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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utes will get a different look at the University of Southern California offense this weekend than has been seen the past few weeks. USC made the decision to bench its starting quarterback for the past three games, Max Browne, in favor of redshirt freshman Sam Darnold.
Browne won the job in camp and was given the opportunity to start the season. After not finding the end zone against Alabama in the first game of the season, Browne’s leash got a lot shorter. Last week’s loss against Stanford was the final straw, and after a 1-2 start Browne has been benched.
Darnold was on the field in limited action every game this season, seeing the most action in the game against Utah State. Darnold only threw the ball seven times but completed five of those passes for 62 yards, and he found the end zone twice. Darnold in his limited action had an adjusted QBR of 98.0, which is impressive when you consider QBR is ranked on a scale of 1-100.
USC is scrambling for answers, as a team that started the season ranked but has since fallen to 1-2. One concern that’s been prevalent throughout the season is quarterback play. USC coach Clay Helton defended Browne but admitted something needed to change.
“He is not the reason we’re 1-2. He is not the scapegoat here,” Helton said. “But the realism of football is when you’re 1-2, and you’ve scored one touchdown against Alabama and Stanford, I wanted to see a spark in our offense. I hope Sam can bring that.”
Fans aren’t the only ones upset with the quarterback play; even the team is getting frustrated. USC has one of the top NFL prospects at wide receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s been frustrated with offensive woes. This was evidenced when he got into a fight during a practice and refused to practice the rest of the day a few weeks ago.
The Utes have had problems with the Trojans, who have beaten the Utes every season outside of 2014, since Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Last season the Utes were ranked No. 3 in the nation before losing to a 3-3 USC team in Los Angeles.
This season the Utes have started 3-0 and are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. No one can tell if the change will work in favor of the Utes or the Trojans. Either way, Helton seems convinced it’s what it’ll take to win the game for the Trojans this weekend.
