FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: What Is Tipping Point For Clay Helton, Lynn Swann?

I will start the week off with football, not scandal.

The question this season is how many games Clay Helton needs to win to keep his job? Or force Lynn Swann to do his?

Will eight wins in the regular season save Helton? How about seven? Maybe the number of victories might be less important if the fans voice their opinion by staying away from home games. Swann won’t exactly impress new president Carol Folt with 45,000 fans at the Coliseum.

What if the Trojans’ fourth loss is to UCLA at the Coliseum? You know that would be a brutal atmosphere. No one would feel good about a bowl game with a loss to the Bruins. Swann would not want to fire Helton with an 8-4 record but a lot depends on when and where those losses take place.

Of course, I’m aware many of you reading this think USC will do worse than 8-4. And that is hardly a crazy thought with Helton’s loose grip on the players.

  • Can Helton surpass expectations with a secondary that relies on cornerbacks Greg Johnson, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Olaijah Griffin and true freshman Briton Allen? Or specials teams that rely on John Baxter?
  • After just six games, the USC baseball team is tied for 8th place in the Pac-12 standings (8-14, 2-4). Swann could have made a move two years ago and did not. He could have made a move last year and did not. Meanwhile, the baseball program sputters along. So sad.
  • Maybe USC men’s volleyball should move back to the old North Gym permanently. The Trojans handed No. 1-ranked Long Beach State its first loss of the season, 3-0. The Kids’ Choice Awards should be held every weekend at the Galen Center apparently.
  • By the way, Swann allows the song girls to attend men’s volleyball games at the Galen Center.
  • I asked a Mountain West Conference basketball coach what he thought of new USC recruit Ethan Anderson: “Just OK.”

19 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: What Is Tipping Point For Clay Helton, Lynn Swann?”

      1. Pudly —that huge mound of dirt at the 50 yard line is where USC is gonna bury Fresno State, Stanford, Utah and UCLA.
        #BeatFresno&StanfordAndCrowdsWillBeIn75,000+RangeRestOfWay

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hi Michael, did you read Weber’s piece ?
        The last few days I’ve been hearing that this Ben Griffiths is the real deal when it comes to punting able to backspin and/or put a sideways rotation on it. They say he can spot kick too. This would be a huge help to the defense compared to what went on last year.

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      3. Renovation Pusley! it won’t change a thing. The Coliseum will always be the 20th Century, 1930’s crumbling mausoleum – home to clown u FB, and the So. Central ghetto for homeless, winos, and large rodents.

        #Just whine Pusley
        #2019bozoFB – 4-8
        #weSUCChindtitty

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      4. Always love the elitism of the liberals..it is at the top of the list of world wide sports venues and has hosted multiple international gatherings of the top athletes world wide.
        The Rose Bowl on the other hand, doesn’t even get recognized as a top sports venue till AFTER the ruin season has whimpered to a close.
        Hahahahaha!

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      6. Pudly —With all the discussions going on about Swann, Helton, J. T. and Sears, we’ve all kinda forgotten about our punter —-I’ve seen film, he’s phenomenal. He will be the difference maker in every close game — the guy will turn stalled drives into virtual successes [if our coverage unit can only keep their end of the deal].

        Liked by 1 person

      7. Hopefully he’ll be able to flip the field a couple of times..or pin the opposition deep regularly.
        I’m wondering why we’re not hearing much on Sears so far this spring? Hopefully he starts asserting himself.

        Liked by 1 person

      8. Pudly —According to the podcasts I’ve listened to, all the qb’s are looking good. Nobody’s outta the running based on poor performance. But —and I hate to harp on this —-all 3 qb’s have had to scramble due to inadequate protection by the o-line. I don’t get that last part —in this offense the o-line, on average, gets to give up on their blocks a full second earlier than before. They should be able to hold their blocks that long.

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      9. Blitz pick up and communication is the likely problem as has been the case for a while now. Hopefully as the center learns his responsibility and the new guys get used to seeing different combos that’ll improve. That, or it’ll be another long season.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Can the secondary be any worse than it already was the past few years? Let’s be honest, Iman Marshall was terrible (the NFL will likely find out), as was Jack Jones. And that’s on top of their idiotic constant personal fouls. Adoree was the only solid corner we’ve had in a while. If anything, this current group can pleasantly surprise us.

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      2. At some point, USC’s gonna need to put Scott on the service team player of the year award board….his endurance is spectacular! Much respect ✌️

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Thank you, Owns….Scott is a supplier of free speech in America…..a thankless job, but, even though, I enjoy thanking him from time to time for his toil….

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