LOS ANGELES_The freshman quarterback stood alone, surveying the scene from an empty set. For Kedon Slovis, there would be no trial period, no slow ramp-up. USC's offense was his now, for better or worse.
As his unexpected tenure began, he looked left, then right, as an anxious Coliseum crowd stared down at him, unsure what to expect.
But as Slovis settled in against No. 23 Stanford, that crippling uncertainty turned quickly to promising exhilaration. Those who knew the 18-year-old best never doubted his poise, and here, for all to see, was evidence of what they'd long known.
This was a first start USC could've only dreamed about from a player who was never expected to play this year. Slovis threw confidently down the field, dropping deep bombs between defensive backs and hitting receivers on back-shoulder passes along the sideline. He stood strong in the pocket, unfazed by pressure.
As USC rolled past Stanford, 45-20, it was Slovis in the driver's seat. A week after losing JT Daniels, the touted signal caller on which USC's hopes seem to hinge, the overlooked, small-school, three-star who'd sent USC his own scouting tape was the one reigniting hope in a season that seemed lost last Saturday.
He threw confidently down the field, dropping deep bombs between defensive backs and hitting receivers on back-shoulder passes along the sideline. He stood strong in the pocket, unfazed by pressure, completing 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Even as USC's defense threatened to break, Slovis never so much as bent. On his first possession, he marched the Trojans up-tempo offense down the field on a scoring drive.
But while the freshman quarterback flashed unexpected poise from the start, USC's defense began sloppy and undisciplined. Two quick scoring drives gave Stanford an early lead that felt initially like a serious uphill climb.
Then, a week after his 101-yard touchdown return, Velus Jones made matters worse. The receiver tripped and fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, handing the ball back to the Cardinal. With the ball on USC's 21-yard-line, Stanford threatened to bust the game open with a three-score lead.
A stop on that short field, though, was all the room Slovis needed to take control. The freshman quarterback proceeded to dice up a Stanford secondary that'd held Northwestern to a meager 117 yards a week ago.
That was hardly the case on Saturday night, as Slovis cocked back his right arm on the next possession and launched a 39-yard bomb into the L.A. night. The high-arcing pass eventually floated down between two Stanford defenders, landing perfectly in the outstretched arms of Amon-ra St. Brown for a touchdown. Just 18 minutes into his first-ever start, with 147 yards through the air, Slovis had already surpassed the passing total allowed by the Cardinal a week earlier.
USC still trailed, but its quarterback's confidence only seemed to grow from there, as the Trojans fought out of their early deficit. After another scoring drive, punctuated by Stephen Carr's third touchdown of the season, Slovis marched USC down the field with time ticking off before the half.
He fired a perfect, third-down pass to Tyler Vaughns along the sideline for 31 yards. He slipped out of a sack. Then, with just 31 seconds remaining in the half, he hit St. Brown again for another score.
From there, USC's defense decided to follow his lead. Stanford's offense, led by its own, less impressive backup quarterback, grinded to a halt.
A taxing, 14-play Cardinal drive to start the third quarter ended in a missed field goal. Stanford's next possession began near midfield but wouldn't advance much further, as USC's defense clamped down.
Stanford's next field goal attempt was blocked, and from there, Slovis shut the door, leading two more touchdown drives, just for good measure.
He had some help from running back Vavae Malepeai, who ran in two touchdowns on the day, to go with 42 yards.
But as the fourth quarter winded down, it was obvious who Saturday night's victory was about. With a victory in hand, the student section began chanting his name.
"We love Slovis!" they screamed. "We love Slovis!"
After a quarterback debut for the ages, they weren't the only ones.
