The University of Southern California secured a win on Saturday night, but at a high price. USC saw quarterback JT Daniels go down with a major knee injury, and now he is out for the entire season. College football insiders have been speculating on the future of USC head coach Clay Helton, but after winning 31-23 over Fresno State, those speculations can be curbed for another week. While it was a good night for the Trojans, it was not great for sophomore quarterback JT Daniels, after he went down late in the first half.
According to Sports Illustrated, Daniels underwent an MRI which showed that he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee.
Initial x-rays came back negative, giving the team hope that Daniels suffered only a knee sprain and would have to miss several weeks at the most, but that is not what happened.
USC changes the game with Air Raid offense
Once USC's Kliff Kingsbury bailed to take on the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals, Helton turned to Graham Harrell to become the new offensive coordinator. He has worked to install an Air Raid offense this season. Daniels was looking strong, ending the game 25-for-34 for 215 yards, recording a touchdown and an interception.
Freshman Kedon Slovis entered the game for Daniels and finished 6-for-8 for 57 yards. After Jack Sears decided to transfer, the only other quarterback left is redshirt junior Matt Fink.
It appears that Helton would welcome the return of Sears if it came to that. USC is facing a serious quarterback question as they are gearing up to play their next five games against Stanford, BYU, Utah, Washington, and Notre Dame. This will be a tough schedule for a school without an established quarterback.
Helton still remains on the hot seat
Helton's job security rests on the shoulders of Slovis, Fink, and possibly Sears. Helton said that the team has all the confidence in the world in Slovis' ability, and is looking forward to watching him play Saturday. Slovis will be starting against Stanford in the Pac-12 opener. Slovis beat out junior Matt Fink and sophmore Jack Sears for the job.
Helton is under a lot of pressure to produce for the Trojans, but now faces a major complication with Daniels' injury. Helton and Harell are spending the next few days working with Slovis ahead of their Pac-12 opener.
Despite being the nation's top quarterback recruit, Daniels struggled during his freshman year. Harrell believed Daniels would thrive in the revamped Air Raid offense. Daniels appeared to be doing well before his injury against the Bulldogs, completing 25 of 34 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a goal-line interception. Unfortunately, Daniel's will not get to play another game this season.