UW’s Price has last shot at beating Barkley

SEATTLE – Keith Price has accomplished a lot during his football career, dating to his days growing up in the Los Angeles area. He hopes to check another thing off his list this weekend, when Price and the University of Washington football team face his longtime rival in downtown Seattle.

The Huskies’ junior quarterback has been hearing about USC’s Matt Barkley for years, but he’s never beaten him when both quarterbacks were starting in the same game. Saturday might mark Price’s final chance.

“It would be nice to beat his team,” Price said with a slight grin.

Once co-most valuable players of the Trinity League in Southern California, Price and Barkley have known about each other for a long time. But they don’t actually know each other that well, and Saturday will mark only the third time that they’ve started in the same game.

“I’ve seen him grow up,” Barkley said. “I knew about him because we were in the same league in high school. … So I’ve seen him come up through the ranks.”

Price actually had more impressive numbers as a high school senior – he completed 71.5 percent of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, as compared to Barkley’s 54.5 percent, 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions – but still spent the year playing in the Mater Dei-turned- USC star’s shadow.

“Obviously, he got all the attention in our league,” Price said, “and rightfully so. He had a great junior year. He was a baller in high school, and he deserved all the attention.”

Price would love nothing more than to finally get a W against one of Barkley’s teams, but that wouldn’t change his feelings about his Trinity League rival.

“He’s a great guy, a tremendous leader, and he’s one of the best football players in the country,” Price said.