Morning Buzz: Sam Darnold Rescues USC After Every Mistake

darnold-rose-bowl-2Here is my analysis from the Rose Bowl game, where I talk about the way quarterback Sam Darnold constantly makes up for USC’s mistakes.

Excerpt: A USC assistant coach coming off the field amid the postgame celebration was told by an onlooker, “It’s better to have Sam Darnold than be good.”

That sums up USC’s season. Athletic director Lynn Swann talked after the game about what a great job Helton did this season. But how does anyone really know when you have a magician at quarterback?

“Sam Darnold does things that are unbelievable,” USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “He makes up (for mistakes) every time. The sky is the limit with him at quarterback.”

Full story here

126 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: Sam Darnold Rescues USC After Every Mistake

  1. This young dude is truly special. He might eventually become one of the best QBs ever, for college and pro. He’s got all the tools!

  2. Look the bottom line is that this team could have folded down double digits in the 2nd half and they didn’t. They would have under Sarkisian. They would have under Kiffen. Why? Because those coaches are not leaders of men.

    Helton has proven that he can rally his players to FIGHT ON against all odds! And yes the odds were stacked against the Trojans last night. They had to overcome DARNOLD’S mistakes in the first quarter. He had early game jitters and was missing open receivers despite having a clean pocket. Countless calls and non calls that went against them. The bobbling TD catch against Adoree, the TE completely pushing off with both hands for a TD, and on Saquon Barkley’s late game receiving TD I counted TWO lineman way downfield which should’ve drawn a flag. But those are the breaks and this team did not waiver.

    Yes having Darnold make big play after big play helps, but the linemen and RB’s have to pass block, the WR’s have to get open and make tough catches, and the defense has make timely stops to swing back the momentum. USC did all of that last night and in my opinion, Helton, Martin, Baxter, and Pendergast all proved that they can lead this team to great things.

      • Fred are you starting to see a future for CH? I think he earned our support yesterday.

        • I like Clay Helton, and he’s displayed leadership skills, which is something USC never had under Lane Kiffin, or Steve Sarkisian . I hope he starts preparing for when Sam Darnold leaves after next season, because that’s when he will really be tested

          • Fred, the entire program will be tested. Every year is a new team. Some years better than others. One years team will be better than anothers. New stars will arise and lead USC in ways Sam doesn’t. It is part of college football, a big part.

          • Great programs maintain superiority year after year, and that’s what I expect of Clay Helton. Alabama, Ohio state, Florida, Florida State, and Michigan all fall under the same expectations. You don’t always have to win the Big one, but you better stay in the conversation

          • The next QB after Sam,will in all likelihood either be a red shirt freshman .Or a true freshman.Its my hope we are able to start stacking up great Ol and DL’s.

    • Truly great win… A huge boost to the momentum we are building. The officiating was among the worst I have ever seen. Targeting on Cameron Smith- after a review no less, the fumble that was overruled- egregious to say the least.
      Anyway, we are back. We played an amazing offensive team, overcame the officials and still won. Now, lets seal the deal with a top class in offensive/defensive lineman and we will be in gear!

    • The Best TEAM Won……
      The Best TEAM found the way to Win..
      The Best Kicker Kicked a 46 yrd. With no time left.
      The Best TEAM intercepted the ball at the most crucial time.
      The Best TEAM stopped a great running back,when that running back should have taken over the GAME.The Best TEAM WON

    • Well said. This was a good team win that was led by Darnold. True headline for this blog post should be “Scott Wolf Whines After Every USC Victory”.

    • Excellent analysis. Darold played magnificently, but there were outstanding plays by several Trojans in the final quarter that carried the day. The Trojans would not give up.

    • I agree 100%. The three calls that really set me off were the targeting call on Cam Smith, the last TD Penn State scored, because there were two lineman downfield, and the reversal on the fumble recovery. On the targeting call there should’ve been a penalty according to the rule, but there was not a malicious intent to injure, and he should not have been ejected. On the Barkley TD, the ball was snapped at the 7 1/2 yard line, when the ball was thrown there were two Penn St. lineman at the two yard line. In order to reverse a call there has to be conclusive evidence that the original call was wrong. How can you tell whose hands were controlling the ball in a pile like that? Again, this officiating crew was out of their league.

  3. A nice congrats to the USC staff and all the players is deserved. Not just Sam.. Clay Helton and the coaches called a great game ..52-49! Time to acknowledge you were wrong SW..Be a bigger man!

    • Great game. Tee Martin will learn from his experience being an OC in the Rose Bowl. His play calling was less than perfect from 2nd qtr to 4th quarters but got it done with 52 points. Darnold does making coaching look good.

      • The ACC refs and the video replay coordinator tried to leave their mark on the game, 5-6 bad calls led to 21 PSU points… That should be the headlines.. “Refs doing their PART to steal a win for PSU”.. Sam and the players played their rears off to get the win!.. #DOYOURJOBS is what Sam kept telling his guys with under 2 to go!

