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ROSE BOWL GAME: USC VS PENN STATE

December 28, 2016

Sam Darnold

Pasadena, California

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. It's amazing what has happened to this team, but you in particular this year. One of the reasons why you are sitting in this chair right now is because of your play.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I've done what I can with the opportunity that was given to me. Max was a great player. He really helped me in the film room when it came to preparing. He really did his part.

But when my opportunity was given, I ran with it, and I didn't look back.

Q. When people say a large part of it is because of you and your contributions, that has to make you feel really good, considering this is SC.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, it definitely makes me feel good. But I definitely wouldn't be able to do it without the people around me, without the coaches, the players around me, none of this would be possible. My parents, my family, everyone just surrounding me, really helping me along the way, really has been the main reason for my success.

Q. A lot of people are saying SC is back in the Rose Bowl where you really belong, because you've been there more so than anyone else.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, it's really great I guess you could say to be back on the map. We want to be the team that turns it around for the whole program. I think we have the potential to do that.

But Penn State is a really great team. We're going to have to bring our A game.

Q. This week is really a wonderful week to be in, but it's hectic. Yesterday you were at Disneyland, today you're here. How do you manage that?
SAM DARNOLD: Exactly, you just take it day by day. You take every day as it comes. It's awesome to go to places like Disneyland, do all this kind of stuff. It's really great.

At the same time you have to stay levelheaded in terms of preparing for the game, just doing what you can in that regard.

We'll be ready.

Q. Sam, you've been one of the best red zone quarterbacks in the country. Why is that? What do you attribute that to?
SAM DARNOLD: I think it's really coaching. The coaches really emphasizing during practice and film, during meetings, to really just take care of the ball, especially in the red zone. If you do go three-and-out in the red zone, if you don't score a touchdown, you know you have points, you have that field goal. We have a great field goal kicker in Matt. We're confident in his ability.

The coaches really just stress believing in his abilities and not forcing balls when there's not a throw to be made.

Q. You mentioned the Penn State defense briefly. When you look at them, what stands out to you?
SAM DARNOLD: I think it's honestly their coaching, their ability to not make mistakes. You look at everyone across the board, they really do a great job of filling their gaps, being in the right places in terms of their coverages.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of blitzes they bring, what kind of coverages they play. I'm really looking forward to that.

Q. You've had a similar path to their quarterback. Do you see the similarities? How fun is it to go up against someone who had a similar path?
SAM DARNOLD: Right, I do see some similarities from what I've seen. I'm not studying him, I'm studying their defense obviously. Yeah, I do see some similarities with the way he plays and the way I play.

It's going to be a fun game to watch I know for the fans. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Q. At the beginning of the year did you figure sooner or later your time would come?
SAM DARNOLD: I mean, that's in God's hands. You can't expect anything I think in that regard. I think with the opportunities that were given to me during the Alabama game, Stanford game, Utah State, I kind of assumed my time could have come possibly during that season. It did. I kind of just took it and ran with it.

Q. You probably think it's about time you had some good luck, considering over the last few years all the highs and lows this team has gone through.
SAM DARNOLD: Right. It's awesome to be able to make a full turn like that. You see all the sanctions, what happened with our head coaches, all the changes in that regard. It's great to see this team perform the way we have. But it's also great to see our seniors to be able to have a shot at a Rose Bowl, something they haven't had a shot at.

I'm really excited for the opportunity. I'm ready to do it for the seniors.

Q. What's the best thing this club does?
SAM DARNOLD: I think the best thing that we do is just stick together and battle adversity. Throughout the season, we went 1-3. It's well-documented we didn't have the start we necessarily wanted. But I think we stuck together, and through our preparation in the summer and spring, we developed a core group of guys, special teams, defensively and offensively. We've stuck together, believed in each other. I think that's the reason for our success.

Q. There's a trust factor that's really hard to pinpoint.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, definitely. I talked about it after the Utah loss. We came together. We had a team meeting with just the players, no coaches in there. We really gained that trust I think with each other and the coaching staff.

We just ran with it after that.

Q. It really didn't take long for you to not only become the starter but assume the leadership role of this club.
SAM DARNOLD: Right. I'm not a guy that's going to maybe be vocal in front of the whole team, but I'll definitely talk to guys one-on-one. Offensively you have to be on the same page as everyone.

In that regard, yeah, I did get that leadership role. Kind of as a quarterback, I think you get that really naturally.

