Washington State upset USC football to start the season at 5-0 on Friday. Here’s a look at why this performance was Sam Darnold’s anti-Heisman moment.
The fifth-ranked USC Trojans took their first loss of the season to the 16th-ranked Washington State Cougars, 30-27. It was the Cougars second victory in the last 11 meetings and they’re off to their best start since the 2001 season.
When it comes to the Heisman Trophy debate, Washington State quarterback Luke Falk was spectacular but USC quarterback Sam Darnold was not.
Darnold started the game strong for the USC Trojans. They drove the ball 75 yards down the field in 10 plays to score on a one-yard rush by Darnold. Darnold went 4-of-5 with 34 passing yards on the drive. After that, the Trojans punted twice and Darnold threw an interception.
Running back Ronald Jones II kept the USC Trojans in it with an 86-yard rushing touchdown. Sadly enough, Jones had just 14 carries for 128 rushing yards in the game.
All eyes were on quarterback Sam Darnold and he fizzled in the spotlight. Darnold went 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) with 164 passing yards, an interception and no passing touchdowns. He did finish with two rushing touchdowns but the story of the game was his inability to connect with his receivers through the air.
There were even a few instances where bad throws or bad luck (however you want to look at it) put the ball squarely in the hands of Washington State defensive backs, but they dropped what should have been definite picks.
It's over!
— ESPN (@espn) September 30, 2017
No. 16 Washington State forces a fumble from Sam Darnold and takes down No. 5 USC 30-27 in Pullman. pic.twitter.com/W2kVzhg5Bs
In Darnold’s defense, three offensive lineman are currently out with injury, but still they were unable to make the adjustments. The USC defense ultimately got tired from being on the field all game and the Cougars pressure up front got to Darnold in the end. On the Trojans’ final drive, Darnold was unable to escape pressure and Jahad Woods was able to force a strip-sack.
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The USC Trojans season isn’t completely over. They’ve still got to face No. 20 Utah and No. 22 Notre Dame but after this performance, Darnold’s run at the Heisman Trophy has probably come to an end.