Redshirt freshman Tyler Vaughns emerging as a top target for Trojans

Sam Darnold sat in the pocket and hopped in place four times. He wasn’t scanning where to throw. He was just waiting.

Down the seam, Tyler Vaughns had punched into the middle part of the secondary and was now slipping past the safety. Darnold’s patience was worth it. Vaughns ended up wide open, and he caught the one of the easiest connections of the day for a 37-yard touchdown and USC’s first score in its 38-10 victory over Oregon State on Saturday.

For the second game in a row, Vaughns, a redshirt freshman, was USC’s leading receiver. He caught five passes for 68 yards. Suddenly, with a healthy Steven Mitchell Jr., USC finds itself with a full complement of competent receivers.

“With the way he played at Washington State and knowing that the lights weren’t too bright for him, I think it’s a lot easier for me to throw to a receiver that I know is going to come in the clutch for me,” Darnold said of Vaughns.

Vaughns’ budding breakout has coincided with an increase in consistent playing time. In USC’s first two games, when he cycled in and out often, he had a total of one catch for eight yards. Since then, he has had at least three catches each game, with a high of 89 yards a week ago against Washington State.

Vaughns had a productive training camp — “I felt like I was gonna win the job,” he said — but was passed up for the starting job in favor of Jalen Greene.

Vaughns said he needed to earn Darnold’s respect in practice first before it translated to games.

“So he’ll trust me more,” Vaughns said. “That’s all you gotta do is just build up trust with your quarterback.”

It’s another snap for Olson

With 6:19 left in the fourth quarter, the crowd at the Coliseum grew as loud as it had all game. Then it fell almost completely silent. It was quiet enough that players’ yells on the field could be heard in the press box.

“It was eerily quiet in there,” Jake Olson said. “It was so quiet. It was like a golf shot.”

The crowd was waiting for Olson, who is blind and also one of USC’s long snappers, to make the second appearance of his career. The snap was good. So was the extra-point attempt.

Olson’s first snap, in the opener against Western Michigan, was national news. Olson was an inspiration, featured on ESPN and “Good Morning America.”

This time, after the game, Olson walked out of USC’s locker room and spoke to only a few reporters. Which is how Olson would prefer it.

“I’m a football player out there, and I want to be treated as one,” Olson said. “Of course I love people getting inspired by it, and the attention it gets. But it is a cool aspect that people just [say], ‘He’s a football player out there.’”

I Fink I can

Matt Fink, USC’s backup quarterback, had never played in a college game when he stepped onto the field in the fourth quarter. He handed off twice.

Then, he got his chance. He kept the ball on a zone read near midfield and dashed to the right side.

“I said, ‘I’m scoring,’” Fink said. “I made sure no one was going to touch me. As soon as I saw nothing in between me and the end zone I said, ‘That’s mine. I’m going to get there.’”

He did. He went 51 yards in his first collegiate rush for a score. He also completed his only pass for 12 yards to freshman receiver Randal Grimes.

Pili burns redshirt

Defensive tackle Brandon Pili was once a redshirt candidate, but he played significant time Saturday.

Coach Clay Helton said the decision was spurred by a back injury to freshman defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, who could miss extensive time. Pili finished with three tackles.

“We felt like we needed another interior big man,” Helton said. “And we’ll see where Marlon is. He’s gonna visit with the doctors this weekend, and we’ll have more of a view of where he’s at. He’s played in four games, so if we do need to do anything surgically, he would be able to have his redshirt year back, so that would weigh into the decision.”

Quick hits

Running back Stephen Carr was not in uniform and wore a boot on his foot during the game. … Defensive end Rasheem Green (ankle injury) played. … USC’s 13-game home winning streak is its longest since a streak of 35 games from 2001 to 2007 (which included games later vacated due to NCAA sanctions).

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand