USC (1-0) is coming off an explosive, high-scoring victory over Missouri State last Saturday, routing the Bears 73-13 in what was notably the most points scored in all of college football last weekend.
Tomorrow, USC will look for some of the same prowess and another commanding win as they face another first-time opponent in Georgia Southern, its final non-conference opponent of the season.
The Eagles (0-1) opened their season with a 42-14 loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs last Saturday. On the first drive of the game, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a 36-yard field goal. While they were unable to make it into the end zone on that play, a long punt return from Fresno State allowed them to punch in a 17-yard scoring run.
Georgia Southern junior quarterback JC French IV found senior wide receiver Camden Brown to cut into the lead late in the first quarter, but four second-half rushing touchdowns by Fresno State put the game out of reach.
Saturday’s matchup offers the Eagles a better chance at success, and for head coach Clay Helton, it’s a return to familiar ground.
Helton was named the 23rd head coach of the Trojan football program in 2015 after first joining as the quarterbacks coach under former head coach Lane Kiffin in 2010.
His overall record as the Trojans’ coach is 46-24 and his resume includes three Pac-12 South Division titles (2015, 2017, 2020), a Rose Bowl championship (2016) and a Pac-12 championship (2017). Helton took over after the dismissal of former head coach Steve Sarkisian and held the role until Sept. 2021. His six years at the helm were marked by a mixture of successes and challenges.
While Helton brought relative stability to Troy after multiple coaching changes in the preceding years, his inconsistent performance ultimately didn’t meet the championship-winning expectations that are an integral part of USC’s framework.
He coached USC to its first losing season in 18 years, finishing the 2018 season with a 5-7 record. Along with the record, recruiting also plummeted to 64th nationally in 2020.
Namely, losses in key games across each season added up and were the final blow for his USC tenure.
After starting the 2021 season 1-1, Helton was relieved of his duties and months later in November he was announced as the 11th head coach for Georgia Southern.
In three seasons with Helton, the Eagles finished their first two years with a 6-7 record and ended their 2024 campaign 8-5.
Current USC head coach Lincoln Riley hopes that fans will respond to Helton’s return with grace.
“I hope they react with a lot of appreciation, I do, because Coach Helton had a long run here for anyone in coaching and was a part of a lot of great moments here, and I know he gave his heart and soul to this place,” Riley told the media today.
Coach Riley also emphasized that Helton’s tenure occurred during a vastly different era of college football, before the current landscape of data-driven technology, advanced analytics and other sophisticated tools that have streamlined the modern game.
“I think it’s fair to say that he was here at a time where he didn’t have all the advantages that the outside world would think USC has or would have, and that’s just the truth,” Riley said.
While Helton’s return might still be a sore spot for some of the USC faithful, they should shift their focus to expecting the Trojans to exploit Saturday’s talent matchup and add another win to the column.
“He’s a really good football coach and a great human being who represented this place very well,” Riley continued. “I certainly hope our fans know that and I want him to know that he’s appreciated by this place and always will be.
Tomorrow, the Trojans should be able to easily impose their will up front and capitalize off the Eagles’ vulnerable run defense by sticking to the basics ahead of their Big Ten opener and first road matchup at Purdue next weekend.