  4. USC gave up 49 points, 7 consecutive TD drive’s, had 10 penalties and rushed for less than 150 yards, not exactly a championship caliber team.

    When Darnold leaves in a year maybe 2, USC will be right back where they were pre Darnold, average at best.

    Helton better get a new DC and some defensive players in this recruiting class

    • When Darnold leaves there will be a void, just like at every other school who has lost an extreme talent. Not what “programs” are about. You are so stupid you do not even realize every year, every team takes on a slightly different personality and face. You know so little you continue to embarrass yourself on here.

  5. Darnold missed some receivers early in the game. That’s why it was only 13-0 after the the 1st quarter.
    He’s a beast but still human.

  6. Here comes Debbie Downer!

    Biggest mistakes I saw were in the refs. You guys definitely came out flat to start the second half and it looked like the Big 10 championship game all over again. And then the refs didn’t help with some questionable penalities and reviews.

    To say your QB did everything is a real discredit to the WRs, the DB with the pick and the kicker.

    If you read other papers in town you would know that the final TD route was improvised by the WR, not the QB.

    • Like every great victory or title run; it’s always some comboniation of a very good team + outstanding performances + some good fortune. SC’s current run is no exception, though you could argue that Darnold’s play has been the “heaviest” factor in their formula.

  7. Darnolds demeanor helps him thru all the mistakes. Nothing bothers this kid. I jeard someone say that we would like to,play again. One thing for sure that defense wouldnt be as porous as Penn State.

    • You’re a little gutty who’s so ashamed of your own crappy bruin football tradition, you pretend you’re an SC fan here. Hah, hah. Too bad your bruin program stinks and you’re here on your knees.

      We own you pal. Bye bye baby bruin. USC can’t wait to beat you silly again next year in the Coli.

  8. Has anyone ever seen a fumble recovery reversed without conclusive video evidence before? I’ve watch a lot of football and don’t remember scrumb being decided by video evidence. How weird was that??

      • Always hard to know if it’s incompetence or corruption. Clearly the “Lion’s” share of the calls favored the Lions last night.

    • My friends and I were looking at each other saying there is no way this call can go against us- right? Unbelievable- how do these guys keep their jobs… Not sure what the tie in was, but clearly that crew- both the on field and review staff were NOT SC lovers. It was pathetic. Better team won tho!!!

  9. So I guess Nick Saban isn’t a very good coach, because his team is loaded with 5 star players. Get rid of all them and he would just be average. Sam Darnold is awesome, but come on he didn’t do it alone.Every succesful team has superstars, but the coaches have to put them in the position to win.

  10. It’s just a matter of time before birdcage starts posting “Darnold should sit out 2017 to prepare for the Draft” articles.

  11. Can wait to see the recruiting bump that game gives us! Why wouldn’t you come to SC next year.

    • You hit on the most important outcome from winning the Rose Bowl. There’s still some uncommitted top recruits looking at USC and playing with Darnold for a NC next year looks pretty good.

  12. Super bad day for the Trolls. Their pain is meteoric. The few that dare to show their faces around here make me laugh. They’re so desperate to pretend Darnold-led USC didn’t just send poor ucla deeper and deeper into their baby bruin coffin.

    USC owns L.A. and the Rose Bowl, yet again, because of an amazing team effort. In the end, our D won the game for us and stopped PSU when it counted, then miraculously turned the ball over to our FG kicker to win it, gloriously, as time dripped off the clock.

    Game ball, USC. Fight On baby! Great to be a Trojan!

    • And you threw Helton under the bus after one game, started calling him Gomer, you’re a bandwagon fan if there ever was one

      • Bye bye little gutty. That’s your crappy program circling the drain. Try jumping on that bandwagon wimpy bruin.

  13. I have two comments. First, I agree that Darnold is special. He has a lot of poise for someone so young – he was never rattled, just focusing on the task at hand. Second, Penn State’a two pass interference penalties were a gift that gave us time to win in regulation.

    • All the BS calls and you decide those 2 determined the game? What about the missed holding calls and OL running down field 5 yards on pass plays? I saw those from the stands, how do professional refs miss them?

  14. Poor Wolfie. His love affair with James Franklin was ruined by Clay Helton. Taking shots at Clay Helton and the coaching staff is petty and childish. Sorry SW but you are a sorry excuse for a journalist.

    • No, he’s a sorry excuse for a human being. Constantly bashing others who have achieved, unlike him.

  15. SW, I know you love to get people upset and therefore make comments on your site. Your continual underlying theme that the coaches stink and USC only has Darnold to thank has grown stale.
    I remember you at one time had the hots for James Franklin – how do you feel about him now that his team blew the lead and gave up 52 points?

    • His schicht has become so predictable. If PSU had won the Blogger would have been raving about Franklin and how Haden blew it by not hiring him.

      • Franklin’s terrible coaching lost that game. If he had just run the ball and the clock in the last 2 minutes PSU wins the game. Helton out coached Franklin, Darnold out played the PSU QB, the SC D held when they had to and Pedo U D folded. You could see it from the stands the SC players never gave up, they knew the game was their’s to win.

