This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

USC found its quarterback Friday night, at the expense of Utah's defense.

In his first career start, redshirt freshman Sam Darnold threw for 253 yards and ran for a touchdown, although the Utes rallied in the final minute for a 31-27 victory against the Trojans at chilly Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was the first to offer Darnold a scholarship, so the Utes knew of his ability. But their defense struggled to stop him. USC finished with 466 yards of total of offense, 143 more than Utah's opponents averaged in the first three games.

The Utes' comeback, however, overshadowed the way Darnold and the Trojans able to move the football.

"Not our best performance," Whittingham said.

Said Ute safety Chase Hansen, "The quarterback was really good. He's a gunslinger and wanted to throw it."

USC coach Clay Helton announced Darnold would start after last week's 27-10 loss at Stanford. A product of San Clemente (Calif.) High School, which former Ute Travis Wilson also attended, he replaced junior Max Browne.

"It surprised me for sure," Browne told the Los Angeles Times.

Against Utah, though, Helton looked like he made the right decision. Darnold was extremely effective — surprisingly so, considering the Utes' stinginess in their first three games.

In wins over Southern Utah, BYU and San Jose State, Utah allowed an average of only 12 points and 263.7 yards. The Trojans had 17 points and 267 yards by halftime, with Darnold being the catalyst.

"They gashed us," Hansen said.

Darnold fumbled the ball away in the first quarter, but he also drove the Trojans 75 yards in six plays for a touchdown that gave them a 14-10 lead with 4:42 left in the first half.

Darnold appeared to give USC all the momentum on the Trojans' first possession of the third quarter. Taking over at their own 9, they drove 91 yards for a touchdown that made it 24-10.

Along the way, Darnold ran for 8 yards, completed a 21-yard pass to Taylor McNamara and threw 35 yards to JuJu Smith-Schuster who was pushed out of bounds at the Utah 6.

After a motion penalty on second down moved the ball back to the 8-yard line, Darnold eluded the pass rush and ran for the score, although all it did was set the stage for Utah's late comeback.

luhm@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sluhm —

Game-by game statistics of Utah's defense:

Opponent First downs Rush Pass Total yrds Result

SUU 7 116 18 158 Won, 24-0

BYU 18 143 185 328 Won, 20-19

San Jose St. 18 56 249 305 Won, 34-17

USC 22 213 253 466 Won, 31-27