Q. You could hardly wait till game time?
SAM DARNOLD: Exactly. Ever since they announced us in that bowl game, I'm really excited. I just can't wait for the opportunity.

Q. Are there things you guys have done in practice to guard against (indiscernible)?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, definitely. I think Coach Helton and the staff have done a great job preparing us week by week as if every Saturday was a game day. Really not missing a beat in terms of practices, rhythm, how that goes.

Every Saturday leading up to the bowl game, we've taken off. But we've prepared as if that was a game day. We've had two weeks so far to prepare for Penn State. This is the third week. I mean, we're doing a great job so far. I'm really looking forward to this week and game day obviously.

Q. Do you feel like you know Penn State about as well as you can know them?
SAM DARNOLD: I think there's always little things you can pick up on when you're watching film, whether it's body language, the way guys come, the way they show pressures. So there's definitely little things you can still pick up on.

But, yeah, I think we've done a great job. Coach Tyson has done a great job with the quarterbacks in terms of showing us how their pressures come, kind of getting different cutups of what type of blitzes they bring. He's doing a great job in that regard and I think we're ready for that opportunity.

Q. Are there things you've done with Jalen to ease him along?
SAM DARNOLD: I don't have to do anything personally. You talk to him about some reads, but Coach Tyson does a great job talking to him on the field and in the film room. In that regard, Coach Tyson does a great job, so I don't really have to do that much.

Q. Has he been with you in all the quarterback meetings, or is he being with wide receivers?
SAM DARNOLD: He'll pop in a little bit, but he's doing mostly wide receiver stuff. He's a great asset out there in the slot, sometimes out wide. We really take advantage of JG's skill set as a receiver. If the opportunity comes up, we'll definitely take advantage of him as a quarterback.

Q. What is your first memory of the Rose Bowl?
SAM DARNOLD: First memory I guess, sadly enough, that Texas game, Vince Young running it in. I guess my best memory would be Mark Sanchez and those guys taking care of Penn State in the either '08 or '09 Rose Bowl. I guess the best memory would be Sanchez and those guys taking care of that game. It's something special, something I'll never forget.

Q. Have you ever been to a Rose Bowl physically?
SAM DARNOLD: I haven't gotten that opportunity.

Q. What is it like for a young man to grow up in this community and play in the game that everybody points to?
SAM DARNOLD: It's something special, something that I've dreamed of. I'm just really anxious to get out there and play the game itself. With that being said, we're really focused on our task at hand. But we're not blind to the fact that the Rose Bowl brings a lot of festivities and a lot of great things that we can experience as a team and bond even more with.

We went to Disneyland as a team. We had a great time there. We went on some rides and stuff. It's just a really great opportunity to bond as a team but also get another win for the whole Trojan family. We're really just looking forward to it.

Q. Do you visualize walking out of the tunnel? You played in this stadium once already.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I visualize it. The stadium won't change, but the atmosphere definitely will, I think. I think it's going to be a crazy atmosphere. I think I've prepared myself my whole life for this. So I'm just really excited for that.

Q. 'Own the Rose Bowl', what does that mean for you?
SAM DARNOLD: Win the game. I think it means do what we do, what we've done these past few weeks, rallying off all these wins. We just got to do the same thing, prepare the same way that we have been. I think we'll be fine.

Q. Favorite ride at Disneyland?
SAM DARNOLD: I mean, personally, Space Mountain is really good. I think my favorite ride in general is Pirates of the Caribbean. It's awesome when you go in there, dark and foggy. I honestly feel like I'm in the movie. It's a really great ride. I had fun on that.

Q. When you look at the schedule of events, what were you most excited about?
SAM DARNOLD: I mean, Disneyland jumps out to you. Yeah, I think Disneyland for me would be the most fun. I'm really looking forward to the comedy, the improv thing we've got tonight.

With that being said, I think Disneyland. You've got to love Disneyland. I was really looking forward to that. It didn't disappoint.

Q. What about the Beef Bowl? Are you going to go for it and eat as much as you can?
SAM DARNOLD: I'm going to eat as much as I can, but I can't compete with the linemen we have. Zach, shoot, I don't know how much he's going to eat. Zach, Chad Wheeler, all those guys. Interesting to see how much they can eat.

I'll definitely eat as much as I can, but I don't think I can compete with them.

Q. Zach told me he has to watch his weight. Some guys being careful before the game.
SAM DARNOLD: They'll definitely be a little bit careful in terms of that. But, yeah, it will be interesting. If you put a steak in front of him, I don't see him not eating it. It will be interesting to see.

