| Matt Barkley suffered an AC sprain in his shoulder during USC's 38-28 loss to UCLA. (US Presswire) |
Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley has been ruled out for the Trojans' regular season finale against Notre Dame, coach Lane Kiffin announced Sunday night.
Kiffin told reporters Barkley suffered a sprained shoulder during the 38-28 loss to UCLA. Freshman quarterback Max Wittek will start in his place.
It's an unfortunate injury not only for the Trojans, but for Barkley, who has now played his final home game in the Coliseum. The Trojans will be honoring a senior class that has gone through a coaching change and NCAA sanctions, and Barkley has been arguably the most recognizable face during this recent era of USC football.
Kiffin mentioned Sunday night how unfortunate it is that Barkley never got to face Notre Dame at home, considering he beat the Irish twice in South Bend.
Wittek completed all three of his pass attempts in relief of Barkley on Saturday, but has thrown just nine passes all season. Barkley's status beyond Saturday's Notre Dame game is unknown at this time.
Barkley is widely considered one of the top prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft. In Rob Rang's most recent mock draft, Barkley is slated to be a top-five pick -- the second quarterback off the board behind West Virginia's Geno Smith.
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