USC vs Colorado 2016: Who Were the Studs and Duds?

October 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is brought down and loses the ball against the Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Addison Gillam (44) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Who were the duds?

Sam Darnold’s Second Half: As good as Darnold was in the first half, his second half performance nearly buried the Trojans. The quarterback’s efficiency went off a cliff, completing just 11-of-20 attempts. His fumble led to Colorado’s first touchdown and he followed that up with an inexplicable interception.

Though he led the team down the field for the winning score, his passes were often lobbed into dangerous areas, with the likes of Darreus Rogers bailing him out on the biggest play of the final quarter.

Ball Security: Reminiscient of the Utah game, USC had four fumbles against Colorado. Except this time there was no bad weather to blame.

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The troubling part of the Trojans’ ball security troubles is that two of the most important ball handlers on the team have been the most guilty of playing loose with the ball. Justin Davis’ fumble was a major mistake, but Darnold was responsible for three, two of which the Trojans lost.

Shay Fields: Another year, another game in which Fields was a non-factor against the team he had once pledged his signature two. The revenge-game story line fell noticeably short as Fields had just four catches for 32 yards. Unlike years past, when Fields was not the main man for the Buffalo receiving corps, the absence of Colorado’s No. 1 receiver was notable this time around.

Steven Montez: In the two games since starting quarterback Sefo Liufau went down with injury, Montez was the ideal stand in. He had an average QB rating of 187 in those games, helping the Buffaloes to a tough win at Oregon and a blowout over Oregon State.

Against USC, however, Montez was proven fallible. On 40 pass attempts, the redshirt freshman completed 25 for just 197 yards. He was sacked three times and only did damage with his legs on one long run.