Sam Darnold and Jalen Greene connected for a big gain in the 2017 Rose Bowl thanks to a perfectly run trick play.
There are many things that freshman quarterback Sam Darnold has done well since taking over the starting job for the USC Trojans. The youngster has displayed tremendous arm-talent in addition to impressive mobility. Obviously this has NFL scouts talking about his future. However, it also affords USC the immediate luxury of being able to fully open up the playbook. That’s exactly what they did early in the 2017 Rose Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
It all started with the play-call, an extremely creative little number in itself. Receiver Jalen Green came in motion from the right and took a quick handoff from Darnold. However, he then made it a double reverse as he then handed the rock off to Darreus Rogers. But then things got really tricky as Rogers added a flea flicker element with a pitch back to Darnold.
The lead-up to the throw couldn’t have been more perfectly executed, which is probably why Greene, after handing the ball off to Rogers, was able to move downfield into a ton of open space. Darnold saw him quickly and delivered a strike. After a nice run-after, the Trojans moved 28 yards down the field with the gorgeous bit of trickery:
It’s pretty regular that we see coaches try to draw up a play like this and it backfires tremendously. Be it because of players making mistakes or the defense seeing right through it, these plays don’t have the highest rate of success.
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When you have playmakers like the Trojans, though, you can make this type of thing happen. Darnold is the truth at quarterback and they’re never at a shortage for athletes and playmakers on the edges. The future is bright for this team, and Penn State is finding out just how bright in the Rose Bowl.