VIDEO: USC QB JT Daniels discusses his season-ending knee injury
USC quarterback JT Daniels was in as good of spirits as could be expected Tuesday as he pulled up in his motorized scooter after practice to meet with a pack of reporters for the first time since his season-ending knee injury Saturday night.
He beeped the horn on the scooter, turned to the media gathering and said "We're good."
As for how Daniels' is coping with his season being done two quarters into the first game, after all the preparation, physical transformation, adapting to a new system, winning a second quarterback battle in as many years and trying to set the stage for a pivotal sophomore campaign?
"I'm doing good. Obviously, I'm upset. It's a pretty early way to end the season, but I'm still excited to be a Trojan, excited to be able to help coach the young guy and just excited to be here," Daniels said.
He indeed seemed to have found perspective on the situation. For that matter, though, the same could be said of how he handled it in the moment Saturday night after tearing his ACL and MCL on a sack and fumble late in the second half of USC's 31-23 season-opening win over Fresno State.
He returned to the sideline on crutches for the second half and later stood with his teammates on the field as they celebrated the ultimate win.
"Of course I was upset and it sucks, but it's going to happen to a lot of people this year," Daniels said.
He said he had no idea what to expect when he headed in for his MRI on Saturday night, having no experience with knee injuries or any point of reference. He learned the news pretty immediately after that MRI and coach Clay Helton announced it publicly Sunday.
"I had no idea. I have no idea what an ACL feels like. You never think it's going to happen to you, and when it does -- especially in the first half of the first game -- it's tough, but it's just something that I don't have any control over. It's how I react now," he said.
USC's quarterback picture gets really interesting for the future now. Daniels will of course redshirt this season, retaining three years of eligibility. That puts him on the same timeline now with true freshman Kedon Slovis, who finished out that game Saturday and takes over as the starter now.
And 4-star 2020 QB prospect Bryce Young, Daniels' successor at Mater Dei High School, is now just a year behind both if he chooses to follow through on his commitment to the Trojans.
Daniels said he was focused only on his recovery after he has his surgery -- nothing else. He thinks the only game he's missed in his football career was the Arizona State game last year as he sat out with a concussion, so this will be a new challenge and test for him.
"Rehab. That's all I can do right now is get back to health. I'm really not too worried about my own future right now," he said.
Meanwhile, Helton commented again Tuesday on how his team dealt with the loss of its starting quarterback less than halfway into the opening game.
"I feel bad for JT and our team feels bad. He put so much into this season in the offseason with his body and with his leadership, and you saw what he was doing in that game. He was being special like he is," Helton said of Daniels, who was 25-of-34 passing for 215 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and that final fumble in the first half.
"For us as a team, when we got done with the game, I saw a team that really fought through adversity, which really made me happy. As bad as the situation was, our team fought through adversity and they found a way to win a game. It's 17-13 at halftime and you're going in there with a freshman quarterback for the next 30 plays and you come out and win a game, that's great. ... That's what good teams do is they find a way to win together."