Yeah, he's definitely got to watch his weight. He'll be fine.

Q. When you heard the words 'Rose Bowl', what were the first things that went through your mind?
SAM DARNOLD: Excitement. I was anxious to play in the game. I'm really excited, the whole team is excited. We're not blind to the fact that we have to prepare our butts off. Penn State is a really good team. We have to prepare and I think we'll be fine.

Q. What is the one thing that Coach Helton has told you about preparing for the bright lights?
SAM DARNOLD: I think before the Alabama game, we learned a valuable lesson on how to prepare. I think that's kind of been the story now, is just to prepare for the bright lights. But we've also played in it before this season with UCLA.

We'll definitely be ready. Our whole team is going to prepare the way we have been all season. I think we'll be ready.

Q. Do you have expectations of what that's going to look like in the Rose Bowl, what walking through the tunnel is going to be like?
SAM DARNOLD: We've done it before with UCLA this year. I'm definitely expecting it to be a little bit more exciting in that regard.

But it's the same field. It's a hundred yards. In that regard, I'm just going to go out there and play the game I've been playing for a long time, see what we can do.

Q. You seem calm, cool and collected. Is that how you would describe how you handle your emotions?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, definitely. I think I'm definitely calm. When I get out there, I'm excited. I try not to show it that much because I want my team to be calm and cool and all that kind of stuff. If you make a mistake, you can't get too bummed. If you score a touchdown, you can't get too excited.

I just try to stay even-keeled. I think it works to our advantage.

Q. You have been looking at film the past couple weeks. What has stuck out to you about Penn State so far?
SAM DARNOLD: I don't think they make a lot of mistakes honestly. They're really well-coached. Obviously they're great athletes. They won the Big Ten for a reason. They just don't make a lot of mistakes on defense.

We're going to try to take advantage of every little mistake that they make. It will be difficult. It's a difficult task. We're definitely preparing our butts off to take advantage of any little mistake that they make, any little hole in their defense.

It will be interesting, what kind of pressures they bring, what kind of coverages they play behind it, all that kind of stuff. But, yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Q. Sam, your thoughts when you hear 'Rose Bowl' for this team?
SAM DARNOLD: Excitement. I think that's the first word that comes to mind. I was definitely excited when we were announced to play in this game, and really anxious to just get out there and play it.

Q. When you watch the Penn State pass defense on film, what do you see from them?
SAM DARNOLD: I mean, they're a great pass defense, but they also bring a lot of pressures. Third-and-long, third-and-medium, they're going to bring a lot of pressures. We're expecting that. I'm just really looking forward to the opportunity.

I know our O-line has been preparing to face that type of pressure. It will be interesting to see what they do and see how we react. But I think we're up to the challenge. We'll be ready.

Q. Did you run the scout team last year?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I did.

Q. Could you tell during that season that people were getting impressed about what you were doing?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I mean, there were some articles about how I played and all that kind of stuff. Nothing too crazy.

Q. You used to slice up the first team's defense.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I don't know if I would slice them up necessarily, but I thought I did my part. I think I prepared the defense well enough to go out there and win some games.

Yeah, I mean, I definitely did my part there. But every day I just tried my best. I guess I sliced them up sometimes.

Q. You talked about this before, but after the Utah game, not so much as a team coming together, but you personally, did you feel like it was good for you, or did it create any doubts?
SAM DARNOLD: You mean after the game or before?

Q. After the game. The game got away from you guys. I wonder what your feeling was about how you were going to be able to handle it.
SAM DARNOLD: First of all, I was bummed out about the loss. If we don't turn the ball over like we did, I think it's a different story. You can say that about a lot of games.

But, yeah, I think knowing if we would have just cleaned up a little bit, cleaned up on the turnovers, on some of the mistakes we made, we were able to score a lot of points. I think that really gave us confidence to be able to go out there and do what we do now.

Q. When did you get to the point where you thought this team could go on a long winning streak?
SAM DARNOLD: Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about that. I was thinking about the next game personally. You know every single game in the PAC-12 is a tough one. You don't have a week off.

I look forward to every single week. Every game we play I know is going to have another challenge, have its own little challenge. I think it's really fun. I look forward to every single game that we play.

Q. Have you talked to any old USC quarterbacks about what it's like to play in a Rose Bowl at all?
SAM DARNOLD: No, honestly, I haven't. Not in particular the Rose Bowl, but I have talked to some USC quarterbacks about just being able to stay even-keeled, I guess manage adversity, what that comes with.

