LOS ANGELES — USC finally got some good news on the injury front Wednesday.
Quarterback Matt Barkley had his best practice performance since suffering a bruised throwing shoulder at Ohio State on Sept. 12.

Barkley showed few, if any, ill effects against Washington State on Saturday. But before Wednesday, he hadn’t cut it loose in practice.
“I thought today he was throwing as hard as he has thrown in probably two weeks,” quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates said. “In the game he looked like he was throwing the fastball, but he hasn’t really shown it in practice until today.”
Said USC coach Pete Carroll: “Without question, it was the best day for his arm motion. You could see early on that he was really freely throwing the football. It’s still not 100 percent, but it’s by far the best that it’s been.”
Barkley could be throwing to receiver Ronald Johnson as soon as the Notre Dame game Oct. 17.
Johnson, who has been out because of a broken clavicle suffered Aug. 29, ran on the side Wednesday.
He said the broken bone has healed, and he hopes to return to practice next week, although probably without contact at first.
Regarding the Notre Dame game, Johnson said he would play “for sure.” Carroll wasn’t quite as definitive.
“I would bet that Rojo’s going to be pretty close in a couple weeks if they’ll let him go,” Carroll said. “He’ll do everything in the world to get right.
“He’s a very diligent worker and rehab guy. He’ll maximize these next two weeks. But I don’t know if that’s enough.”
MUSTAIN MAKING MOVE
Mitch Mustain is getting more reps and pushing Aaron Corp for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Barkley.
“This is the best he’s thrown the ball since camp,” Carroll said of Mustain. “This isn’t unfamiliar territory. We’ve seen Mitch elevate at times. He’s done that in the last two weeks, particularly this week.
“Mitch has been inconsistent with his arm strength at times; he’s not like that right now. He’s on it. It’s kind of unusual. But you can definitely see that there’s more velocity, he’s feeling more confident and he’s performing better out here.”
Carroll wouldn’t say who would come off the bench first if Barkley got hurt at Cal on Saturday.
JOHNSON UPDATE
Carroll said tailback Stafon Johnson was “feeling OK” and “functioning well” two days after undergoing seven hours of emergency throat surgery.
Johnson, who suffered damage to his throat in a weightlifting accident, is unable to speak but is communicating through other means, such as Twitter.
“He’s like the commander of the Starship Enterprise with all this equipment around him,” Carroll said. “He’s got all the technology you need right now.”
NOTES
Defensive end Nick Perry returned to practice after sitting out Tuesday because of a bruised left knee. ...
Linebackers Malcolm Smith (ankle) and Luthur Brown (back) did some work in team drills, and both have a good chance of playing against Cal. Barring setbacks, they will make the trip and be game-time decisions, Carroll said.