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LOS ANGELES — USC’s week started with head coach Clay Helton’s firing and ended with a resounding 45-14 victory at Washington State in Pullman, Wash. Here are some final thoughts on the Trojans’ triumph and the emerging quarterback situation.

1. Jaxson Dart deservedly grabbed the headlines on Saturday. That’s what happens when you throw for 391 yards and four touchdown passes in your USC debut. But don’t overlook the other side of the ball.

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The Trojans fell behind 14-0 on Saturday, and it could or should have been much worse if not for their defense coming through in multiple critical situations.

The goal-line stand in the second quarter to stave off a 21-0 deficit was big, especially considering the defense had no real answers for Washington State’s offense to that point. Drake Jackson came through with a stop on first-and-goal from the 1. USC benefited from a Washington State drop in the end zone on second down. Kana’i Mauga came up with a tackle for loss on third, and then Tuli Tuipulotu stuffed Jayden de Laura on fourth down to win the ball back. It was a good example of USC taking advantage of some good fortune and making plays when it absolutely needed them.

Another big moment came later in the half when Washington State recovered a Dart fumble and started at the Trojans’ 36-yard line with another opportunity to take a 21-point lead. The defense didn’t budge and forced a punt. That set up USC’s first scoring drive, capped off by the 39-yard touchdown pass from Dart to Gary Bryant Jr., which completely changed the complexion of the game.

In the third quarter, the Trojans got Drake Jackson’s strip-sack, Tuli Tuipulotu’s fumble recovery in the end zone and defensive back Calen Bullock’s impressive interception of Jayden de Laura. Those plays allowed USC to blow the game open.

The defense didn’t surrender a first down in the second half until the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter. That gave Dart crucial time to find his groove and iron out some early mistakes.

2. Of course, everyone wants to know about the quarterback situation, so let’s get into it. USC interim coach Donte Williams met with the media over Zoom on Sunday night and reiterated that he thinks Kedon Slovis will be ready for practice this week.

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“Yes, I expect him to be able to practice tomorrow and continue to get better,” Williams said. “Did some X-Rays and an MRI and everything came back negative so I expect him to be out there as soon as possible and join the quarterback battle.”

Those last two words — “quarterback battle” — will grab everyone’s focus. When asked to clarify if that means there will be a QB competition between Dart and Slovis, Williams offered this in response: “Me, personally, as being the head coach I approach everything as a battle. I think part of why people don’t succeed and develop is because they get complacent. That’s not just at quarterback, that’s at every position. I want to make sure guys are never complacent. You get too comfortable, you suddenly start to realize practice is maybe not that important to you, and you start looking forward to Saturday in the game. I want to make sure these guys look forward to practice, continue to develop and get better every day.”

Afterward, he said he’ll be observing what the two quarterbacks are doing every day. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell will, too. Together, they’ll come to a decision about who should start against Oregon State.

Williams said the emphasis will be on who is the better fit for Saturday’s game, and from the sound of it, he plans on making that decision as late as possible.

“It’s not about last week right now,” Williams said. “It’s about what we have to do moving forward.”

Williams also admitted that there were plans to play Dart on Saturday in short-yardage and red-zone situations to give the offense another wrinkle for opposing defenses to account for.

3. There are certainly fair criticisms of Harrell’s offense and his playcalling. I think one thing he deserves praise for is how prepared his backup quarterbacks typically are. Go back to Slovis in 2019. Or Matt Fink’s start against Utah that same year.

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And now Dart’s performance against Washington State. There’s a good track record over three seasons.

4. It’ll be fascinating to see how Williams handles such a delicate situation, and just a week into his interim tenure, too.

What Dart flashed on Saturday is hard to ignore. So are some of the quotes from his teammates about how he reminds them of Sam Darnold (center Brett Neilon) or how he’s already a leader (cornerback Chris Steele).

Slovis is a three-year starter who has had some tremendous moments as USC’s quarterback, and he has won games for the team in clutch moments in the past. If he lofts a throw away a bit higher on the sideline last season, he might have won a Pac-12 championship, too. It’s a difficult proposition to bench him after what he’s done the past two years.

The possibility of playing two quarterbacks wasn’t ruled out either.

“To be honest, if that’s what best that we need to win games than that’s what we’re going to do,” Williams said. “I think both of those guys are more than capable. You got a chance to see what Jaxson did yesterday, but at the same time you’ve got to see what Kedon has done for two and a half years.”

All I know is I’m glad it’s not my call. Tuesday’s practice — when the media will get the first glimpse of the competition — will be interesting, to say the least.

5. Drake London is currently second in the FBS with 29 receptions this season, and he ranks fourth with 375 receiving yards. He’s on his way to a monster season. Saturday’s career-high 13-catch, 170-yard game was the latest example.

But there was that scary moment on his 13th and final reception, a 31-yard touchdown catch, when his helmet slammed against the end zone turf and London was slow to get up. He left the game, went directly into the medical tent and exited the game for good soon after.

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It doesn’t sound like London is going to miss much time, though.

“All the symptoms came back really, really good,” Williams said. “I expect him at the moment he gets full clearance to be out there ready to go. At the same time, I think he needed a little bit of rest. His numbers are high, he’s been running in practice and different things like that. A day or two off won’t hurt him. The biggest thing is making sure he continues to get better for this game mentally, and then he’ll be right back out there the moment he gets clearance.”

Without London, USC’s receiving corps is rather unproven, so his clearance is going to be key for the Trojans’ offense.

6. After two strong games to start the season, USC’s ground game reverted to 2020 form on Saturday. Keaontay Ingram and Vavae Malepeai rushed for 25 yards on 16 carries against the Cougars. Dart led the team with 32 rushing yards.

The Trojans just never generated a consistent push along the line of scrimmage like they had in prior weeks. This is the second consecutive year USC has struggled in the run game against Washington State, which has left defenders on an island against the Trojans’ receivers in an attempt to create more havoc up front. Both times, it’s led to the Cougars stuffing the run but getting burned in the back end of the defense. Still, USC’s running game needs to be much better moving forward.

“I wasn’t very pleased that we weren’t able to run the football in that particular game,” Williams said. “Washington State, kudos, hats off to them. They did a couple things up front that made it difficult. Those guys have promised me that issue won’t happen again. When I say that, I’m talking about the players. So they’ll hold each other accountable, they’ll be ready to go and that won’t happen again. It’ll be a big change on Saturday.”

7. Accountability was a big talking point last week for USC after it committed nine penalties for 111 yards against Stanford. There were only five penalties for 35 yards this week against Washington State, though Williams said that’s five too many. In a few instances, the player who committed the penalty had to sit out the next play. It happened with Steele, and right guard Liam Jimmons sat for a play after committing a false start penalty early in the game.

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Williams said there were baby steps being taken and recognizes it’s a work in progress.

“I said no sleeves in the game, yet Jaxson had a sleeve and he fumbled,” he said, “so that is a problem. Those are the little things that will definitely be corrected.”

8. A lot was made on social media and on the TV broadcast about Dart’s eye black throughout the game. There’s just one black stripe that goes down the right side of his face.

It’s certainly a unique look.

“I like it,” Neilon said. “That’s just like he’s got that swagger. That’s a true freshman, putting on the eye black and being like, ‘Let’s go. I’m running this show. I’m ready to make some big-time throws.’ I don’t know. He just has that confidence.”

Afterward, Dart said he saw an LSU player wear his eye black that way, then decided to do it himself and has stuck with it ever since. A source close to the situation said the design is actually an ode to Anakin Skywalker’s scar.

Feel free to debate among yourselves.

(Photo of Jaxson Dart: Robert Johnson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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