LOS ANGELES -- USC coach Clay Helton really wanted it to work.

He recruited Max Browne and spent almost four years as his position coach. In his 21 years of coaching, there were few players who measured up to Browne in terms of his character and approach. Helton considered Browne a member of his family.

That’s part of what made the plane ride home after a September loss to Stanford so difficult.

Somewhere between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Helton made the determination that he needed to take a good, long look at the Trojans’ quarterback situation. One month prior, he had named Browne the starting quarterback, but after the offense scored just one touchdown while being outscored 79-16 in losses to Alabama and Stanford, he knew he had to at least consider making a change.

“This is going to become a really good football team,” he said after an uninspiring 27-10 loss to Stanford. “We’ve got some work to do. Can’t feel sorry for ourselves."

The team arrived back on campus Sunday morning, and with a short week to prepare for a Friday night game against Utah, Helton knew a decision needed to be made quickly.

It was sure to be the most difficult and important decision in his young head-coaching career.

Sam Darnold (14) pushed Max Browne deep into the summer for the starting job. Darnold overtook Browne as USC's starting QB after three games. Keith Birmingham/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

When Browne was named the starter near the end of training camp, it came as no surprise. After three-year starter Cody Kessler departed for the NFL, it was largely assumed that Browne, who served as Kessler’s primary backup the previous two seasons, would slide seamlessly into the role.

Browne arrived at USC in the spring of 2013 as the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the country and the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior at Skyline High in Sammamish, Washington. With a prototypical build at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and a big, accurate arm, he looked the part of the pro-style, pocket quarterback that has thrived at USC over the years.

It did, however, become clear early in spring practice that Browne’s main competitor for the job, redshirt freshman Sam Darnold, was a special talent. Darnold had a unique knack for making things happen. He had been with the team only since the previous training camp, but he wowed the coaching staff with how he played on the service team, and he continued to impress during the spring.

When Browne wasn’t named the starter after the spring game, it was the first concrete sign that Darnold was a serious contender for the job.

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Before training camp opened, Helton announced a plan for selecting the starter: The competition would continue until two weeks before the season opener against Alabama, at which point a decision would be made. During that span, it was more of the same. Darnold oozed potential, but there wasn’t enough separation to justify to the staff that he deserved to start over the veteran.

On Aug. 20, it became official. Browne would start against the Crimson Tide, but Helton also announced that he would find ways to use Darnold in certain situations.

“Sam came very close to starting the opener,” offensive coordinator Tee Martin said. “Both guys had really good training camps. Max played well. Sam played well. It was hard to deny the talent that Sam had, but Max was doing a good job.”

Added quarterbacks coach Tyson Helton: “You could always see that Sam was that spark, but you’re always concerned about, ‘Gosh, when the lights go on, is this guy really going to be able to do it? So it was a decision to continue to go with Max, which is probably the most logical decision you could have made.”

On Sept. 18, the day after the Stanford loss, Clay Helton entered the offensive meeting room inside the John McKay Center and told his assistant coaches that he wanted to discuss making a change at quarterback. Having rewatched USC’s first three games, he offered his pros and cons and asked for input.

“It was a very big talk,” Martin said.

They went around the room and discussed it from every angle. It was clear the offense wasn’t functioning at an acceptable level, but how much of that was on Browne? There were dropped passes, missed blocks, missed assignments and several penalties. Against Stanford, the Trojans were penalized for six false starts.

“We’re in that room going, ‘Maybe we’re not producing, but we need to just keep going?’” Tyson Helton said. “But you’re in there with a young man [Darnold] on the practice field doing the things you need.”

No one flat-out lobbied for Darnold to take the reins, but as the discussion continued, it became clear that was the direction they were headed. In the weeks since Browne was given the nod, Darnold’s play on the practice field only got better, and his brief performances in the first three games -- he completed 14 of 22 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns -- were encouraging.

But was the timing right?

Utah was a good team with a good defense, and Rice-Eccles Stadium isn’t an easy place for a visiting team to play. It wasn’t an ideal scenario for a freshman quarterback to make his first start, but then again, there’s no great time to make a midseason quarterback change.

Helton left the meeting without a final decision. He wanted to give the matter more thought. With the Trojans sitting at 1-2, Helton was under a lot of pressure. His hiring the previous November, when former athletic director Pat Haden removed his interim tag, was met with a lot of skepticism, and the Trojans’ 1-4 record since then made him an even easier target for criticism.

To those around him, though, Helton appeared unaffected. Later in the afternoon, he circled back with his coaches: Darnold would get the start.

“It had to be tough on him, knowing the type of guy Clay is,” Martin said. “The player [Browne] is not playing bad. It’s just that we want to make a change and see what the other guy can do.”

Helton informed both Darnold and Browne of his decision later that night and the rest of the team a short time later. At practice the next day, Helton didn’t make any attempt to disguise his decision. USC practices are open to the media, and it was on display for all to see: Darnold was taking the reps with the first team. At the conclusion of practice, Helton confirmed that a change had been made.

“The realism of football is that when you’re 1-2 and you’ve scored one touchdown against Alabama and Stanford,” Helton said, “I want to see a spark in our offense, and I think Sam can bring that.”

Sam Darnold reinvigorated USC's season after taking over the starting job against Utah. Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire

It took only a few series against Utah for Darnold to show that he could bring that spark the coaching staff was looking for.

USC lost 31-27 when Utah scored a game-winning touchdown in the final minute, but Darnold’s performance justified the change. The Trojans moved the ball at will and didn’t punt until their final series of the game, and even that decision came when they faced fourth-and-5 from the Utah 38-yard line. They did, however, turn the ball over three times, and that proved costly.

“It was a disappointing loss because, obviously, we felt like we should have won the game,” Tyson Helton said. “We turned the ball over, but you came out of the game going, ‘Wow, we got something special.’ And the players knew that, and they could feel that, and just everybody got better, and we started rolling.”

The Trojans haven’t lost since. They head into Monday’s Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual riding an eight-game win streak during which Darnold established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He’ll begin next season among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

“I've done what I can with the opportunity that was given to me,” Darnold said. “Max was a great player. He really helped me in the film room when it came to preparing. He really did his part. But when my opportunity was given, I ran with it, and I didn't look back.”

Browne, who saw minimal mop-up duty after being relegated to second string, left the team after the regular season in order to pursue a transfer and will enroll at Pittsburgh next week.

“I’m happy for him. Really happy for him. He’s a model young man,” Martin said. “Me having played in the city of Pittsburgh with the Steelers, I think that city will like his style of play, and I think he’ll do well.”

With the benefit of hindsight, the coaching staff would have made a different decision coming out of training camp, but nothing comes from wondering how things might have played out differently.

“[I will] never regret going with that young man, Max Browne, to start off with,” Clay Helton said. “I will never regret doing that. I also have to make very, very tough decisions being the head coach and doing what’s best for your football team.”

The toughest call he made was benching his team captain after just three games, but it might have saved the season.