Clay Helton hired as permanent head coach

Helton, who previously served as the Trojans’ offensive coordinator, first came on as interim head coach on October 12 after the school fired Steve Sarkisian, who was let go after reports of his problems with alcohol became public. The preseason Pac-12 pick and the perennial power, the 8-4 Trojans will use momentum fomented by the naming of Clay Helton as their coach – wait, who? – to capture the V-bean, otherwise known as the championship trophy.

Clay Helton was asked the inevitable question immediately following USC’s 40-21 win over rival UCLA on Saturday: Had he done enough to be named the Trojans’ permanent head coach? “I have been impressed with how hard and how inspired our team has played for him, as well as the support they have shown for him”.

The Trojans rallied past a disappointing 3-3 start to defeat every divisional opponent and cement their position as the top dogs in the South. In similar fashion, the Cardinal shook off their season-opening loss to Northwestern and established their dominance over the rest of the Pac, rattling off seven conference wins teams before falling just short against defending champion OR in Week 11.

In his statement, Helton thanked Haden and school president Max Nikias and said, in part, “During my six years here, I have learned the standard of excellence that it takes to be a Trojan”. I understand the expectations of this great university and welcome the challenge. “I am so proud to have the chance to lead what I feel is the pinnacle of college football and to represent our Trojan Family”, Helton said.

Praise USC for finally making a smart move this time, even if some aren’t happy with it.

USC’s decision to promote from within had some NFL implications with regards to Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Banner claimed he hasn’t decided whether to head for the National Football League next year. Oklahoma appears to be in good shape because it doesn’t have to play in a conference title game, and the victor of the Big Ten championship between Iowa and Michigan State would figure to be a lock. Jordan Roper scored a career-high 25 points for the Tigers (4-2). You just try to find in all these phases something that can be successful again, but also realizing they may change things that worked last time. The Stanford offense is averaging 36 points per game with 437.6 yards per game.

However, Haden said that his success as interim coach was not the sole basis for his decision. He’s done a really good job.

You get the sense some USC fans expected more. “That opens up the passing game”. The Trojans churned out 235 rushing yards on UCLA last Saturday, which helps decongest defenses for veteran QB Cody Kessler to locate JuJu Smith-Schuster, the best receiver in this game. Didn’t have many victories this season but won a moral victory to close the season.

McCaffrey needs 216 all-purpose yards Saturday to break the NCAA record of 3,250, set in 1988 by Oklahoma State star Barry Sanders.

Shaw led the Cardinal to its fourth season of 10 or more wins since replacing Jim Harbaugh five years ago. It was in their first meeting where the season turned for Stanford after Hogan suffered an ankle injury in the second half. He ended up with 78 tackles (still leading the Trojans), including a sack, plus he had 3 interceptions (currently tied for the USC lead), 3 deflections and 1 fumble recovery while starting 9 times.