        • Not so sure – Franklin was holding to the old maxim of going for the win on the road and avoiding OT i.e. 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame.

          Franklin was holding a hot hand and felt he had a legitimate shot to get within field goal range and even if he couldn’t what he didn’t want to do was morph into a sudden conservative cautious role deflating his team’s efforts up to that point. He did the right thing and it didn’t pan out

          • USC had just scored 14 and you think Franklin had the hot hand? If he runs the ball maybe he breaks a couple and they are kicking for the win. Worse case they trade punches in OT. He blew it. Helton out coached him, SCOREBOARD!

          • Now now let’s not blow a blood vessel old boy. Must say it’s not a pretty sight what? We agree to disagree…..and there it is a great game that had everything save tanks and flame throwers. I was so looking forward to seeing someone storm Mt. Surabachi what?

          • I have no problem going for the jugular at that point, but a much safer approach – yet still aggressive – would be to give it to your home-run RB. Even more foolish than passing was to pass a second time after Leon should have intercepted the first pass – how dumb was that?

        • The Penn St. QB was throwing the ball up for grabs the whole game, and for that matter the whole season, and it finally came back to bite him.

    • In Wolf’s world view, if Franklin shoots someone, it is their fault for getting in the way of the bullet.

  16. Great win to build for 2017. Truly a classic for the ages

    Home: AZ, Stanford, WA St., UT, TX, West MI. and UCLA
    Road: AZ St., OR St., Cal, CO and Notre Dame

    • Going to be an interesting schedule. Can’t wait for the “experts” to rate it, just to see how badly they get it next year. lol

      • steveg it is a very winnable schedule which means the coaching staff can withstand any NFL departures and/or designing new plays to stretch the team.

        Shaw is in a class of his own but the rest of the coaches, in particular Mora and Kelly, are in decline.

        A great victory truly against one of the legacy top 10 programs and it sucked all the attention away from the rest of the 30+ bowls played.

  17. To me the most exciting play of the game, and perhaps any game I have seen in a while was the final USC touchdown pass to tie. I knew then, after settling back down that USC was going to win, one way or another.
    Sam makes the game exciting for sure. Wolf is really dissing the rest of the team. They ALL deserve praise for what they accomplished this season. Wolf should be ashamed of his continued stupid opinion and downplay of a very good TEAM and STAFF. When a sportswriter has no credibility, nobody pays any attention.

  18. The clock management and the end of the first half and game demonstrates a well coached, well prepared team. The staff has come a long way since game 1. Only question I have now is can they finish in recruiting. Last year recruiting had solid finish with a difficult situation. I expect more this year. The future looks bright.

  19. So with Wolf logic…
    The showtime Lakers weren’t any good because they had Magic…
    The Chicago bulls sucked because they had Jordan…
    and the 1927 Yankees stunk because of that Babe Ruth guy…

    Fact is Sam Darnold is a Trojan on a team Team of Trojans that played all 60 minutes last night led by Sam Mo-Jo-Rising Darnold and his gift.

    And… it appears that Sam Darnold has a very similar gift like that Jordon, Magic and that Babe Ruth guy…

    Football is fun!

  20. Best USC Unsung Player of the Year Award – Stevie T.

    Without him we easily don’t get to the Rose Bowl and the Trojans definitely don’t win the Grandaddy. He was our most valuable defensive player last night.

    Thanks Stevie T. What a stud! For one year, you were the best (even though SW thought USC stooped to take you).

    • Nothing ventured nothing gained. He and his young wife took a calculated risk and it payed off. Fight On!

    • Wolf should quit his job at the Daily News and be the Communications Director for the Democratic Party, both are in complete delusion and denial.

  21. The blogger makes excuses for a win like he was hoping they would lose. Imagine if he reported for Bama. He’d be criticizing Saban for allowing Washington to score 7 points and the offense not scoring at least 30 against a “soft” PAC12 team. He’d be lamenting about how they underperformed.

    • If he was in Saban’s press conference Saban would gut him, if he had any, but he’s a gutless troll.

    • Yea, and Saban would slap him so hard Wolf’s future kids would come out dizzy. I know, Wolf procreating is a stretch.

  22. Sam’s a special players he’s the MVP, but he didn’t intercept that ball and return it into field goal range, LM3 did. RS senior who stayed through the worst sanction since SMU. A 5*recruit out of Florida that came to USC because it is USC.

  23. Hey team! Congratulations on the win. Great finish. Special shout out to Matt B. and the team on the final play.

  24. After the bowls are finished, USC will be ranked #3 or #2 if the NC is one-sided. What’s the Blogger going to say then?

  25. Navy had a q/b like that ,back a long time ago…watched him vs SC …WHAT a great game this Rose of the Bowls was,and imagine being part of this team,its season; & think what it could have been if so many had not left,and those who were early leave had stayed…this might have been a 12-1 or 13-0 team…just imagine…

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