USC Morning Buzz: How Far Can Clay Helton Ride Sam Darnold Coattails?

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In my analysis today, I look at how Clay Helton will benefit from the emergence of Sam Darnold.

Excerpt: USC freshman quarterback Sam Darnold’s become the Trojans’ eraser. Whatever mistake anyone else makes can be overcome by the Boy Wonder.

Coach Clay Helton proudly said the Trojans did not allow a sack against Arizona State on Saturday. But if you watched the game, you knew the offensive line’s often-shaky performance was not as responsible as Darnold’s natural elusiveness.

Future opponents will rarely be as hapless as Arizona State, but USC is no longer playing with one hand tied behind its back, except when Helton does not go for it on fourth down.

Full story here

51 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: How Far Can Clay Helton Ride Sam Darnold Coattails?”

  1. Good point Scott – yes how far can Helton ride Darnhold’s coattails? A whole lot based on what we all saw this past Saturday evening ‘but’ we all know that is the reason for the change in course.

    Helton is still what he is – ‘learning’ on the job and not sure if he is ‘learning’ save it was obvious Max Browne did not have the skills that Darnhold has.

  2. What a hypocrite. When the team makes mistakes – it’s the coach’s fault. When the team plays well – it’s despite the coaches. When Helton punts on 4th down at midfield – he’s dumb. When Helton goes for it on 4th down at midfield – he’s dumb. Stop being the Waffle King.

    Why not ask Darnold if the coaches have been instrumental in his development as a QB and in play calling?

    • It is obvious the coaches have been instrumental in Darnolds growth as a D1 QB, although there are those on here that would argue the point.

      • Darnold was a four-star HS QB and top 200 player nationally even though he missed his JR year. At USC, he became known as a Scout Team “Legend” at practices for two reasons – he rarely threw picks and wowed people with his escapability and running talent.

        USC didn’t do Darnold any favors until Swann stepped in and said he needs to be the starter and that needs to happen right now.

      • Which is amazing considering he’s got an IQ lower than 80 according to his Wunderlic score at the NFL combine

  4. Watching Darnold making plays is a great pleasure. Watching Gomer in the sideline is a fly in the ointment.

  5. In the tougher games if Sam does not get more help from the O line it will not matter

  6. The entire team has benefited from the QB switch. The attitude and energy has gone way up. If only Helton knew what Scott Wolf wanted him to do on 4th down, all would be well. Relax Wolf, Helton is here for the season and probably the next one. Is there anything else we can post about???

    • Just like that steveg. Just like that. The FlameFanner needs to sell newspapers.

  7. You know a lot of you mock everything and anything Wolf puts up here. Be grateful we have an alum, flawed as he is, that has the interest to share with us and provide for us a forum to express our elation or dissatisfaction.

    We also have Petros Papadakis on 570 AM another alum who does the same. We have interested powerful individuals that may often be contentious but nonetheless give all of us that which bel-air tech so wished they had – anyone from that public school with the ambition to do something more with his life than become a self-pitying ‘progressive activist’ whining about no jobs because he was a poli-sci major.

    • You started out so strong there, Al and then lapsed into your usual sweeping generalizations that marginalize your credibility and diminish your credibility.
      I guess that makes you half bad.
      Oh wait, you can’t read my posts because I’m blocked.
      Nevermind.

  8. Sam Darnold gives the Trojans the best chance to win, and he’s very talented. But USC didn’t loose three games because of the quarterback position, they lost because they were manhandled at the line of scrimmage, and coaches not recognizin when the running game benefits them. Arizona state, and Utah state clearly had horrible defenses, and SC took advantage of it, the Sun Devils defense were giving up an average of 48 pts a game prior to playing the Trojans. Which is one of the reasons why I didn’t raise a brow with Saturdays victory. Colorado is an above average opponent, and will be a better test to determine where we are, and if Darnold’s play will make that much of a difference.

    • Colorado had Michigan, but they lost their staring QB and just weren’t experienced enough to close the deal.

      Maybe SC should look at the Colorado coach, he’s turned that mess around pretty quickly.

      • There are a lot of good coaches they could look at, but right now they have a season to take care of.

  9. The coaching staff started the season with the more experienced QB who is a pro style pocket passer and went with that offense. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. They have now switched, in a game and a half, to a mobile QB and a spread offense. Helluva coaching job if you ask me. We’ll see of the O line works better with this style, they shouldn’t have to hold blocks as long.

  10. ‘ O ‘ line still the major concern; slightly better last 2 games,so may get with it soon.

  11. Helton is smiling right now! Just wait until our offensive line faces a much stronger defense that knows Darnold will run! What then? Helton won’t be smiling that’s for sure! I’m expecting a much tougher game this week! We’ll see if Helton has the peas to gamble!

    • You are right here. Teams have not schemed for Arnold yet. What happens when the assign a spy to him? Have to wait and see.

      • Remember it is a run throw option on a lot of plays. If Darnold makes his reads correctly he should do okay. They can spy, but that either takes away from the pass rush or pass coverage. It helps our game, not theirs.

