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GAME NOTES: In a game that was supposed to decide the Pac-10 title this season, both the USC Trojans and California Golden Bears are looking for some validation, when the two teams meet up in Berkeley this weekend.

Pete Carroll's Trojans are coming off a 27-6 handling of Washington State last week, but are just 1-1 in league play following a stunning loss at Washington the week prior in the conference opener.

Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears are in a different frame of mind, as they plummeted from sixth in the nation all the way to 24th this week, after being humiliated in Eugene by the Oregon Ducks (42-3) in their league opener. The loss was stunning considering the ease with which California had dispatched its first three opponents.

This is just the second night game in Berkeley for USC, which holds a 61-30-5 advantage in an all-time series that dates back to 1915. The Trojans have won each of the last five meetings, including a hard-fought 17-3 decision last year.

Just when the Trojans looked to be at full strength with the return of quarterback Matt Barkley, a freak accident to tailback Stafon Johnson this week has the team at less than optimum potential yet again. Johnson had a barbell slip out of his hands and land on his throat, an injury that required surgery, leaving the talented RB's season in jeopardy.

Coach Carroll seemed upbeat in terms of Johnson's recovery though.

"It was just an absolute accident. It just hit him wrong, and he's had obvious consequences. The doctor said today that they expect him to play football again and all that. They don't know when. He's got a very intricate surgery that took place that he's recovering from now. Fortunately, everybody responded beautifully, and the emergency people took hold of it and he's okay."

A ground game that is averaging 216.5 yards per game, should be fine though, as USC possesses a stable of talented rushers who can fill the void, starting with Joe McKnight. A junior, McKnight currently leads the team in rushing (354) yards, at a healthy 7.5 ypc. Fellow juniors Allen Bradford (8.1 ypc) and C.J. Gable could see their workloads increase.

Still, this team goes as Barkley goes. Just a freshman, the 6-2, 230-pounder has already grabbed hold of this offense. In three games, he has completed almost 60 percent of his passes, for 675 yards with three TDs.

The top target downfield is junior flanker Damian Williams (16 receptions, 254 yards, one TD).

There were questions to start the season that the USC defense had to answer, but despite seeing a huge turnover in terms of personnel, the Trojans have flourished on this side of the football, giving up just 227.0 yards of total offense per game. The team has been stingy both against the run (59.5 ypg) and the pass (167.5 ypg). This unit has really made things difficult on opposing passers, with 18 sacks in the first four games.

Leading the way in that area is freshman rush end Nick Perry. The 6-3, 250- pound youngster has 7.0 TFLs on the season, six of which are sacks. Sophomore LB Chris Gallipo has emerged as a true leader in the middle, pacing the team in tackles (27), with 4.0 TFLs, one INT and one forced fumble. Junior LB Michael Morgan has 20 stops thus far and leads the team with 8.5 TFLs, including three sacks. Two-time All-American Taylor Mays (18 tackles) patrols the secondary and teams tend to stay away from him in passing situations.

One of the nation's most prolific offenses looked rather pedestrian last week in Eugene, as California dropped a 39-point decision, the biggest margin in defeat for the team since 2001.

Despite the poor showing against the Ducks, the offensive numbers are still impressive, as the Golden Bears are averaging over 200 yards both on the ground (207.0 ypg) and through the air (211.2 ypg).

The offense is centered around the play of Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best. The explosive junior is averaging 116.8 ypg on 6.8 ypc and already has eight TDs on the year.

Coach Carroll sees a lot of similarities between Best and Reggie Bush.

"Yeah, he's very similar. It's easy to say this guy's like Reggie. Don't think anybody's like Reggie. But they use him in the same fashion. He is equally as fast. There was something about Reggie that he could make things happen in an extraordinary fashion. I think Jahvid (Best) is a more consistent guy out of the back field as a receiver. He's maybe a better route runner, running routes as a wide receiver than Reggie. And he's got the magic because he's got that great speed, and he's a very consistent player, too."

Best's ability to score at any time, makes QB Kevin Riley more dangerous in passing situations. Riley has completed 56.9 percent of his passes, for 821 yards, with five TDs and no interceptions in 102 pass attempts. Senior wideout Verran Tucker is the down-the-field threat, averaging over 22 yards per catch. He currently is tied with Best for the team-lead in receptions with nine.

Defensively, not much went right against the Ducks, but coach Tedford still sees a lot of things he likes with his defense.

"Well I had them playing well until last week. You know, got out of position a couple times last week, didn't tackle as well as we need to, but I think they have the potential to be a very strong defense. We have a veteran secondary and were athletic at linebacker and we're a veteran group up front as well. So I think we have the potential to be a good defense, it's just a matter of we didn't play very well last week."

The unit has done a decent job against the run at just 2.9 yards per carry against, but has been a little more vulnerable to the pass (229.5 ypg). Big plays are something this squad thrives on, amassing 10 takeaways, including seven fumble recoveries, in addition to 14 sacks. Linebackers Mychal Kendricks (39 tackles, two fumble recoveries) and Mike Mohamed (29 tackles, two sacks, two INTs) are two such playmakers. Up front, All-Pac-10 end Tyson Alualu (22 tackles, team-high 3.5 sacks) must be accounted for, as do senior DBs Brett Johnson (21 tackles) and Syd'Quan Thompson (19 tackles, 4 PBUs) in the secondary.

These are two teams that cannot afford a second loss on the season. However, one will be shackled with just that, while the other's hopes of a conference crown and perhaps more are still alive. USC has won the last five meetings, but behind Best and company, look for California to all but end the Trojans' reign of terror in-conference.

SPorts Network Predicted Outcome: California 27, USC 21