PULLMAN, Wash. -- USC center Brett Neilon was as excited as anybody Saturday night about freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart's breakout debut performance.
The veteran offensive lineman rattled off one emphatic quote after another, praising Dart's "swagger," reiterating that he has been a big believer in the freshman for a while now, and that it fired up the offensive line to see the rookie delivering big play after big play as he did.
But the quote that hung in the air Saturday night after USC's 45-14 win at Washington State -- in which Dart came off the bench to replace injured starter Kedon Slovis and proceeded to complete 30 of 46 passes for 391 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (plus a lost fumble) -- was a comparison that surely registered in a certain way with fans.
"He was poised. He just reminds me a lot of Sam Darnold, if you guys remember," Neilon said before getting on the team bus. "Just a pretty calm guy. Doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low, but just has this certain swagger that you know this guy's going to make plays."
Oh, USC fans remember.
The entire Clay Helton era is essentially remembered as two disparate chapters -- "with Darnold" and "post-Darnold."
And whether Neilon intended to draw the comparison this deeply or not, fans also remember that the last great run for this USC football program was effectively launched when Helton made the tough decision to replace starting QB Max Browne with Darnold in Week 4 of the 2016 season after a 1-2 start. The Trojans would lose that next game as well, with Darnold, before reeling off nine straight wins, including a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
Is USC now at a similar pivotal crossroads?
Personally, I say no -- not yet.
First, I've been high on Dart since traveling to Eagle Mountain, Utah, last November to watch him complete his record-breaking, storybook undefeated season for Corner Canyon HS with a Utah 6A state championship victory.
His poise and toughness stood out then, how he'd stand in the pocket seemingly unconcerned about any chaos happening around him until he found his open receiver and uncorked another big completion. He allowed that extra second knowing on several occasions he was going to get pummeled when he released the ball. Other times, it was his ability to throw on the move that extended and opened up plays. And as a true dual-threat QB, he ran like a running back, seeking out contact and always looking for the extra yards.
There was a reason USC risked its entire 2021 QB recruiting picture to go all-in on Dart midway through last fall, despite having two four-star QBs already committed.
There's also a reason he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, and why he played his best in the biggest moments throughout the spring and preseason QB competition here with fellow highly-rated freshman Miller Moss, shining in the spring game and both preseason scrimmages to earn the No. 2 job.
Put simply, he's a gamer and fits a whole bunch of other overused football cliches of that ilk.
"He's got that swagger. That's a true freshman like putting on the eye black [on only one eye] and being like, let's go, I'm running the show. I'm ready to make some big-time throws. I don't know, it's like he just has that confidence," Neilon said.
He does and USC's future at the position feels so limitless because of it.
Yes, there is a case to be made that Dart should be the starting quarterback moving forward for USC. A strong case.
Dart gave the offense a major lift after Slovis was knocked from the game on the opening series with a punishing sack. More than that, he got this Trojans offense humming again in a way it hasn't since various points last season. He showed that tremendous poise when he shook off an ill-fated interception and a lost fumble that both occurred within his first three series Saturday, only to remain every bit as aggressive and start connecting on one big play after another.
If he doesn't deliver that 38-yard touchdown pass to Gary Bryant Jr. on fourth-and-9, down 14-0 in the final minute of the second quarter, who knows where the game goes from there. That gave the Trojans their first momentum of any kind and spurred a run of 45 unanswered points.
"I'm like dang, this kid's a freshman," Neilon said. "It was encouraging. I just knew, I've been a big Dart fan. He's in my locker room pod, he's just a good kid. I just knew he was going to make plays. It still is kind of crazy he's a true freshman, three games in. That's a true freshman throwing it up like that and having the confidence and making plays with his legs. He had some early turnovers and that's going to happen ... but he kept throwing it, he kept going at it, and as an O-lineman that's super encouraging."
It was all of those things -- kind of crazy and super encouraging.
Dart's 391 yards are the most ever by a USC QB in their debut, as he just seems to have a penchant for setting records after breaking the Utah HS single-season mark with 67 touchdown passes (plus 12 rushing TDs) and 5,886 total offensive yards (4,691 passing, 1,195 rushing) last fall.
He might well set more before he's done at USC, as he showed a little bit of everything Saturday.
