It's kind of amazing how we try to define good and bad. I'm surprised no one has checked in with Mark Sanchez stats in his final game. We forget this is the ultimate team game. Otherwise, the pros would have De La Salle grads on every roster. They were the best for how many years. But not many superstars. Dan Marino was the best QB bar none, maybe in the history of the game. No rings, though. Matt was supposed to be the savior of what looked like a very average team the first half of the year. They should be proud of their accomplishments, and not considered failures because they didn't win it all.
Like I said at the start of the season, let's see if he lives up to all the hype. I look at results, to me they are not there. I ask, what did he accomplish? Did he win league outright? Did he beat Lutheran? Did he win any kind of a championship? I know this is a team sport, but a quarterback is supposed to lead. Maybe he didn't have a good team around him, but for 4 years? Mater Dei has been good and highly ranked every year he was there. They just couldn't win the big games. I do wish Matt all the best at USC. He is a great kid. I still think he needs a lot of work though. It's just my opinion. You don't have to agree.
hey joe, careful, people around here don't like opinions, unless yours matches theirs.
heydude -
How right you are. I drafted a long note reviewing this QB's consistent weak play in the 4th quarter of key MD losses this year and last. It was deleted by our moderator. Why?
I questioned the constant criticism of the MD O line, receivers, and teammates as an excuse for what was just poor QB play. 3 of the 4 first half Tesoro picks were just bad throws. That first half was the weakest playoff performance by a QB I have ever seen.
There is almost no history of 4th quarter comebacks orchestrated by this Gatorade POY this year, last year, or any other. Quite the contrary this year in the OLu, Corona C, and Edison losses.
This QB has a very strong arm. He is a great kid. But he has not had a single big game performance this year to warrant all the hype and awards. And your readers and his teammates deserve much better than have received this year in your constant efforts to portray his poor play as every one else's fault.
Moderate this.
Okay - all of you Negative Neds and Nellies...Matt Barkley is an amazing talent. As a mom and a major football fan I have to say that only a few performances in football have given me the chills. Watching Matt Barkely call every play at the line of scrimmage, while keeping his cool and helping his teammates perform at a higher level; made me realize how talented he really is. Talent is not coached, talent is God given. God is smiling on Matt Barkely and He is proud. Congrats to Matt and his whole family! Oh and congrats to USC too.