Jaxson Dart ready to lead USC in his first start

LOS ANGELES — Practice had been implicit for astir 20 minutes, but Jaxson Dart had yet to permission the field. His enarthrosis pads and helmet were successful a heap arsenic helium continued to propulsion routes with his roommate, Michael Jackson III.

When the other enactment was done, Dart collected his things and went implicit to code the media for the archetypal clip arsenic USC’s starting quarterback.

Dart volition commencement connected Saturday against UCLA, the archetypal Trojans backmost to marque his archetypal vocation commencement against the Bruins since Scott Tinsley successful 1980.

“I wouldn’t truly expect my archetypal commencement to beryllium successful a rivalry crippled similar this, with each the emotions and conscionable the past of it all,” Dart said Tuesday. “So I’m conscionable ace excited for the accidental and I’m acceptable to spell onslaught it.”

The existent freshman volition get the occupation to himself this week aft splitting duties the erstwhile 2 games with three-year starter Kedon Slovis. Slovis injured his little limb successful the nonaccomplishment to Arizona State, and adjacent with a week disconnected owed to the Cal postponement, Slovis was not capable to instrumentality to signifier connected Tuesday.

With his outlook cloudy – interim caput manager Donte Williams didn’t regularisation retired the anticipation of Slovis missing the remainder of the play – the determination was made connected Sunday to sanction Dart the starter this week.

“I fto him know, and close distant helium knew helium had to measurement his crippled up arsenic acold arsenic being a leader,” Williams said. “That’s what he’s done.”

For their part, Dart’s older teammates person been impressed with the freshman’s vigor and assurance since helium arrived connected field backmost successful January. Receiver Gary Bryant Jr. says Dart is perpetually encouraging players, adjacent aft mistakes, and adjacent connected the antiaircraft broadside of the ball.

Running backmost Keaontay Ingram adjacent went truthful acold Tuesday arsenic to foretell that Dart volition triumph the Heisman Trophy 1 day.

“Everybody loves him. He’s conscionable an outgoing guy. You don’t get that excessively much,” Ingram said. “He’s been similar that since helium stepped connected campus. Everyone tin consciousness it too. When you’re the look of the organization, radical provender disconnected of that.”

Dart was mostly constricted successful his past 2 appearances. Following meniscus country successful September, USC called up a dependable fare of surface passes alternatively than downfield shots, and helium wasn’t called upon to usage his dual-threat speed.

In the 2 games, Dart went 20-of-35 for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.

But Dart said that aft the unexpected bye week and the other repetitions successful signifier without splitting clip with Slovis, helium feels arsenic steadfast and arsenic in-tune with the discourtesy arsenic he’s been since the injury.

“He’s evidently younger and has a small spot little experience, but he’s still, I deliberation helium knows the discourtesy and particularly this week the crippled program I deliberation helium knows truly well,” violative coordinator Graham Harrell said. “So I expect him to execute astatine a precocious level.”

That’s what Dart did successful his archetypal extended appearance, erstwhile helium took implicit against Washington State erstwhile Slovis injured his neck. After shaking disconnected aboriginal turnovers, Dart’s 391-yard, four-touchdown show led the Trojans connected a 45-point tally to triumph the game.

USC fans were intelligibly enamored with Dart aft that game. When the freshman made his Coliseum debut 3 weeks agone against Arizona, fans roared erstwhile his sanction was announced and arsenic helium led the Trojans connected a scoring drive.

But contempt the precocious barroom helium created, Dart doesn’t presumption that attraction arsenic pressure.

“I’ve ever benignant of felt similar I’ve enactment the astir unit connected myself,” Dart said. “I clasp myself to a precocious modular and I privation to execute to the highest of my abilities. So my anticipation is to person a large game.”