USC Football: Meet Sam Darnold’s incredibly talented supporting cast

USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold is a household name but you should get to know his supporting cast that are making names for themselves.

The offseason was full of endless praise for USC Trojans redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold, and rightfully so, after leading the team to nine straight wins and a Rose Bowl comeback in his first nine starts. Darnold was the preseason Heisman favorite and lauded as a potential No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, but there is more to USC than Darnold, and it’s time his supporting cast gets their time in the spotlight.

Darnold is the leader of the Trojan offense, but you don’t beat Stanford 42-24 alone, and it’s because he has so much developing talent around him that USC is in the College Football Playoff conversation. After getting blanked in the touchdown column in the Week 1 win over Western Michigan, Darnold tossed four touchdowns, two each to Deontay Burnett and Stephen Mitchell.

Burnett has been Darnold’s favorite target through two games with 16 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns. The first score was highlighted by an impressive individual effort to get into the end zone where he shook the first would-be tackler, stiff-armed the second and outraced the third en route to the end zone.

Burnett’s second touchdown was the game-clincher and again, featured an incredible individual effort to lay out for Darnold’s pass that deftly was tucked in over defenders where only a Burnett could catch it. In many ways, the play below shows off what Darnold does best that makes him such a talented quarterback. His ability to roll out and throw accurately on the move is incredible, but so is the catch by Burnett who is playing like an All-American through two games.

Not to be outdone by Burnett, Stephen Mitchell, Jr. had the biggest game of his career vs. Stanford. The Pasadena native had four catches for 94 yards and the two scores, but his best catch was this 49-yarder that dropped right in his chest.

I’m also a fan of tight end Tyler Petite and think he’s going to be more of an impact receiver as the season progresses. Giving Darnold secondary weapons to work with when teams double team Burnett and I expect he’ll be a valuable receiver that can move the chains.

While Darnold has been everything USC had hoped he would be so far this year, the biggest reason for optimism surrounding their championship hopes lies with his teammates in the backfield.

Ronald Jones II and Stephen Carr are being touted by Sports Illustrated’s Max Meyer as the best running back combination in the country. Through two games, it’s hard to disagree.

Jones came to USC as a highly-touted recruit from Texas but it took him a little while to get going before breaking out in the second half of his sophomore season last year. Jones has carried that momentum into his junior season with 275 yards and five touchdowns on 41 carries. The best friend for every quarterback is a strong run game and USC has that. Remember when Matt Leinart was winning the Heisman and national championships? He had Reggie Bush and LenDale White to complement the passing game. Now, Darnold is faced with similar expectations and has his own 1-2 punch to lean on. Unlike Bush and White who were two completely different backs, Jones and true freshman Stephen Carr are very similar in that they have home run speed and the ability to make plays between the tackles.

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It’s not supposed to look this easy for true freshmen but after Carr ripped up the Stanford defense to the tune of 116 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, it’s time to reevaluate expectations for the rookie runner. He’s only going to get better with every passing game and with the luxury of having Jones to beat up and tire the defense, Carr can come off the sidelines with fresh legs and expose a vulnerable defense. That’s a scary proposition for opposing defenses in the Pac-12 this year.

And with Burnett and Mitchell making plays for Darnold in the passing game, the Trojans may have the most balanced offense in the country.

You know who Sam Darnold is, now it’s time the rest of the country knows how good his supporting cast it.