USC, Clay Helton Lose Control of Own Destiny In Blowout Loss to Oregon

Clay Helton has been touting for weeks that USC controls its own destiny. After a 56-24 blowout loss at home to Oregon on Saturday, that’s no longer true for the team or the head coach.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES -- Clay Helton has never been one to make things about himself. He deflects credit. He assumes blame. He works tirelessly for his family and players.

Take USC's end-of-season awards banquet, for example. It’s being moved up to the day after the UCLA game, which has many wondering if that was done to expedite Helton’s seemingly inevitable ouster.

What no one realizes is that Helton chose that Sunday. The reasoning is twofold: His players can go home for Thanksgiving during the ensuing bye week, while he and his coaches can focus solely on recruiting.

So when the embattled football coach was asked if he came into Saturday’s game against top-10 Oregon thinking he had to win to keep his job, he poignantly reminded that there are worse coaches the Trojans could have, just moments after proving he clearly isn’t the best.

“I’ve never thought about -- the guys that I think about are the guys that are beside me and that are in that locker room. That’s what I feel,” Helton said. “I’m trying to help them win a championship, our staff is trying to help them win a championship. And I love them, everyone in that locker room I’ve signed. I’ve been a part of, I’ve been in their living room. I love them like sons. I’m not worried about me.”

There really is nothing for USC fans to worry about anymore after a 56-24 home defeat. Helton made it easy for prospective athletic director Mike Bohn to move on at the end of the regular season. The Trojans, now a game back of Utah in the Pac-12 South, no longer control their own destiny in the conference, and Helton no longer does in Heritage Hall. 

The AD search has concluded and the coaching search can commence.

The university secured Bohn when it did specifically because time is of the essence. Early Signing Day, which for all intents and purposes is now National Signing Day, is about six weeks away. USC’s last game is in three. The moment the news dropped Friday morning that President Carol Folt was hiring Bohn, this Oregon game became all about Helton.

He had to win out to win over his new boss.

As much as the fan base is behind change, it would have been odd for Bohn to make one if USC were sporting a six-game winning streak and 9-3 record going into the Pac-12 title game.

The Trojans could still find themselves in Santa Clara, but Bohn, probably watching them closely for the first time Saturday, will have seen everything he needs to.

This loss wasn’t typical, especially not at home. USC hadn’t lost by this much in the Coliseum since Pete Carroll asked Jim Harbaugh, “What’s your deal?” 10 years ago. But Helton's teams do lose in this fashion -- dominated in all three phases -- about once a year.

Utah in 2018. Notre Dame in 2017. Alabama in 2016. Each game demonstrating that USC isn’t where it should be, and isn’t close.

Whereas other defeats from this season could be defended, there’s no justification for losing by 30, falling behind by 40 and being outscored by 50.

What’s weird is that USC was in complete command through the first quarter, holding Oregon to 16 yards of offense, and its own offense just six yards away from a 14-0 lead. After another red zone opportunity went awry for the Trojans in the second quarter, Oregon went on to score touchdowns on eight straight possessions while reeling off a 56-7 run. 

Most of the 63,011 in attendance were long gone well before it ended, saving themselves from a stretch of in-game futility that's been topped only once in the history of this proud program (Notre Dame’s 51-0 mauling in 1966). But it wasn't completely new. The 49-point swing is the second occurrence under Helton’s watch (Alabama produced a 52-3 flurry three years ago).

“The red zone turnover really hurt, and for them to score on that, and then get a kickoff return touchdown after that, and a pick-six -- oh yeah, I forgot about the pick-six,” center Brett Neilon said. “It just added up real quick. It was like blitzkrieg, honestly.”

To be fair, there was so much carnage, it was hard to keep track of. 

USC QB Kedon Slovis dubiously broke a school record by attempting 57 passes, including 42 in a first half that included three straight turnovers from the true freshman. Ducks QB Justin Herbert started 0 of 3 with an interception, and 1 of 4. He finished 21 of 26 with four touchdowns. 

Of course, Oregon’s offensive avalanche wasn’t wholly unique for USC’s defense under Clancy Pendergast. The Trojans allowed Penn State to score touchdowns on seven consecutive possessions in the 2017 Rose Bowl, which serves as a harsh reminder that Sam Darnold walked out that door two years ago and took USC's modern glory with him.

“There’s no one person to blame but the whole team,” Neilon added. “We just got to get better. That’s just unacceptable.”

It’s unfathomable to think it will be accepted by a new AD. Bohn is a hired gun as it pertains to Helton (and maybe Urban Meyer), tasked to do what interim AD Dave Roberts wouldn’t. Helton understood this when Lynn Swann resigned in early September, pointing out the following day that his job was to win. Since then, the Trojans have lost four of seven games.

USC, just like it was last year, is 5-4 after nine games. The eye test makes it pretty clear that the 2019 squad is objectively better, that more youth, excessive injuries and a tougher schedule have compromised the improvement Helton and his revamped coaching staff have made. But no context is required beyond being 10-11 A.D. (After Darnold).

“We’re expected to win no matter what. We’re ‘SC,” senior defensive end Christian Rector said. “We’re a big-time program and we expect ourselves to come out victorious no matter the circumstances.”

Helton had ample time and opportunity to make more changes with his assistants. Too many haven’t helped enough in recruiting or on the field. That explains Oregon coming into the Coliseum, featuring a team littered with former Southern California prospects, and coming out with its most lopsided victory against the Trojans in more than a century.

In a few weeks, USC’s whole staff might be history. Helton’s tone following Saturday’s blowout was that of someone who knew his time would soon be up.

“I’ve been here 10 years, and I believe in being a servant to this university and to the young men that are here,” Helton said. “Each and every day I represent them and our school, and I’ll continue to do that, each and every day. And I’ll fight like hell for the next win with the people that I believe in and the people that I love until they ask me not to do it anymore. And I’m going to show up on Monday and work my butt off for the next one.”

It just won’t be for him. Perhaps the best part of his legacy is that it never was.

-- Adam Maya is a USC graduate and has been covering the Trojans since 2003. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJMaya.