Spring practice continues to showcase quarterbacks

The quarterback competition between redshirt junior Max Browne and redshirt freshman Sam Darnold continued on Tuesday as the football team hit the practice field for the 10th time this spring.

Darnold’s Development

Head coach Clay Helton put the quarterbacks in some situational football to wrap up practice, simulating a third overtime where both quarterbacks had to go for the 2-point conversion. Both Browne and Darnold managed to throw touchdowns, but Darnold won it with a 2-point conversion to senior wide receiver De’Quan Hampton.

Helton once again praised Darnold’s improvement over the spring.

“The first six practices you were like, ‘Oh gosh, where is he going with the ball?” Helton said. “Now the light’s clicking on and he’s starting to understand the system. Because of that, you’re seeing the ball coming out more on time.”

On the 2-point conversion, Darnold found Hampton despite a tough throw in motion.

“He stepped right up in the pocket, didn’t rest his feet — he’s on the move and throws a stutter-go for the touchdown,” Helton said. “Not the easiest pass in the world and he has enough arm strength to do that.”

The head coach said that Darnold has been taking more reps with the first team. Quarterbacks and pass game coordinator Tyson Helton talked about where the redshirt freshman was with learning the playbook.

“He’s getting close,” Tyson Helton said, noting that Darnold needs more reps. “When he’s in there, he performs well. Even when he’s not quite sure, he has big vision; he can see the whole field and he finds people.”

A Friendly Competition

Despite the fact that only one of the quarterbacks will claim the starting job in September, Browne and Darnold are friends off the field.

The pair hang out when they’re not between the lines, but the conversation almost never strays to football.

“We joke around about [the quarterback competition] a lot,” Darnold said. “We don’t like to talk about it a lot, obviously. We just talk about our friendship and what we are doing later, all the normal stuff.”

Browne called the competition a “friendly battle.” Still, the elephant remains in the room.

“The best guy’s going to play,” Browne said. “I think we both understand that.”

No Decision Yet

While Browne was largely viewed as the favorite to land the starting spot heading into spring practice, Darnold’s performance has certainly re-shaped the conversation.

Tyson Helton spoke earnestly about what sets the two quarterbacks apart.

“You’ve got the younger guy [Darnold] who just throws to the open guy for touchdowns and you’ve got the older guy [Browne] who knows why he’s doing what he’s doing,” Tyson Helton said. “They push each other and it makes us better as a team.”

Tyson Helton was asked what he should tell fans who think Darnold has a slim chance as a redshirt freshman.

“I would say don’t put anything past anybody,” Tyson Helton said. “The best player plays. If you’ve got a quarterback that can make plays … No matter what year he is, you play him.”

Still, Tyson Helton is glad it will be his brother — and not him — picking the starter.

“I’ve got the easy job,” he said. “I don’t pick the quarterback; I just coach them.”

Dialing It Up

Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast ramped up the blitzes during practice. On several occasions, the quarterbacks were forced to run from the pocket and throw the ball away.

Clay Helton said Pendergast ran through 20 all-pressure situations. It reminded him of Pendergast’s strategy in his last go-round as defensive coordinator at USC during the 2013 season.

“That’s what I remember Clancy’s defense, being ultra-aggressive … [it was] just a hard day for the quarterbacks,” Clay Helton said. “I was sitting back there going, ‘I have no idea where [the pressure’s] coming from.”