Big Loss to Alabama Proves Clay Helton’s USC Football Has Long Way to Go

New USC football head coach Clay Helton ran his full-time record to 0-3 against Alabama, losing 52-6 in a humbling blowout to former head coach Lane Kiffin.

On Saturday, former USC football defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox beat LSU’s Dave Aranda, the former Wisconsin defensive coordinator he replaced.

Houston’s Tom Herman, the most desired coach in college football –yet a coach the Trojans had no remote interest in last winter– beat No. 3 Oklahoma.

Yet in Arlington’s shrine to bad football mistakes known as AT&T Stadium, Saturday held only a pure beatdown of USC and new head coach Clay Helton, at the hands of the nation’s defending national champion and No. 1 Alabama, 52-6.

Without question, it was a disaster performance for a somewhat new coaching staff, even against a team with the cache of Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.

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Despite playing a solid first quarter, the Trojans wound up two field goals away from suffering the worst loss in the history of the program. Notre Dame’s 51-0 romp in 1966 is preserved.

SEE MORE: USC vs. Alabama Quick Recap

USC was out-gained 453 to 116 in the final 45 minutes, when they never came close to looking like a team that belonged on the same field as Alabama.

“We played a very good team today, and they played up to their potential,” Helton said after the game. “And just the cold, hard truth is we did not play up to ours.”

It all fell apart after USC was gifted a golden opportunity to seize the early part of the game.

At the end of an opening quarter in which Alabama totaled just 12 yards, Saban and Kiffin pulled starting quarterback Blake Barnett in favor of true freshman Jalen Hurts.

Hurts immediately fumbled on his first snap, giving USC the ball at midfield, with all of the momentum in the world and up 3-0.

Helton then took his third and final timeout of the first half, with nearly 18 minutes remaining.

Ronald Jones was stuffed for a gain of two yards, quarterback Max Browne was sacked and then threw an incomplete pass on a third down throw short of the sticks.

That was it. Opportunity botched and the game completely imploded.

USC had negative-five yards on their next 14 plays, capped off with a pick six that made it 17-3 Alabama.

They wouldn’t gain another first down until late in the third quarter, and by that time, it was 38-3.

“If you would’ve said this would be the outcome of the game midway through the second quarter, I would’ve said, ‘You’re absolutely crazy,'” Browne said. “We started the way we wanted to start. If I learned one thing from tonight, it’s how crazy momentum plays a role in these type of games.”

While the momentum was palpable in what wound up being Lane Kiffin’s revenge game, a lack of offensive success, countless mistakes and overall shocking execution make it hard to fathom how USC could’ve fared differently.

READ MORE: Studs & Duds From USC vs. Alabama

The Trojans finished with six penalties, all of which seemed impactful. They surrendered nine tackles for loss, gave up a touchdown on blown coverage and flubbed a punt to set up a 13-yard Alabama touchdown drive.

“Once you get a penalty, that slows everything down, and they change the play calling,” Justin Davis said. “It changes a bunch of little things. We have to stay consistent and play disciplined ball, because that was a very disciplined team that we played against.”

USC doesn’t get a pass for losing 52-6, but they do get an opportunity to make it right by turning it into a learning experience for team growth.

It all made it an impossible task for a first-time starter at quarterback, and an offense struggling to find an identity, especially when star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster finished with just one catch.

Where do the Trojans go from here? The bright side is that no matter what happened against Alabama on Saturday night, it would’ve only been as good or as bad as the rest of September.

Beat No. 1 Alabama but lose to lesser opponents, and a win wouldn’t have meant much anyways. Lose, but bounce back against conference rivals, and the loss gets thrown well into the depths of the rear-view mirror.

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“We’ve got a big game next week versus Utah State,” Helton said. “This game does not define us. But we are far from a finished product, and we have a long way to go. We’ve got to make the corrections extremely fast.”

He’s right.

USC doesn’t get a pass for losing 52-6, but they do get an opportunity to make it right by turning it into a learning experience for team growth.

The Trojans can only go up from here. But it starts with a win over Utah State.

If that doesn’t happen? Well, oof.

Big Loss to Alabama Proves Clay Helton’s USC Football Has Long Way to Go

New USC football head coach Clay Helton ran his full-time record to 0-3 against Alabama, losing 52-6 in a humbling blowout to former head coach Lane Kiffin.

LISTEN: Postgame Carcast After USC vs. Alabama

More from Reign of Troy

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