Sitting on a bench outside Heritage Hall on a warm late-summer day, Matt Barkley told me he would leave the USC early for the NFL only if he finished his junior season strong.

"I want to put myself in a position to go out with a bang," he told me.

Nearly three months later, on a chilly fall Friday night in the mountains, Barkley's play continued to make a noise so distinct, there is only way to describe it.

Bang! Barkley threw a school-record six touchdown pass in a 42-17 victory over Colorado. (MORE>>>)