JuJu Smith-Schuster, a wide receiver in his junior year, was the brightest star on the USC Trojans team.
Last season, USC's quarterback, Cody Kessler, had underperformed. Despite the team's reputation for strong offensive play, they struggled to make headway, which was a major reason for their poor results. During the off-season, offensive coordinator Clay Helton was promoted to head coach after internal interviews.
Even with the quarterback's struggles, JuJu, as Smith-Schuster was nicknamed, had an outstanding season. On multiple occasions, he single-handedly turned games around, finishing with 1,400 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. He became one of the few bright spots in a down year for the Trojans.
This season, Kessler moved on to the pros, selected in the third round by the Cleveland Browns with the 90th overall pick. The Trojans introduced a new quarterback—
Sam Darnold, a redshirt freshman from last year.
In NCAA football, a "redshirt" is a special status that allows college athletes to extend their playing eligibility from four years to five. During the redshirt year, players can attend classes, participate in practices, and even sit on the sidelines during games, but they cannot compete on the field. This allows them extra time to grow stronger and better prepared for the more intense college level of competition.
Darnold was a redshirt freshman, meaning that while he had joined USC the previous year, he had not yet played in any games. Instead, he trained with the team and waited for his chance. This year, he was stepping up as the Trojans' starting quarterback.
Everyone in the USC camp, including Coach Helton, was confident that Darnold had first-round draft potential, with the possibility of even being a number one overall pick.
That confidence extended to JuJu.
Just look at last season: despite Kessler's struggles, JuJu managed to have a 1,000-yard season largely on his own abilities. Now, with a better quarterback delivering more accurate and powerful passes, JuJu was confident that he could have an even better season. Maybe even the first 2,000-yard season in NCAA or NFL history?
JuJu's self-confidence was sky-high. But what was happening? Not only were the media buzzing around some unknown running back, but even his own coach seemed overly cautious.
JuJu genuinely felt like shaking Helton: "Coach, wake up! You've got Darnold and me, two world-class stars. Show some pride!"
"We're going to win this game," JuJu declared, his eyes full of confidence as if he could swallow Samantha Ponder whole with his boldness.
Samantha wasn't convinced. "You're facing the defending champions."
JuJu laughed outright, "Without Derrick Henry, they're nothing."
Samantha blinked. "But now they have a talented rookie running back, and he might—"
JuJu cut her off, suddenly annoyed, "You mean that clown? Come on, it's obvious! It's a smokescreen. It's just a preseason game, and everyone's acting like he came out of nowhere. If it were that easy to 'burst onto the scene,' the NCAA would be full of superstars, and superstars wouldn't be worth anything!"
"Wake up, hey, wake up!"
"This is just hype. That clown is a puppet, a Pinocchio. No one cares about him. He's just the Crimson Tide's distraction. Do you seriously believe that a rookie who only started playing football this year, a complete outsider, is the team's savior? Haha, do you think this is some superhero movie?"
"And if it is, it's definitely DC, not Marvel. Hahaha."
JuJu's trash talk came nonstop, loud and brash.
Samantha remained patient. "But, Sam Darnold is also in a similar position. He's a redshirt freshman who's never played quarterback before. How is he different from Lance?"
JuJu's expression fell—talk about hitting a sore spot!
His face darkened, and the joking mood disappeared entirely. "Let me tell you, the game will prove everything. We'll expose that guy. We'll make him see what real football is. We're going to win this game."
"Not only will we win, but we're going to crush them."
"Got it? Crush them!"
Samantha, who had just hit a wall with the Crimson Tide players, now felt like she was back in control. She smiled professionally and asked, "Are you saying that you'll crush the Crimson Tide defense, which was ranked number one in the nation last year?"
USC was known for its offense, while Alabama prided itself on defense—
This was shaping up to be another classic offense-versus-defense showdown, just like in the preseason game.
JuJu's face turned bright red, looking like he might explode at any moment. Despite his arrogance, he was only 18—still just a kid. "Yes, yes, yes! We're going to win."
"We're going to win."
"We're going to win! Aaaahhh!"
And with that, JuJu stormed off, his eyes burning red with anger. He cursed under his breath the whole way, stomping toward the field as if his signature dreadlocks were on fire.
Samantha maintained her professional smile, turning to the camera, "The Trojans are determined to win."
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