Sam Darnold’s debut ranks among the best in recent USC history

In the third quarter against Utah on Friday, on consecutive plays, Sam Darnold demonstrated why USC coaches couldn’t resist making him the starting quarterback despite being a freshman.

First, he threw a pass just above the linebackers and below the safeties, on a seam to tight end Taylor McNamara for 21 yards. He then hung a raindrop to JuJu Smith-Schuster along the sideline, hitting him in stride where only he could catch it, for 35 yards.

“You know how talented he is, but that’s practice,” offensive coordinator Tee Martin said after the game. “How’s he going to really play in a full game where for the first time he gets to the see the coverages for the first time, he gets to see the blitzes?”

USC coaches received an answer against Utah. For Coach Clay Helton, the breakout moment was the pass to McNamara. Darnold released the ball when McNamara was still even with the first defender in the Utes’ zone.

“That really wowed me,” Helton said Saturday. “That’s a ball we haven’t thrown many times.”

In a season when almost nothing has gone right, Darnold’s debut was an exception. His performance ranked among the best for a first-time USC starter in recent memory.

Six quarterbacks have been USC’s regular starter since 1998: Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley and Cody Kessler.

None was as accurate in his debut as a starter as Darnold’s 18-of-26 performance. Only Palmer and Booty passed for more than Darnold’s 253 yards. No one matched his 44 yards rushing. (Darnold was also the only quarterback without a passing touchdown, but did rush for one.)

“For the most part, I think I made really good decisions,” Darnold said.

Darnold’s stats line was helped because a few mistakes he made did not result in damage. In the second quarter, he lingered too long in the pocket and nearly fumbled after being hit from behind. The officials ruled his arm was moving forward.

Right before halftime, he lobbed a pass toward Deontay Burnett that was badly under thrown. He avoided an interception only because Utah’s Dominique Hatfield dropped the ball.

Throughout the game, he squeezed passes into tight windows.

“It wasn’t right all the time,” Helton said, “It wasn’t perfect. But I thought he really made full-speed decisions and was decisive.”

USC will live with decisiveness if it means a more dynamic offense. Helton decided to bench Max Browne after three games and go with Darnold because the coach said the offense needed a spark.

Martin said Darnold’s legs provided it. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and used his legs to pick up first downs and avoid rushers. It made USC harder to defend, Martin said.

“As a play-caller, I just feel like you’re calling the offense with a guy that can pretty much do everything,” Martin said.

Hatfield’s revenge

Hatfield waited nearly a year to redeem himself, after earning his way onto highlight films for being called out and then stiff-armed to the ground by Smith-Schuster in USC’s victory last season.

Hatfield said Monday that “I’m laughing at the end, I guess you could say.”

He added that the pair joked about the play after this season’s game.

Quick hit

USC’s game Oct. 8 against Colorado at the Coliseum has been scheduled for 1 p.m.

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Twitter: @zhelfand