SALT LAKE CITY >> Why did USC wait until a cold September night to offer the nation a dynamic quarterback who could overcome everything but the defensive nature of the head coach?
Freshman Sam Darnold offered a game-changing performance Friday except even he cannot overcome a porous defense or the decision to punt the ball away from the Utah 37-yard line in the fourth quarter.
USC coach Clay Helton’s specialty is coaching quarterbacks and he needed this long to choose Darnold? Too bad Darnold can’t teach Helton to stop punting on fourth down inside the opponents’ 40-yard line. That cost USC the game Friday night, as the Trojans lost to Utah, 31-27, before 46,133 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“We lost this game,” tailback Justin Davis said. “Utah didn’t win.”
Davis was right. Darnold provided a strong arm and stronger presence in his first career start and provided USC a glimmer of hope after such a dreary feeling surrounded the football program.
And then Helton dashed it.
The Trojans (1-3, 0-2) had a fourth-and-3 situation from the Utes’ 37 with 5:42 left. USC led 27-24. Helton blinked and punted. Again. He did the same thing last week against Stanford.
“In that situation, the point difference was key in my mind,” Helton said. “They are in field-goal range with a good kicker. You gotta trust the defense. I’d do it again.”
Why would he trust the defense? Or defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast? The Utes promptly went 95 yards down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left. There goes the momentum from a big road victory.
“We all did (want to go for it) as offensive players,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “Whatever Coach Helton decides, we’re up for it.”
Is Helton ever up for it? Three games were burned before the constipated decision-making process finally allowed the best player to play quarterback. Would you ever imagine Nick Saban or Jim Harbaugh waiting this long to play the best quarterback? Saban waited two series to play its best QB. USC waited three games.
USC’s season didn’t turn around but Darnold instantly provided hope, which disappeared during an awful three-week stretch for the Trojans. Darnold lasered passes over the middle. He threw a 35-yard pass down the sideline to a rejuvenated Smith-Schuster.
And he ran the ball. Darnold was USC’s second-leading rusher in the third quarter, outgaining tailback Ronald Jones, 29-15. Each player had six carries at that point.
With USC leading 17-10, Darnold ran the ball eight yards for a touchdown. It’s an extra element to the offense.
He finished with 253 yards passing, completing 18 of 26 passes. But stats don’t convey the entire picture. Darnold’s got pizazz. An It Factor. He makes something out of nothing and rescued several plays with his athleticism and cool demeanor.
Bottom line: Darnold makes USC a different team. Not a well-coached team but a different team.
Even if USC loses, it now has the right driver. This is never a slight on Max Browne, a model teammate. If Browne played for Utah on Friday night, the Utes might have won.
But why is the fan base only now discovering Darnold’s prowess? Reporters, who know far less about football than Helton, knew Darnold was the guy. There are the behind-the-scenes takes that Helton started Browne out of loyalty, or to keep him from transferring.
None of that outweighed playing your star. If Helton is going to keep his job and USC going forward, he cannot play favorites.
Speaking of favorites, welcome back to the offense, Smith-Schuster. The All-American caught eight passes for 98 yards, both season highs. The previous three games, the philosophy was throw to whoever was open.
Darnold clearly wanted to find Smith-Schuster. He admitted after the Stanford loss the offense needed to do a better job getting the ball to the star. It’s worth noting Smith-Schuster was frustrated at times the first three games and lost his temper at a practice.
Now you will likely see him in high spirits. Helton wants happy players first so there’s one mission accomplished.
Now to please the fans with less coaching blunders. Helton is so close-to-the-vest, USC blew an easily winnable game Friday night and ruined Darnold’s first start.
Does defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast ever make adjustments? Utah ran the first 13 plays and USC was in a nickel defense most of that sequence. It looked like USC was paralyzed on the final series.
Correction: Pendergast made one adjustment. He benched two-year starting safety Chris Hawkins and replaced him with Leon McQuay. Score one for Pendergast.
Give him nothing else though. USC and Helton sorely needed a victory and did not get it. Athletic director Lynn Swann watched from the pressbox and had to feel just as bad as he did a week ago.
Now for another week of excuses from Helton.
Darnold said the players were not worried for Helton’s future.
“We know he’s safe where he is,” Darnold said.
