Highlights from our recent interviews with quarterbacks coach Tyson Helton and running backs coach Deland McCullough...
TYSON HELTON
--on how he would grade Sam Darnold vs. Stanford
“I thought he did a really good job. He was Sam. There were three or four plays that we needed to correct but for the most part, he played with a lot of energy, a lot of passion. He made a lot of really, really good plays where when things broke down, he was able to create plays with his feet, make things happen. So we won because he was very consistent and he made explosive plays.”
--on if it was the best offensive performance since he’s been at USC
“As a team, yes, I would say as a team, without question.”
--on how the QB play compared to other top games
“The quarterback play in the Rose Bowl was tremendous. Washington was tremendous. And (Stanford) was tremendous. I hate to downplay it. But when you asked the question I was thinking like, offensive yardage, how we passed, how many touchdowns, all those things. Total team, as far as my association with the team which has been very short, that yeah, that (Stanford) was a total team deal.”
--on if Darnold moving in the pocket more in Game 2 was planned
“We move him some, I would say about 50-percent was us moving him and 50-percent was him moving.”
--on Darnold not excessively favoring his No. 1 receiver
“Sam does a great job of spreading the ball around. But when it’s crunch time, he likes to look to Tay. I understand. But just in general with all the other players, he tries to spread it around. That’s an important thing, it keeps those guys involved. And that’s a part of the offense. We want to get everybody the ball. And when we do that, we have a lot of success.”
--on when he thinks the young receivers will emerge
“The more they play, the more they play. They’re doing a good job and they’re playing hard and Tee’s doing a good job of bringing them along. But they’re green and they just need to play and the more confidence they have, the better they’ll be. And they’re getting better every single day, they’re getting more and more adjusted to the speed of the game. Tee’s doing a great job of making sure the right guys are in there at the right time. So we just have to keep bringing them along and make sure they’re playing so that they get the experience.”
--on if he expects teams to load up against the run more
“That’s our job as coaches, to have that great balance. If when they load they the box, we have to be able to throw it and if we start throwing it, to have success, we have to be able to run it. If you loo at the second half against Stanford, they came out in the second half and we had success early throwing and they said, we’re going to play softer in coverage and takeaway the throw, expecting us to maybe take some shots early, we just kept handing that sucker off. Then they started loading the box and we started throwing it. So just having that balance of taking what they give us.”
--on whether the tight ends and backs will become bigger weapons in the passing game
“I think Stephen Carr is obviously doing a great job and he has really good ball skills so that helps us some with the running backs and in the passing game. I think RoJo’s ball skills have gotten better so he can be very, very proficient in that area. When I was coaching at other places where the back was an important part of getting the ball out there, throwing it to the back. The tight ends being vertical passing threats, that’s extremely important. And the tight end has been good for us.”
--on if TE Cary Angeline will make a move at some point
“Yes, no question. Again, he’s like the rest of the guys. He’s out there trying to figure it all out. But he’s doing a great job. We just have to remember the kid is out there for the first time and the more he plays, the more confidence he’ll have. But all those young kids are doing a good job. What happens to you as a fan is you want him to go out there and just be a superstar and that’s few and far between. Not a lot of guys happen. The rest of the world, the rest of us normal players, it takes time.”
--on how involved Tyson is with the play calls
“What happens is Tee (Martin) will call it and I’m always ready to go. When Tee needs me, he kind of points to me or him and I will set together and it’s you got it and I’ll call. I’m sitting there, I think Tee does a great job of calling the game and I’m always a play or two ahead so when he says, I need it, boom, I’m ready to go. So that’s kind of what we do. We talk up in the box and I give suggestions but he does such a great job of managing the game, especially managing the players, knowing who needs to be in there at what time. That’s a hard job as a coordinator, not only thinking about plays but personnel and I’m just thinking about plays. It gives me an advantage to know that hey when we hit the left hash at the 25, this play is coming out, when we cross the 50, this play is coming out. It’s a good tandem, we’re enjoying it and having a lot of success with it.”
--on Tyson's role on third down
“I handle a lot of the third down stuff and just when he needs me in general but I can’t say enough about how Tee ranges the game and handles the game. He’s really, really special at that for sure.”
