For all the buzz and unrestrained hype that preceded freshman JT Daniels' first start Saturday in the Coliseum -- with one national website having already declared him the "next great USC Trojans quarterback" -- the performance that followed seemed to come as no surprise.

Daniels ended up with the most passing yards ever for a USC QB in his debut, completing 22 of 35 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown, and yet it felt almost expected.

That might be the most impressive part of it all.

Carrying limitless expectations on his 18-year-old shoulders, Daniels was as promised. For the first game, at least.

And it took his own admission afterward that, "Oh yeah, there's nerves," for anyone to know the weight of the moment even hit him at all.

"I couldn't have been more pleased. I've always believed [you can tell] when you walk in that huddle for the first time and you call the play and you look around and you see everybody's demeanor. He looked extremely comfortable," coach Clay Helton said Sunday after looking back through the tape, which confirmed his initial assessment.

"And I thought he got even more comfortable as the game went on. I mean, the biggest thing I'm proud of, he forced one ball on the day out of the 35 passes, got locked in one time on a third down. For a kid to go out there for his first time in the Coliseum in that environment and to execute like he did ... He was efficient, he was accurate, he for the most part made the right decisions."

Trojans kicker Chase McGrath, who was also teammates with Daniels a couple years ago at Mater Dei High School, put it even more succinctly.

"JT was looking really good today. That's what I'm used to seeing," McGrath said. "... He's pretty much the same guy every time."

USC fans can only hope.

It wasn't a flawless debut. The offense started slow, stalled in the red zone, Daniels mixed in a handful of uncatchable throws during an otherwise highly-accurate performance and, yes, he got lucky to avoid an interception in the second quarter. But it could also be noted that his stats would have been even more impressive with a little more help from his receivers -- Daniels threw incomplete on six of his first seven targets to veteran wideout Tyler Vaughns, who had an opportunity to haul in a couple of those passes, and Michael Pittman had a would-be touchdown grab glance off his hands on an end zone fade.

But the most important takeaway from the performance was not the numbers anyway. It was, as McGrath put it, that the QB looked like the same JT Daniels who seemed in full control through the preseason. The same guy who looked thoroughly unfazed while seizing early control of a college quarterback competition when, if not for his decision to reclassify and arrive a year early, he should still be in high school.

Daniels said he became more comfortable as the game progressed, and no coincidence that's when he started punishing UNLV down the field, but from start to finish he projected an unwavering stability to his demeanor and approach.

Doing it at home against an underdog was one test, while repeating it on the road in conference play at Stanford this week and then in a tough non-conference clash at Texas the following week will be further telling. But the small sample size so far is nothing but encouraging about the kind of poise with which Daniels plays.

"I just try to be as neutral as I can in my thoughts, not necessarily positive 'I can do this, let's go,' or negative 'I suck, we can't do this.' I try to be as neutral as possible and be the most objective I can in attacking the defense," he explained Saturday.

Helton noted that Daniels' passing volume was partly a product of what the UNLV defense was giving the Trojans, and he praised the young QB's decision-making both ways on his RPOs (run-pass options). On USC's third touchdown, for example, Helton noted that it came from an RPO in which Daniels astutely saw the linebacker leave the box as the Trojans went in motion, making the right decision to hand off to Aca'Cedric Ware for a 15-yard touchdown run.

And when he did pass, it was usually right on target. Rewatching the game and charting his throws, of his 35 attempts all but a handful were delivered on time and where they needed to be. There is an ease to Daniels' delivery that reflects the confidence he plays with in the pocket.

"It was an efficient day for him," Helton said. "Obviously there was a couple decisions that I know he'd like to have back and we would too, but overall I thought he did a good job. ... He really did a nice job of diagnosing the defense and then moving the ball around."

Along with that poise, decision-making and accuracy, the other main takeaway from Daniels' debut was the one everybody came to see -- the big plays downfield.

In the fourth quarter alone, Daniels had the perfectly-placed, in-stride 43-yard touchdown strike down the seam to his Mater Dei HS teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 41-yard hook-up down the middle with Trevon Sidney to set up that Ware touchdown run and a 36-yard completion to Pittman on his final series (their only connection of the day).

"Coach Helton made it clear that I'm not here just to hand the ball [off] and throw the short pass every single time," Daniels said matter-of-factly, adding that he expects the Trojans will further refine their downfield passing attack with more game reps.

Said Helton: "He's like the other good ones I've been around. He doesn't have much conscience. If he's one-on-one, he's going to take the opportunity."

Daniels seized his opportunity on Saturday, and the expectations will only continue to grow for the talented true freshman. In reality, he still has plenty to prove as USC heads into the meat of its schedule and he faces his first road challenges. And while the chemistry between he and St. Brown is obvious, Daniels has to find that same rhythm with Vaughns and Pittman for this passing attack to truly reach its potential.

But Saturday was highly encouraging -- just as everybody expected.