SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The only two constants during the past half-decade of Southern California football are chaos and Clay Helton , with the whims of the former again responsible for thrusting the latter into duties far above his pay grade.
Helton was brought to USC by one ex-coach, Lane Kiffin , and then retained by another, Steve Sarkisian ; he has been the interim coach — this fall marking his second turn in the temporary position after leading the Trojans through a bowl win in 2013 — and himself served under another interim coach, Ed Orgeron .
He is Zelig in cardinal and gold: Helton was there when the NCAA levied sanctions, when the Trojans opened atop the Associated Press poll but finished unranked, when Kiffin was fired in a parking lot, when Orgeron was carried off the field in victory, whenJosh Shaw jumped two stories, when Sarkisian was placed on leave and when Sarkisian was fired — amid turmoil and made-for-TV drama, Helton has been a source of relative stability.
And he’s been there for the Trojans, who are now returning the favor.
“We definitely want to keep him here,” senior running back Tre Madden said. “We’ve talked to the young guys, and they love him. We all love him. We want to keep him here. That’s what we’re playing for, the future.”
Said senior defensive tackle Antwuan Woods, “I’ve been with him for five years and he really cares about us as a team. He’s a great man. We’re just motivated to play for him.”
It wasn’t too long ago that USC played for national championships. Now the Trojans play for interim coaches.
For the second time in three years, the Trojans will dedicate themselves — and dedicate the remainder of this season — to making a favored assistant coach the full-time caretaker for one of college football’s elite programs. Such is recent existence at USC, where confidence remains in surplus despite a clear lack of results.
“We’re an excellent team,” junior safety Su’a Cravens said. “We can beat anybody in the country, hands down.”
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