Clay Helton and The Fall of Troy

Flames usher USC out of the tunnel and onto the Coliseum field as part of pregame festivities, but the real heat emanated once the Trojans came off the turf.

Following USC’s 42-28 loss Week 2 to Stanford, a “fan” shouted personal insults and threats at Trojans cornerback Chris Steele, whose teammates ushered him away from the situation.

The unacceptable and frankly cowardly behavior of one spectator notwithstanding, Saturday’s scene reflected an untenable situation for USC football. It had an air to it not unlike the last game of Steve Sarkisian’s abbreviated tenure in 2015 when, following a loss to Washington, the boos raining on the coach as he entered the tunnel — stone-faced and solemn — foreshadowed his firing days later.

Obviously the circumstances now, as the Clay Helton era seemingly approaches an end that was inevitable from the moment his interim tag was removed almost six years ago, differ from Sarkisian’s firing.

And yet, the general malaise is the same. It didn’t disappear when Sark was fired in 2015, just as it remained after Lane Kiffin’s LAX tarmac firing in 2013.

The time to move on from Helton is long overdue, a statement I realize hardly broaches uncharted territory. Delaying until the end of the season will only crank up the malignancy infecting the Coliseum, which promises to damage the program further in the immediate future.

And that’s not speculation. More damning in USC’s loss to Stanford than the defeat itself were the last two touchdowns the Trojans scored, with the first string remaining on the field to tack on scores against Stanford’s second string.

Make no mistake: Stanford was 30-plus points better than USC. The late scores simply applied makeup late in the night after much of the country went to sleep, perhaps masking the reality of that thorough blowout.

But Helton’s eventual removal could well end up being as much of a cosmetic change as the many staff alterations Helton made, most recently the hire of defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

USC football faces systemic issues that will limit even an on-paper home-run head-coaching hire. Obsession with the dynastic 2000s, including the hires of coaches not yet ready for the job in Kiffin and Sarkisian, hinders the program’s ability to adapt to a new era.

USC is plagued by a surface-deep swagger that intensifies the target on its back when facing Pac-12 opponents. The Stanford loss was the quintessential example, with every ounce of pregame energy displayed during introductions sapped with the proverbial haymaker Nathaniel Peat delivered on an 87-yard touchdown run.

Put bluntly, USC has become Miami West.

Opinions differ on what specifically is most to blame, but it’s not so easy to pinpoint. I feel much more confident in saying the next coach needs to be allowed to build a new identity. On the other side of Los Angeles, UCLA appears to be on the rise, the reward for patience in Chip Kelly’s vision to strip the program down to the foundation and grow methodically.

Poetically, what is thus far Kelly’s signature win came over LSU and Ed Orgeron, a branch from the USC-Pete Carroll glory days.

Expectations at USC are such that no successor to Helton would be afforded the patience shown Kelly at UCLA. The good news for the Trojans is they need considerably less structural overhaul to get back on track quickly, but do need some structural change.

A regime change without firm commitment to the vision will only lead to another round of vicious boos and catcalls at the mouth of the Coliseum tunnel.