Darnold changes football outlook
It is amazing what a star quarterback and an aggressive, blitzing defense can do for a football team. There is no better evidence of this than USC’s win on Saturday night against the visiting Arizona State Sun Devils. While not perfect, the Trojans came out of the Coliseum with a victory against a quality opponent. That alone serves as a milestone in the Clay Helton era.
There are still a litany of issues plaguing the program, primarily a woeful offensive line. However, great players have a knack for covering up problematic issues. That is exactly what redshirt freshman sensation Sam Darnold is doing as he leads the Trojans at quarterback.
With the potential to join the pantheon of Trojan stalwart signal-callers like Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, Darnold is clearly the latest prize from the Orange County area-prep pipeline for USC quarterbacks. His rifle arm has routinely made the exceptional look normal. Whether it was turning a failed trick play into a 40-yard gain with a flick of the wrist, off his back foot no less, or turning a broken draw run into a 15-yard pass gain, on Saturday, Darnold demonstrated he has “it” in spades. Whatever you want to call it: moxie, leadership or just that glimmer in his eye, Darnold is a revelation.
He’s still a freshman, so he isn’t perfect by any means. His pocket presence and decision-making will continue to improve, which is a truly tantalizing thought for Trojan fans. Comparing him to Palmer and Leinart, both Heisman winners, is admittedly a bit premature, but similar accolades may be in Darnold’s future, barring catastrophic injury. It’s now obvious why heralded quarterback recruit Ricky Town didn’t even last through summer camp last year — no one was beating Darnold for the job.
The thing Darnold brings to the table that other Trojan quarterbacks haven’t is mobility. It isn’t that he needs to break long runs. The threat of the quarterback run is enough to keep defenses honest. USC should know as they have been burned by mobile quarterbacks for as long as I have been watching them. One of my first unfortunate memories of USC football was Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson carving the Trojan defense up and ripping it to shreds. It is nice to finally have a quarterback who is giving opposing teams a taste of the medicine USC has had to swallow for years and years.
The run pass option that has vexed USC defenses is now flummoxing opposing teams. USC still needs to work on the run aspect, as the Trojans’ worst play on offense is the repeated shotgun handoff to be stuffed a nanosecond later. However, the threat of the pass should continue to soften defenses up as the season progresses.
The dimension of mobility combined with his cannon of an arm and ability to stand strong in collapsed pockets evokes comparisons to NFL all-pros Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck. Again, only two games into the Darnold era; these comparisons are somewhat hyperbolic, but the young quarterback has routinely made the improbable seem natural. Only the best do that.
Darnold didn’t win this game on his own. The defense and their coordinator, Clancy Pendergast, deserve kudos for pressuring the quarterback and stifling a dangerous Sun Devil attack. Junior linebacker Uchenna Nwosu has stepped up for the Trojans and looks to have a career playing on Sundays very soon. Defensive backs senior Leon McQuay III and junior Jonathan Lockett also turned in impressive performances.
One area where the Trojans can make further strides is potentially moving sophomore Iman Marshall from cornerback to safety. His physicality and size leave him better suited for that position than in coverage where he seems to gets beat or commit pass interference each game. Marshall is too talented of an athlete to limit his immense potential being forced into the cornerback position.
On offense, Darnold was helped tremendously by junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and senior tailback Justin Davis. Davis, who had his original breakout game against Arizona State three years ago, finally looks to have regained his fluidity and graceful running style that makes him so dangerous and effective. He should be the Trojans’ workhorse moving forward. Smith-Schuster is back to dominating opposing defensive backs and making great plays after the catch.
The Trojans showed up on Saturday, and Helton deserves credit for rallying his troops and having his team come out with fire and intensity. I liked his decision to go for it on fourth down early in the game. The play call was lacking to say the least, but the aggressive decision set the tone for the game.
With Darnold at quarterback, a wide array of deficiencies are covered in gameplay and scheme. Hopefully his talent can continue to carry the Trojans as Helton grows and develops. Saturday exemplified the best case scenario for the Trojans for the rest of the season and the emergence of the next star signal caller for the USC football team.
Jake Davidson is a senior majoring in accounting. His column, “Davidson’s Direction,” runs Mondays.