Sam Darnold Highlights: 10 Ridiculous Plays as a USC Freshman

8. The Backwards Scramble vs. Oregon

Darnold is more often compared to Ben Rothlesberger, but there was a touch of Johnny Manziel in the way he lobbed the ball for a long completion in the third quarter of USC’s win over Oregon at the Coliseum.

The game was already decided by the time Darnold lined up for a second-and-10 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, but the play is just another example of how the Trojan quarterback has a knack for making something out of nothing.

USC’s offensive line held up for several seconds, but Darnold was well on his way to a coverage sack or throw away when he started to shift to the right of the pocket and ran into pressure. So he flipped around and bailed, rolling backwards to get away from Oregon’s Gary Baker.

Free on the left, Darnold squared his shoulders and tossed a speculative –if not dangerous– effort downfield to tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe. Duck linebacker Jonah Moi was able to bat the ball out of Imatorbhebhe’s hands but it bounced back up within reach and the tight end plucked it out of the air for the 37-yard completion.

Bonus points for one of Darnold’s favorite targets making the juggling catch, all of which set up a Taylor McNamara touchdown to give USC a 38-13 advantage.