  12. Maybe ask Jimbo Fisher with Jameis Winston or Mack Brown with Vince Young or Mark Helfrich with Marcus Mariota or Kevin Sumlin with Johnny Manziel and see what they have to say.

  13. Everyone is patting Helton on the back for making the switch. Come on. He should have made that call in the Spring. Most people saw that months ago. Coach H is a reactor. Period.

    • No he isnt. His team is not that good and he has to make the best of what he has.

    • The Sunday after the Stanford game, Swann met with Gomer and told him to start Darnold, among other things if he expected to field a worthy, improved team. Starting Darnold wasn’t even Gomer’s idea.

        • Nobodies twisting your arm to believe it.

          You expect the name of my source? You obviously have no sources, but if you do, please list for proof of anything you say that isn’t public knowledge. Thanks.

          • If what you say is true, Gomer is done no matter how good the team finishes out the season because if he couldn’t see that Darnold was better than Browne, he has zero business being a coach at any level. If your AD basically has to threaten the head coach to make the right choice for the QB position then he isn’t going to keep the coach. If the AD does keep the head coach after telling him who to play, then that’s an even bigger problem.

          • I think Gomer always knew Darnold was better. Everyone did. Even Gomer. But Gomer didn’t understand how to manage the program and he felt he needed to keep Browne in the program and wanted to give him a shot because he’s in his 4th year and he really didn’t want to lose him. In the end, Gomer did Browne a disservice because Browne, who REALLY wants to play, is stuck behind a QB and will never see the field again unless in total garbage time.

            Let’s face it. We’ve got a very divided USC community. Many will defend Gomer no matter what stupid things he does. Many insist we’ve already seen all we need to to see from the fool. Nothing comes easy for USC football anymore. Now we’ve got a wonderful QB and 50% of us want a better coach before we sink into cruiser speed- decent to good but never great.

            Swann’s been a great help to Gomer and Swann views that as his job and he’s doing it until Gomer can’t succeed even with all of Swann’s help. Most coaches don’t want the AD getting their nose into things. Good coaches don’t even allow it because they don’t need to. Without Swann, Gomer’s the same coach we saw against ALA and STAN. Swann installed Darnold for the UTAH game and we only lost because 15 slant passes were too much for us.

            Sorry Gomer. STAN’s not that good. But since Gomer wants to be like them, Shaw decided to teach SC another big-time lesson. Ya, we’ve got a big-time problem. And SC’s just good enough to keep him around too long for many of us.

  14. God forbid that Darnold goes down but if he does, what is Plan B? Max Browne? That didn’t and still doesn’t work. Offense did nothing against the Sun Devils with him in.
    Why not give the reps to Jalen Green or Matt Fink [if he is a dual threat QB]? They should be coached up.

    Time to be honest with Max and have him transfer if he wants to pursue a football career in or after college.

    Time to start recruiting only dual threat QBs.

  15. Gomer can ride Darnold a long way. He’s a total game changer for USC. He can create on the fly, throws well under pressure, is quick enough to get downfield on designed QB runs and adds a composure and confidence to the team that we just never had under Browne. It’s like a complete night and day difference with Darnold compared to Browne.

    Gomer’s decision to start Browne for three complete games over uber-talented Darnold is one of this season’s hugest coaching blunders. The sad thing is, many of us saw this coming. Some said, we can always switch if Browne doesn’t work. Well, we had to and the Trojans were sorely set back because of Gomer’s error – which he still defends as something he would do over. Thanks Gomer. You’re a real gem.

    With Browne, USC had no chance against good teams because our o-line is woeful. I don’t see how that o-line can magically change to what the media falsely promoted as a strong unit before the season. Our o-line is simply slow and ponderous. That’s what I see every game.

    Darnold forces defenses to adjust because he can make plays Browne could only dream of. We can possibly squeak out some wins with Darnold even with our pedestrian o-line. We could have beat STAN with Darnold. With Browne at the helm, we were sitting Ducks and again got mauled by the Cardinal.

    Plus, Darnold will grow in stature. Face it. Our o-line is set in stone and if not, they’ve obviously been coached poorly because we’re half-way through the season and quick throws to JuJu, Davis breaking tackles and Darnold escaping trouble have been the only Trojan offensive highlights.

  19. A win is a win. USC is 1-1 with Darnold. I seriously doubt USC’s overall record (2-3) would be different if Darnold started every game. So whatever record USC finishes with will also be Helton’s record. If every USC loss is on Helton, then so is every win.

    Wolf’s an idiot.

  20. The Trojan Offense, I believe, will get the job done. The Bottom Line, will the Defense game after game get the job done ? If the Defense shines, our Offense with a favorable number of Possessions will rout the rest of the PAC-12 provided the UW fans exhibit the same high standard of Sportsmanship displayed by all other PAC-12 Programs, with the Duck Farm being the one additional exception. Living in incessant rain much be a b*tch.

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