Dart's first play from scrimmage was an 18-yard QB keeper in which he bounced off two defenders and surged forward after a hit from a third just like he was still back at Corner Canyon HS. Three plays later, he converted on third-and-13 with one of his standard off-platform, almost sidearm throws for an 18-yard completion to Malcolm Epps. He threw a rope on a line into a tight window (OK, it was a dart) to London for a 32-yard gain up the seam with a defender on the receiver's back. His second touchdown pass was a confident 5-yard strike to London in the end zone between two defenders. He worked the back shoulder to London perfectly for another 32-yard connection in the third quarter, placed one right where it needed to be down the seam for London to haul in a 31-yard touchdown just in front of one DB and before another converged and later showed off his touch on his final 36-yard touchdown to Kyle Ford.
"That's just the type of guy he is. He's just a warrior, he's a gamer, reminds me a lot of Sam Darnold to be honest," Neilon said, using the comparison twice Saturday. "... When he checks into the game, he's going to make plays with his legs, with his arm. He's going to be confident and he's going to push us as an offense."
Said Bryant: "He proved to us that he's got heart. We always knew he had the talent. Talent was never the factor. He always competed at practice every day, but just had the heart to come out and fight when we needed him."
Yes, there is a compelling case to make for Dart to be not only the future but the present.
But again, there is a case to be made the other way as well.
Slovis has not been the problem for the USC offense this season -- not overtly at least. He didn't have receivers running open downfield the first two games like the Trojans did Saturday. He got let down by his receivers a week ago against Stanford on three potential touchdown passes to Joseph Manjack, London (albeit, the worst throw of the three) and Bryant and a fluke pick-6 that was just a touch behind London.
It's plenty possible that Slovis would have lit up the Cougars on Saturday just as he did against them a year ago (25-of-32 passing for 287 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs). Washington State's defense probably shouldn't be the primary gauge for change.
Slovis has been a very solid and at times elite quarterback for USC the last two years and his NFL hopes are riding on this season.
Honestly, it would be kind of cruel to bench him at this point with what that would mean for his future. It's not his fault his young offensive tackles surrendered him to an annihilation on that early sack, forcing him out of the game.
And as a final point of consideration, bear in mind that Dart is a young gunslinger who is going to take chances and make mistakes. He was able to do everything he did Saturday despite three turnovers (though his final interception was really effectively the same as a punt). Is he ready to be that aggressive without succumbing to more costly mistakes against better defenses? That's for the coaching staff to determine.
Here's what makes sense to me at this point, though.
If Slovis is cleared to play this week -- interim coach Donte Williams didn't provide any details as to his injury (while the TV broadcast called it a neck injury), but did say "all I know is he'll be OK to practice this coming week and we'll just take it from here" -- he should get that chance.
But with a short leash.
Slovis has to show that he can rediscover his own ability to make the big plays downfield and be an aggressive tone-setter with his arm. With Bryant now asserting himself as a field-stretching threat the Trojans badly needed, and London capable of making plays at all levels, the weapons should be there. Not all defenses will present as many opportunities as the Cougars, but there is no more time for excuses this season.
If Slovis and the offense flatline, then go to Dart and see if he can deliver the magic again. If that's how it plays out, well, then it will be clear which direction the Trojans need to go.
For now, keep Dart involved. I learned last night that USC had a package for Dart that it planned to implement vs. Washington State regardless. Stick with that moving forward, and keep him ready if Slovis doesn't get the job done.
But for now, don't forget what the junior QB has done the last two years. Even as he was picked apart and scrutinized last year for some of his throwing struggles (which haven't been an issue this fall), he nonetheless ranked sixth nationally in passing yards per game and was clutch in all three wild fourth quarter comebacks.
Dart is the future of the position at USC -- and everybody should be as excited as Neilon is about that -- but that doesn't mean Slovis is already suddenly the past.
Not yet at least.
A third option that can't be discounted, though, is that the Trojans choose to play it safe with Slovis' injury and get a larger sample size of evaluation on Dart this week, delaying an official decision.
Ultimately, that's Williams' call now -- and one he wasn't ready to make after the game Saturday.
"For all I know it could be Miller [Moss'] turn next week," Williams said, playing exceptionally coy. "These guys, they get prepared to play. Graham [Harrell] does a good job of making sure when their number's called, they make sure they go out there and they make plays, and we did that today."
He was asked if that meant he viewed Slovis as the starter.
"Being clear, every day, every position, of everybody on this team, it's always a battle," Williams said.
Except that's rarely the way game weeks go at that position especially, as the first-team quarterback almost always gets the majority of reps to get comfortable with the gameplan.
It will be interesting to see who that is Tuesday.
Again, a case can be made for either, but it would be quite a surprise if the Trojans choose to cast Slovis aside so quickly and make an official change. He deserves better than that.
