Sunday Night With Clay Helton

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usc-wash-2016Clay Helton, asked to rank the Washington victory, said: “will definitely be a memory, that’s for dang sure. Definitely, a nice memory and one I’ll never forget.”

What about the UCLA game? “This is a huge week for us if we want to win the Pac-12 championship.”

And what about the poor 1-3 start for a team now ranked No. 15 in the nation: “Do I wish we won every game? Yes, of course. We didn’t play great ball early (in the season).”

Helton said USC is better at every position than in September. He said the offensive and defensive line have carried USC the past six weeks.

71 thoughts on “Sunday Night With Clay Helton”

  1. Last year’s Utah and SUCLA games were pretty big wins, but I must say this is Helton’s win against the best team so far in his career.

    • Hopefully we take care of buisness and we will get a crack at Michigan, Ohio St or Wisconsin.

    • I think the UCLA game was bigger. Washington was overrated and the rivalry doesn’t have as much bad blood, but that’s not to take away from Helton and this USC team.

      • It might have been “bigger” to your perception because it ended the losing streak against them. And that win was pretty much what got Helton the job. But this year’s Washington team was undefeated and ranked #4 in the nation going in, and it was obviously a superior team to last year’s SUCLA team.

        • C’mon, you don’t believe the Washington game was bigger just because they were #4 on paper, do you?

          Then by that same token, is the Bama game bigger because they were preseason #1?

          • LOL! Of course Alabama game would definitely been the biggest game by far had we won it. The win against Washington is the most meaningful to Helton and the team because it received the national attention for having a lot riding on it for both teams. Washington for the PO and NC, and SC for the conference title.

          • Oh! Are you kidding? There’s no question! There’ll be another one coming up soon unless we relax and shoot ourselves in the foot.

  2. From Clueless Clay to Gomer.. He has the team headed in the right direction.. Had Kiffin and Sark been the man Clay is.. They may still be employed by USC.. Integrity counts and honesty goes along way… The kids have responded amazingly to the staff and would definitely be higher rank had the season started off differently..

    Clay Helton wasn’t all of our choice with speculation he was not finish the season or brought back, even hearing the rumbles in my USC circles.

    He will be our HC next year and possibly for years to come.. Lets show him respect moving forward..He deserves it! ✌

    • Sam is the man. But Clay and his staff have really made strides in getting this team to play at a higher level. I can’t lie, I am surprised and thought we would have at least another loss but I’m glad to say I was wrong. I agree with you Dan. Clay Helton deserves to be our coach.

      • He always did. The expectations were unfair. He is a first time head coach and deserved the chance to learn on the job. He has the talent to coach AND recruit. He now needs experience. The only surprise is how quickly he turned this team around. We now have a grown up at the helm who brings the stability this program desperately needs.

          • Now they need to keep the pedal down and prove they can close. Saturday has trap game written all over it. No doubt which team is better, but this past weekend proves the old adage “any given Saturday,”

          • I agree, but if Helton doesn’t have this team ready then we were wrong. We haven’t made enough noise to let this one sneak up on us.

      • Saw a video of Peterson press after last night’s game.
        He was very uncomfortable with Seattle press.Could not see him handling LA press had he been hired here.

        • Yeah. He sure gave SC the deserving respect last night saying “those guys beat us up (up front), and we got our butts kicked”

        • Yes that is what was noted 4 years ago in that game against NV that Boise St. lost at the very end of the season. The beat reporters noted Peterson stating how uncomfortable he was with the media – the media in Reno-NV.

        • He’s looked more than a little uncomfortable on the sideline Saturday night as well when finding out his kind off guys were getting manhandled.

      • C’mon, Sam. You saw a W just like I did before Saturday night. The momentum was too strong.

        • I did. But I was impressed with how Helton and Pendergast coached up the rest of the players. I mean Marshall had his best game. Gustin had his best game. Imatorbhebhe had his best game. It was evident that they all grew due to the coaching of Helton and the staff.

    • Nicely said.Not only show Clay respect,also showing respect to the coaches for what they have done with their units.Sam has been the conversation.Deserves all the accolades.For me the story is the Defense.We have been known as a team with first 2 stars,then came Sam.Heck now how many guys on D have shown up?Quite a few.

    • Wins over ucla and ND first. Helton & Co. need to keep this thing going in order to bring SC back from the comatose. A Pac12 title game and New Years day bowl would make the picture complete.

  3. This is a remarkable shift from the first four games. Helton has succeeded well beyond what anyone would reasonably expect after an inexcusably bad start. If we had a better O-line, then I would say the Trojans could compete effectively with the very best teams in the country, as opposed to losing by 46 points earlier in the season at that level. Can anyone recall another total team transformation at this level within a half season? Darnold is a huge part of this directly, and perhaps indirectly as well in terms of defining what is required for the whole organization.

    • This feels like the opposite of ‘unfinished business’. Start the season low and finish strong. Balance is back in the Universe

  4. It took Peterson 3 years to fix the Sark Effect, Helton only needed one. Damn good coach. This looks like a solid team everybody working together.

    • I’m not disagreeing with you but Sark and his staff left UW with a good defense. NFL prospects and 1st round draft picks so Peterson had a good start. Everyone seems to forget that.

      • Sam Cyler Miles was a terrible QB. I watched him play in person and thought his arm was hurt…mope that was all he had. No arm strength and not a very good decision maker. He could run but they was it.

        • Kiffin wanted him at SC. Nick Saban even went after him but it was too late. He was a top QB. He had to retire because of injuries. But you cant say he was terrible.

  5. Ucla stinks but they will come to play.

    Just remember these 2 names, Norm Dow & John Barnes, nothing is guaranteed in this game

  6. Was down in NOLA for a wedding of my niece – one of the invited guests was Jack Del Rio chatted with him and that was before USC destroyed WA.

  8. 4-star QB Jack Sears (another San Clemente guy) just committed to USC – a DUKE decommit.

    Let ’em roll on in. Come on OLs/DLs/DBs!

    • Duke beats rival and ranked North Carolina and he still decommits for SC as soon as we win.
      The power of Troy!

  10. This is the game I will remember Adoree officially auditioned for the NFL. He showed he can cover some of the best. His track training is an asset. I do not see him at USC next season.

  14. Clay Helton had the team going in the right direction all along. His demeanor and professionalism was outstanding in handling his YOUNG players without disrupting his team.

    Building a team is a process and people who do know about coaching know it is not an onernight process. We still would’ve lost to Bama, we just aren’t that good compared to them. They are seasoned, have maturity in their program and we are just beginning.

    I’ve liked Coach Heltons hire from when they first announced. A man with character and determination is what USC needed and still needs. We are just going to keep getting better and better.

    USC is laying down a good foundation for a top notch program.

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