Sam Darnold is truly USC’s freshman sensation

The latest Rose Bowl game wasn’t going to stand in the way of Sam Darnold and the record books.

Sam Darnold is a 19 year old freshman — let that sink in.

When USC started 1-3 and was struggling on offense, Clay Helton put his faith in a 19 year old freshman.

When I was 19, I could barely handle a college sophomore’s class load, let alone one of college football’s premier programs.

All Darnold did with this opportunity was put the team on his back and ride an eight-game winning streak.

With poise beyond his years, Darnold confounded the expectations of his age by winning big games and sweeping rivals UCLA and Notre Dame by a combined score 81-38.

So it should have come as not surprise when Darnold again answered the call by engineering a comeback of epic proportions in the Rose Bowl.

Down 49-35 with two minutes left in the third quarter, Darnold brought the Trojans all the way back in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Lions 17-0 and pull off the 52-49 win.

No drive epitomized what Darnold has meant to the team than the game tying drive.

Darnold went 3-3 throwing for 50 yards on the drive, including the game tying touchdown on a 27 yard dart to Deontay Burnett.

He did this all in 38 seconds with no timeouts.

Darnold set a Rose Bowl record by providing 474 total offense and a record 5 touchdown throws and was selected the Offensive MVP.

Going into next year, Darnold will have a new offensive line.

Next: USC Stuns Penn State In Rose Bowl

But if he can continue improve on an already great season, Trojans fans may see more added to his legacy.