Sam Darnold's Cotton Bowl flop underlines concerns for uncertain NFL future

In case you missed it … well, there's no way you could have missed that.

No. 8 USC flopped in a 24-7 loss to No. 5 Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday, and quarterback Sam Darnold became an instant target for criticism. No social media shot was off limits when it came to Darnold, who finished 26 of 45 passing for 356 yards but committed three turnovers and took eight sacks in the loss.

Jumble those tweets into thousands of combinations, and that's what Darnold's night looked like after a first half in which he was 12 of 22 for 170 yards and accounted for two of USC's three turnovers. Ohio State led 24-7 by halftime. Darnold was trending by that point, and discussions about his looks, mechanics and his 2018 NFL Draft stock were spinning out of control. How much of that was fair?

That's the problem. USC put too much on Darnold on this season, and it showed in losses at Washington State and Notre Dame. The Trojans weren't good enough to be a playoff team, and Darnold threw 12 interceptions and lost six fumbles coming into the game. He turned the ball over too much, and that's the criticism that matters. It didn't matter as much when he led the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory in 2016. Darnold threw for 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions with five lost fumbles.

Add it up, and it's 35 turnovers in two seasons as a starter. That's too many. Sure, Clemson's Deshaun Watson threw 17 interceptions in 2016, but he also led the Tigers to the national championship. Darnold didn't do that, and he has the label of "turnover-prone" at this point. That's the one thing he needs to change more than anything else, and it's not going to be easier in the NFL. You can't excuse interceptions and fumbles with "trying to make a play" forever.