Sports

USC keeping coach Clay Helton despite 5-7 season

25 of November 2018

Southern California coach Clay Helton, left, yells to his team as Southern California wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. walks off the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, in Los Angeles. Notre Dame won 24-17. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill),Southern California coach Clay Helton, left, yells to his team as Southern California wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. walks off the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, in Los Angeles. Notre Dame won 24-17. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clay Helton will remain Southern California’s head coach after the Trojans’ first losing season since 2000.

USC athletic director Lynn Swann made the announcement Sunday, one day after the Trojans finished 5-7 with a loss to Notre Dame.

Swann elected to keep the embattled coach for another season just nine months after he gave Helton a contract extension through 2023. Helton is 32-17 in his first head coaching job.

The Trojans lost five of their final six games this season, capped by back-to-back losses to archrivals UCLA and Notre Dame.

Helton took over at USC during the 2015 season. The Trojans won the Rose Bowl two seasons ago to cap a nine-game winning streak, and they won the Pac-12 title last season

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