Continued below...
TYSON HELTON
--on how he would grade Sam Darnold vs. Stanford
“I thought he did a really good job. He was Sam. There were three or four plays that we needed to correct but for the most part, he played with a lot of energy, a lot of passion. He made a lot of really, really good plays where when things broke down, he was able to create plays with his feet, make things happen. So we won because he was very consistent and he made explosive plays.”
--on if it was the best offensive performance since he’s been at USC
“As a team, yes, I would say as a team, without question.”
--on how the QB play compared to other top games
“The quarterback play in the Rose Bowl was tremendous. Washington was tremendous. And (Stanford) was tremendous. I hate to downplay it. But when you asked the question I was thinking like, offensive yardage, how we passed, how many touchdowns, all those things. Total team, as far as my association with the team which has been very short, that yeah, that (Stanford) was a total team deal.”
--on if Darnold moving in the pocket more in Game 2 was planned
“We move him some, I would say about 50-percent was us moving him and 50-percent was him moving.”
--on Darnold not excessively favoring his No. 1 receiver
“Sam does a great job of spreading the ball around. But when it’s crunch time, he likes to look to Tay. I understand. But just in general with all the other players, he tries to spread it around. That’s an important thing, it keeps those guys involved. And that’s a part of the offense. We want to get everybody the ball. And when we do that, we have a lot of success.”
--on when he thinks the young receivers will emerge
“The more they play, the more they play. They’re doing a good job and they’re playing hard and Tee’s doing a good job of bringing them along. But they’re green and they just need to play and the more confidence they have, the better they’ll be. And they’re getting better every single day, they’re getting more and more adjusted to the speed of the game. Tee’s doing a great job of making sure the right guys are in there at the right time. So we just have to keep bringing them along and make sure they’re playing so that they get the experience.”
--on if he expects teams to load up against the run more
“That’s our job as coaches, to have that great balance. If when they load they the box, we have to be able to throw it and if we start throwing it, to have success, we have to be able to run it. If you loo at the second half against Stanford, they came out in the second half and we had success early throwing and they said, we’re going to play softer in coverage and takeaway the throw, expecting us to maybe take some shots early, we just kept handing that sucker off. Then they started loading the box and we started throwing it. So just having that balance of taking what they give us.”
--on whether the tight ends and backs will become bigger weapons in the passing game
“I think Stephen Carr is obviously doing a great job and he has really good ball skills so that helps us some with the running backs and in the passing game. I think RoJo’s ball skills have gotten better so he can be very, very proficient in that area. When I was coaching at other places where the back was an important part of getting the ball out there, throwing it to the back. The tight ends being vertical passing threats, that’s extremely important. And the tight end has been good for us.”
--on if TE Cary Angeline will make a move at some point
“Yes, no question. Again, he’s like the rest of the guys. He’s out there trying to figure it all out. But he’s doing a great job. We just have to remember the kid is out there for the first time and the more he plays, the more confidence he’ll have. But all those young kids are doing a good job. What happens to you as a fan is you want him to go out there and just be a superstar and that’s few and far between. Not a lot of guys happen. The rest of the world, the rest of us normal players, it takes time.”
--on how involved Tyson is with the play calls
“What happens is Tee (Martin) will call it and I’m always ready to go. When Tee needs me, he kind of points to me or him and I will set together and it’s you got it and I’ll call. I’m sitting there, I think Tee does a great job of calling the game and I’m always a play or two ahead so when he says, I need it, boom, I’m ready to go. So that’s kind of what we do. We talk up in the box and I give suggestions but he does such a great job of managing the game, especially managing the players, knowing who needs to be in there at what time. That’s a hard job as a coordinator, not only thinking about plays but personnel and I’m just thinking about plays. It gives me an advantage to know that hey when we hit the left hash at the 25, this play is coming out, when we cross the 50, this play is coming out. It’s a good tandem, we’re enjoying it and having a lot of success with it.”
--on Tyson's role on third down
“I handle a lot of the third down stuff and just when he needs me in general but I can’t say enough about how Tee ranges the game and handles the game. He’s really, really special at that for sure.”
Continued below...
