Georgia Southern’s Clay Helton expecting an emotional return to USC
SATURDAY’S GAME
Georgia Southern at USC, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Clay Helton knows it will be an emotional time when he takes Georgia Southern into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. He spent 12 years on the coaching staff at USC, including six full seasons as the head coach, and won’t be immune to the feelings, some good and some bad, that come with his return.
But Helton is more concerned with how his players will react when they meet a storied program at one of the more iconic stadiums in the nation.
“My excitement is for the kids, to be honest,” Helton said. “I’ve got some guys on the team that this was their first flight, let alone coming to California. And to walk into the coliseum is such a place of history.”
Georgia Southern, which lost its opener at Fresno State, is a 28.5-point underdog to the Trojans (1-0).
Helton joined the USC staff as quarterbacks coach in 2010 and became offensive coordinator in 2013 under Lane Kiffin. He replaced Kiffin as coach during the 2015 season, and finished his tenure there with a 46-24 record that included a victory in the 2017 Rose Bowl.
During his USC tenure, Helton saw many instances where the visiting team was overwhelmed and intimidated simply by walking into the LA Coliseum. He doesn’t want that to happen to his team, so the Eagles will be taking a walk-through at the stadium Friday to help tamp down the shock and awe.
“I remember being there as a coach, and teams would walk into it for the first time and you could just see the players’ eyes and how big they were,” Helton said. “You already knew you had a step ahead, a leg up, because they had to get over that.
“I mean, you can feel the ghosts in there. You can feel the … national championships. You can feel all the great players that have played there. There’s a torch being lit. There’s a big white horse with a Trojan riding around on it. It’s a spectacle, and if you’re not ready for it, it can get you.”
While Helton is doing everything he can to reduce the performance anxiety for the players, he knows the return will be emotional for him.
“USC was just an unbelievable experience for me,” he said. “I know I’ll hug a lot of necks when I get in town on Friday, but when we wake up Saturday, we’ve got a job to do.”
At least Georgia Southern won’t be jet-lagged. After losing to Fresno State, the Eagles stayed on the West Coast to prepare for Saturday’s game. Georgia Southern is using the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility in Oxnard, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles, and will take buses to the game Saturday.
The focus this week for Georgia Southern has been overall improvement. Last week the Eagles led 14-13 at halftime, but were outscored 29-0 in the second half and lost 42-14.
This week, Georgia Southern’s defense will be asked to slow a USC team that beat FBS newcomer Missouri State 73-13 last week. It was the most points for USC since 1930.
Georgia Southern allowed 527 total yards, 351 on the ground, against Fresno State and were 0-of-5 on third-down conversions in the second half. The Eagles ran 49 plays, compared with 72 for Fresno State, and the defense eventually wore down.
“In the first half, we were able to be in some really manageable positions, and we were able to sustain two drives,” Helton said. “In the second half, we did not hook up as well on our early downs. When you aren’t making the third downs and not converting them on the road, that can sneak up on you, and it did for us. The things we did well in the first half did not take place in the second half.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
