Grinding Gears: USC is too talented to play like this

Saturday’s undressing at the hands of Texas marked yet another early-season setback for the Trojans. It was a game where the playcalling was once again suspect, where all three phases once again dropped the ball and where true freshman quarterback JT Daniels once again went through growing pains.

There can be excuses, and there were. There can be injuries, and there were. There can be bad calls —  like the missed safety before halftime — that led to the game spiraling out of control. But at this point, it’s impossible to sugarcoat losses like the fact that USC was one or two plays away from winning the game. The team wasn’t close to beating Stanford last week, and it was run out of Texas after a pitiful second half performance.

Senior linebacker Porter Gustin could have not been ejected for targeting. Sophomore kicker Chase McGrath could have made the field goal attempt in the third quarter instead of having it blocked and returned for a touchdown. It wouldn’t have mattered. The result was a blowout, a head-scratching 37-14 rout against an unranked opponent that makes you wonder what this team even works on in practice.

Field goals should not be blocked. Punts should not be shanked. Star players should be smart enough to not get kicked out of the game. It’s not that hard.

Therein lies the point: USC has far too talented of a roster to play like this. The Trojans are stacked with four-and-five star recruits, up and down the program. They’ve had national top-10 recruiting classes for the past five years, according to 247Sports. The issue, then, is not the skill on this team, but rather those responsible for turning the skill into wins.

It’s become apparent that what drove USC’s success the last two seasons — a Rose Bowl trophy in 2016 and a Pac-12 Championship in 2017 — was not head coach Clay Helton and his staff, but rather Sam Darnold and his magic wand. Darnold masked  many of USC’s problems. Last season, it didn’t matter that the offensive line was decimated, that the wide receiving corps was inexperienced, that the playcalling was questionable because having a good quarterback atones for most problems that arise.

Helton does not have that luxury this year, and there is enough evidence by now to question how much he rode Darnold’s coattails to a contract extension over the offseason that runs through 2023. Consider this: Since taking over permanently in 2015, Helton has a 20-4 record in games started by Darnold. In eight games without Darnold as the starter, USC is 2-6 overall and winless against Power Five opponents, averaging 12.7 points per game in those losses. Twice, they’ve lost to Stanford. They lost to Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl, to Alabama in a rotten 2016 season opener and to Texas on Saturday.

Bad losses to nonconference opponents is not the hallmark of a big-time program, and it reflects poorly on Helton, who has maintained decent job security thus far in his tenure. But at USC, a program with sky-high expectations no matter if the quarterback is a Heisman Trophy candidate or an 18-year-old freshman, things can go south quickly.

In 2016, when USC started off the season 1-3, Helton likely salvaged his job by benching Max Browne in favor of Darnold at quarterback. From that point on, Helton and Darnold were linked: Darnold’s success was Helton’s success, and there was a lot of it. But Darnold is gone now, replaced by a kid who can’t do this all by himself.

Daniels has received minimal help the last two weeks. He has attempted 117 passes, third among Pac-12 quarterbacks. But only one wide receiver — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Daniels’ high school teammate — has caught a touchdown pass. The run game is nonexistent and the playcalling continues to be questionable. And unlike Darnold, he can’t run, making the play calls somewhat predictable: either a straight handoff or a pass.

So it’s up to Helton and offensive coordinator Tee Martin to tailor the game plan to Daniels’ strengths, to give him time in the pocket to throw, to run the ball more. USC threw the ball 48 times against Texas as opposed to 16 carries, which incredulously  produced negative yardage on the night. Sophomore running back Stephen Carr ran for a 23-yard touchdown on the opening drive and then was not heard from again, actually losing 10 yards on his other five carries.

Few experts thought USC would contend for a playoff spot this season, and starting the season 1-2 with losses to Stanford and Texas on the road is not the end of the world in a weak Pac-12. But the way in which the Trojans lost both games, the way in which they were entirely outplayed by both teams and the way in which the coaching staff responded to a poor performance in Palo Alto with an even poorer performance against a mediocre Texas team is disheartening.

By now, we’ve seen enough to believe that Helton and his staff are still employed because of Darnold. It is imperative now for USC to rip off a win-streak as it begins play against a string of Pac-12 opponents starting Friday. It is imperative for Daniels, sooner rather than later, to beat a team other than UNLV. And it is imperative for the coaches to call plays to Daniels’ strengths and have the rest of this loaded roster play up to its potential so that the burden is not entirely on the shoulders of a true freshman.

This needs happen in order for this season to get back on track and for Helton to stay off the hot seat. Otherwise, this could be a long year, and Sam Darnold isn’t walking back through the door anytime soon.

Eric He is a senior majoring in journalism. He is also the managing editor of the Daily Trojan. His column, “Grinding Gears,” runs Mondays.