Locker leads the Pac-10 in total offense, averaging 321.5 yards per game. Among the quarterbacks who have thrown at least 25 passes, he ranks third in pass efficiency, posting a rating of 149.6.

The Locker watch: big, bad John

Reporter Bob Condotta off the Seattle Times quotes Sarkisian as saying, "I think Jake — I'm going to keep saying it — has all the tools to be as special a player as a quarterback as there is in the country, if not the best. So he keeps showing it. He shows it to us every day, and I think as we keep moving forward here he is going to keep showing it to the rest of the conference and the rest of the country."

In his blog, Condotta quotes USC coach Pete Carroll as having this to say about Locker, "I've said this before, I think Jake is one of the best players I've ever seen in this conference, in all the years we've been here,'' Carroll said. "He's the most extraordinary athlete at the position we've seen, and I saw that as a freshman."

As I've been saying on this site, with his physical makeup and athletic skills, Locker reminds me of the young John Elway when he played for Stanford (1979-1982). See "Locker watch: big, bad John," which is also linked above. He's the closest fit to Elway I've seen, closer than anybody else I've seen come out of this conference in the last 30 years.

So are the three of us (Sark, Pete and myself) going to have to eat our words about Locker's abilities after Saturday's game against USC? (I put myself in good company, didn't I?) Answer: absolutely not.

Here's why.

Against USC on Saturday, Locker will face a team with a pass efficiency defense of 87.8, fifteenth best in the country. In the past, Locker's passing efficiency in a game has more or less correlated with the PED of the team he is playing.

Two years ago, when the two teams met in Seattle, Locker took a physical beating. He took a helmet to the kidneys on one play and on another was hurled backwards by the inside back of his shoulder pads (a horse collaring, which was legal then). He landed on his back, with his helmet bouncing off the field turf.

His PE on the game was a wretched 66.29 (13 of 28 for 90 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception). The ball was slippery and wet, which had an affect on both quarterbacks' performance, John David Booty's, as well. USC came out victorious, 27-24.

Ronnie Fouch played in last year's game with USC, UW taking a 56-0 drubbing. He was 14 of 33 for 113 yards and no touchdowns, against 3 picks. His PE was 56.04 on the game.

Last week, Terrell Pryor of Ohio State posted a PE of 95.47 against USC, in an 18-15 loss. He was 11 of 25 for 177 yards and no touchdowns, against 1 pick.

In its first game, the Trojans held San Jose State's quarterbacks to a PE of 81.36, based on 15 completions out of 30 attempts for 112 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. The Trojans beat the Spartans 56-3 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Statistically speaking, for Locker to post a PE above 100 on Saturday against USC's pass defense would be a remarkable achievement.

Like any other quarterback, Locker's performance will depend on his team's ability to run the ball and to give him adequate pass protection.

Interestingly, USC's quarterback Matt Barkley was likened to a young John Elway by the announcers for the last-ditch drive he engineered against the Buckeyes to win the game.