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USC vs Stanford Practice Notes: Two QBs Will Be Feature of Offense
Clay Helton indicated both Max Browne and Sam Darnold will continue to feature in the Trojan offense in 2016. Here’s notes from Tuesday practice for USC vs Stanford week.
Max Browne remains USC’s undisputed No. 1 quarterback, but expect to see more of Sam Darnold as he was used against Utah State.
Head coach Clay Helton indicated after Tuesday’s USC vs Stanford game week practice that both quarterback would continue to be a feature of the Trojan offense in 2016.
“I think that’s going to be all year,” said Helton, pointing to USC’s red zone success in the first half using Darnold inside the 15 yard line. “One, [Darnold’s] ability to go in progresses him [as a quarterback] but, two, he’s a weapon and we’re going to use every weapon possible on this team to be able to win football games.”
The head coach believes USC can manage both players, getting the best of both worlds by relying on Browne as the primary passer while giving Darnold meaningful reps to make him a more effective back up and utilizing his running ability in the red zone.
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Could that potentially disrupt the flow of both quarterbacks? Helton doesn’t think so.
“Overall I felt the fluidity [against Utah State] and I thought both kids grew in that game,” Helton said, citing Browne’s exceptional completion percentage despite a couple throws he’d want back, including an interception and a couple long pass misses.
Browne and the entire team have had two weeks to settle into the new season ahead of Stanford, which Helton sees as an asset, compared to Stanford’s early bye week.
“To go to Alabama and play so poorly and then come to Utah State and play good, not great. There’s still things to clean up,” Helton said. “As a head coach, you want to see that progression of improving from week to week so we needed [both games].”
In other words, Stanford can keep their bye week.
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