Q. You mentioned third downs earlier. How big a factor is Darreus Rogers on third down? Do you think he gives you a different outlook that maybe someone else doesn't have?
SAM DARNOLD: It's interesting, a lot of our guys bring different skill sets. I think they all have the ability to get up. That's the biggest thing. They can all get up and they can all catch the ball well, be able to get that first down when you need it.

I really have a lot of trust in any player that's out there on the field during a third down to get that first down. Darreus is one of those guys. He's a special talent. Big body receiver, more of a possession guy. Anytime he's in the vicinity of the ball, he's going to get it. I have that faith in him, and I know he has that faith in me to be able to throw it to him.

Q. Does Penn State give you any pressures on film that you've seen earlier this year?
SAM DARNOLD: They bring a lot of pressures. I don't want to say too much about that, but they bring a lot of pressures. It will just be interesting to see how they play behind it, what type of defenses they play behind it, how many guys they exactly bring on those pressures.

Q. Penn State's offense is good, too. Is this going to be a shootout, a high-scoring game?
SAM DARNOLD: I think every single game you want to score a lot of points. I mean, sure, you want to take advantage of every single time you have the ball is the best way to say it, which is every single game for us. But, yeah, you definitely don't want to give them extra possessions, you don't want to turn the ball over. When you do that, you get into trouble.

With that being said, I think the key is just not to turn the ball over, not give them extra possessions, just like any other game that we play.

Q. Do you ever think back to when you came in, the Stanford game?
SAM DARNOLD: Late in the game.

Q. You drove down the field. I look at that conversion you had.
SAM DARNOLD: Double move. I remember it.

Q. Do you ever think that was maybe a turning point for you?
SAM DARNOLD: No, honestly not at all. It was a great route. It was man-to-man. I kind of fit it in that window. Great catch.

But, yeah, it was really good timing on my part, one of my better throws of the season, honestly, in my opinion. It might have been a turning point, but I'm not sure.

Q. You might not have become the starter the next day.
SAM DARNOLD: That's definitely fair. But, I mean, shoot, I'm not into should have, would have, could have. But if that would have happened, things might have been different. But it didn't.

I'm glad I converted that third down. It was definitely a huge play.

Q. Seems like from day one you approached it like, I'm going to make my own luck, not be concerned with the politics.
SAM DARNOLD: Exactly. That's definitely my mindset the whole time. Just play my style of ball, be able to go out there every day and practice. Game days, just take every rep as though it's my last. You never know what's going to happen. I just have my faith that way. I really like to keep my faith that way.

Q. (Question about being the backup.)
SAM DARNOLD: It was hard at first. I wanted to be the guy. Everyone does when you play this position. You want to be the guy leading your guys out there, doing all that. Yeah, you definitely want to be the guy.

When I was named backup, I was going to do my best to make guys around me better, push Max as far as he can go. I was just going to push the guys around me to run cleaner routes, protect well, do all that kind of stuff a quarterback does.

I wasn't blind to the fact that I was the backup, but I was going to do everything I can to push the guys around me to be better.

Q. (Question about being named starting quarterback over Max.)
SAM DARNOLD: I have faith in Coach Helton's decisions. Whatever he decides is the way the team goes. Anything he says I truly believe. Yeah, there was no doubt in my mind.

Q. You've seen a couple people around you transfer. I get the vibe that you were just going to be here.
SAM DARNOLD: Max's situation is a little bit different just because he's a graduate senior. He can go anywhere he wants. I took advantage of my opportunity, did all that. I mean, his situation is a little bit different.

If I was in his shoes, I would have transferred as well, to be quite frank with you. Yeah, that's a little bit different.

Q. I wonder if there's been any time where you've had to check your ego, make sure you're not getting too big-headed about what's coming?
SAM DARNOLD: Shoot, the way I was raised, I've never been a guy to get big-headed at all. Yeah, I think I've done a great job with that. I think my parents did a great job with me in that regard.

Q. When you got put into the spotlight, you said you always wanted to be the guy. What did you have to do to adjust to that?
SAM DARNOLD: I mean, it's not all glitz and glamour. People are going to say mean things to you when you're walking on the street, whether it's a UCLA fan, Notre Dame fan, all the rivalries. There's people that want to get something out of you, guys that are filming you, all that kind of stuff.

You just got to stay cool. You just got to do your job on and off the field, I guess.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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