San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Don’t count Helton out just yet
Sitting there Saturday morning watching the Arizona State-usc game, my cat, Otis, kept shaking his head, envious that USC head coach Clay Helton has more lives than he does.
When USC was crushed 49-24 by Iowa in the SDCCU Holiday Bowl, everyone thought that would be the last one.
Turns out it was the last game at SDCCU Stadium, but not the last game for Helton at USC.
The way USC came out against the Sun Devils, it looked like this may be the last one.
And don't think plenty of Trojans fans weren't calling for Helton's head with tweets and memes within a few minutes of the 9 a.m. — you read that right — kickoff.
They piped in crowd noise at the empty Coliseum.
“Is there any simulated crowd booing for Clay Helton?” one person asked on Twitter.
The Trojans trailed 17-14 at halftime, prompting one person to tweet: “USC is in shambles. Clay Helton might be fired in the locker room.”
Others cleared their social media throats as well. A sampling:
“What in god's name does Clay Helton have to do to get fired?”
“What's Clay Helton's buyout?”
“The definition of insanity #USC is #Clayhelton ... coaching the same way over and over and expecting a different result.”
But USC, which had four turnovers in the game, scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes for a miraculous 28-27 victory.
The game-winning score came on fourth-and-9 on a drive that began after recovering an onside kick.
Somehow, Helton survives.
“Well, it reminds you of 2020, doesn't it?” Helton said in a postgame news conference. “A year of adversity and finding a way to overcome hard situations. I'm proud of our football team. We made it.”
Trojans fans certainly won't let a miraculous rally get in the way of more tweets and more memes until there is no more of Helton guiding the oncestoried program.
USC was ranked No. 20 in the nation by AP voters without ever playing a game.
While you're figuring that one out, ponder this, has any team ever fallen out of the top 25 following a victory?
“I thought it was great situational mastery of football,” Helton said.
That one will be echoing around the Internet for awhile.
Helton is top-ranked on the website coacheshotseat.com. His seat is definitely hot.
Will it get fired-on-atarmac hot?
That remains to be seen. After Saturday's win, one person tweeted, “Clay Helton needs to be extended immediately.”
It was sarcasm. I think. The tongue-in-cheek emoji was missing.
Then there’s Jim Harbaugh
Michigan stacked this week's “dispiriting” loss to No. 13 Indiana on top of last week's “disastrous” loss to Michigan State.
Dispiriting and disastrous were the words used by the Detroit Free Press.
Dispiriting, one supposes, because the Wolverines saw a 24-game winning streak over Indiana end with Saturday's 38-21 loss.
Disastrous because last week's 27-24 loss to Michigan State cost not only bragging rights but looked even worse Saturday after the Spartans were destroyed 49-7 by Iowa, which had been winless after losses to Purdue and Northwestern.
Michigan opened the season ranked No. 14 in the nation, example No. 1,358 of how being a brand name gets you in the Top 25 before you've done a thing to deserve it.
Harbaugh, in his sixth season at Michigan, told media in his postgame presser that “we need to make the next step. My personal feeling is we're close to doing it.”
“You see it done (in practice),” Harbaugh said. “You see it happening and then it's gotta take the next step of happening in the games . ...
“Every single guy here, every single player here, every single coach here has experienced that in our life where they have taken the adverse and turning it into an advantage. The thing you have to do is push forward, keep going.”
The loss had several on social media saying they wouldn't let Harbaugh back on the bus after the game, but it isn't the Michigan way to fire a coach in-season.
Harbaugh's $6 million contract is guaranteed and runs through the 2021 season.
This is the first time since 2008 that the Wolverines have gotten off to a 1-2 start.
It doesn't get any easier with No. 10 Wisconsin up next week, although the Badgers have been sidelined the past two weeks because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
And Scott Frost
Nebraska took it on the chin 21-13 at Northwestern and fans are extremely unhappy with their 0-2 Cornhuskers.
Frost may have favoriteson status in Nebraska, but this start on the heels of 4-8 and 5-7 seasons leaves him at 9-17.
That doesn't sit too well in Lincoln, Neb., where football ranks behind God (although officials would ask for a measurement) and ahead of country.
If things don't turn around, will Frost be out in the cold after the season?
Put it this way, Mike Riley was fired after going 19-19 after three years.
Frost could run the table the rest of this shortened season and still not get to .500.
Gary Andersen, too
Utah State fired head coach Gary Andersen after an 0-3 start that included a 38-7 loss to San Diego State last week.
The last straw was Thursday night's 34-9 loss to Nevada. Utah State had opened the season with a 42-13 loss to Boise State.
Andersen had just returned as head coach last season.
Quick hit
Penn State opened the season 0-3 for the first time since 2001.
Next up: Nebraska. At least one team's season is going to get better.