LOS ANGELES -- Friday at USC began with the inauguration of president Carol Folt, tasked to clean up a university shamed by scandal.
"Today," Folt told the crowd, "we're turning a page at USC."
Late afternoon brought Reggie's Return. Reggie Bush was back at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time since 2010, when the NCAA ordered the Trojans to permanently dissociate themselves from their former superstar as a result of improper benefits he received while at school. The visit was greenlighted only because he's working for FS1.
Bush and Matt Leinart, his former USC co-star and current Fox teammate, smiled at a fan holding up a "Leinart-Bush '04" T-shirt. Meanwhile, a small group of fans focused on another analyst, Urban Meyer, chanting "Hire Urban!" This spring, Bush told the Los Angeles Times that if USC struggled, he and Leinart wouldn't hesitate to recruit Meyer to lead the Trojans in 2020.
The mix of USC's past, present and possible future created a strange vibe around the team and its coach, Clay Helton, entering Friday game against No. 10 Utah. Helton began the season occupying the hottest of seats, and USC's first three weeks featured plenty of drama: a season-ending injury to quarterback JT Daniels, a blowout win over Stanford behind freshman QB Kedon Slovis, the long-rumored ouster of athletic director Lynn Swann, and a sloppy, familiar-looking loss at BYU. Many think Helton's exit is inevitable, especially with Meyer available and possibly willing to step in.
But Friday night ended with Helton leaving the field a winner, acknowledging Meyer on the FS1 set as Meyer mouthed, "Good job." A 30-23 win, behind third-string quarterback Matt Fink, puts USC in excellent position to challenge for the Pac-12 South title.
"This team is special and by the end of this season they are going to be a special product, you watch," Helton said. "We need to stay healthy, but this team could do some really special things. They did it tonight."
No one would debate Helton, but questions remain. What will it take for USC to sustain momentum through a difficult stretch? What are the university's next moves under Folt? What will it take for Helton to remain in the plans for 2020 and beyond?
After a wild first four games, here's a closer look at the never-boring No. 21 USC Trojans.
The case for Clay
Most of C.J. Pollard's teammates had entered a jubilant locker room when the USC safety ran up the tunnel, turned toward the media and screamed, "We got heart! SC got heart!"
"We don't quit when things get hard," nickelback Greg Johnson said.
The Trojans' fortitude through the first four games is undeniable. They're not the cleanest product (28 penalties and 10 turnovers), nor the most complete (13 net rush yards against Utah and outgained 457-381), but their effort generally is there.
"They're playing hard for Clay," a Pac-12 coordinator texted me during the Utah game.
After the Utah win, several Trojans players cited the phrase "So what? Now what?" Wide receivers coach Keary Colbert used it to motivate USC's signature position group, and it has spread to the rest of the roster.
"S---'s gonna happen, we just have to roll with the punches, we can't fold, we've got to keep going," safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said.
Early in the fourth quarter Friday, Pola-Mao refused to fold on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. He dropped Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley for a 6-yard loss, which forced a field goal attempt and preserved a one-point USC lead. Utah reached Trojans territory on its first nine possessions but only generated 20 points.
While the Utes repeatedly hurt themselves -- they drew 16 penalties, including six holding calls (a seventh was declined), and fumbled inside the Trojans' 10-yard line just before halftime -- USC generated pressure and wouldn't crack.
"The mentality [is] it's our home, they don't get in our end zone," said defensive end Drake Jackson, who forced a safety on Utah's only possession that didn't cross midfield.
USC's biggest strength is a passing offense that produces regardless of who plays quarterback. Slovis lit up Stanford for 377 pass yards and three touchdowns in his first start. Even more impressive, Fink and his gifted receivers flummoxed a Utah secondary with at least one future pro (cornerback Jaylon Johnson), piling up 351 yards and three scores.
The key to USC's Air Raid-ish offense is a streamlined approach, both with scheme and overall philosophy.
"Especially in the first year, you're better off doing less and getting really good at it than doing more and just being average at everything," first-year offensive coordinator Graham Harrell told me in August. "I don't think we've dumbed it down or we're running less offense. That's just the philosophy of the offense, to do less and be good at it."
Harrell told me USC's receiving corps is "as special a group, from top to bottom, as I've ever seen." His approach is clear: Get them the ball. Through four games, wideouts Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown have combined for 77 catches, eight touchdowns and 1,014 yards.
Whether Slovis or Fink is throwing passes, they simply need to give their receivers opportunities. Helton's preseason claim about USC's quarterback depth has been validated. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham described Daniels, Slovis and Fink as "very, very, very close in ability and production."
"It's an execution-based offense; we don't have too many plays," St. Brown said. "If you know the basis of the offense and the reads, you should be fine."
What are USC's next moves?
USC hired Folt to clean up its mess, which over the years has involved NCAA sanctions, FBI investigations into the nationwide admissions scandal and more. She swiftly moved on from Swann -- a widely expected move but one most pegged to happen later this fall -- and turned her attention toward his replacement.
Industry sources said USC wants to make a hire soon, but after several prominent candidates passed, the process has reached its next phase, which probably includes a search firm. USC's pattern of hiring athletic directors from the family could end under Folt, an outsider herself. Although Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson -- a former USC administrator -- likely will be considered, there are others like Washington's Jennifer Cohen, Washington State's Pat Chun and UCF's Danny White who could provide experience and steadiness USC needs.
While Helton's future generates the most outside attention, the AD hire takes precedence, as USC's stretch of damaging athletics news goes beyond football.
"They have to swing for the fences," an industry source said. "There's no better time to go there than right now. Lynn Swann's a great guy to follow."
As Folt assesses the scorched terrain, she could view Helton -- a genuine, friendly, noncontroversial coach who loves USC -- in a different light than others do. Helton doesn't embarrass the school and connects with players. While other coaches are vindictive about the transfer portal, Helton recognizes reality, supports players who explore transferring without closing the door to a return. Bru McCoy returned. So did Fink, who possibly saved USC's season Friday.
"He's always Clay, he's never going to change," Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton told me of his older brother. "I've never met anybody or been around anybody that's more genuine. It doesn't matter if he's winning them all or if he's struggling, his demeanor never changes. That's why his players really appreciate him and try to battle for him."
As the son of longtime college and NFL coach Kim Helton, Clay understands the constant scrutiny.
"He's in the second-largest media market in the country. It doesn't matter who the coach is, they're going to analyze every little thing that you do," Tyson Helton said. "He would expect nothing less, and he embraces that. He loves USC and loves everything that USC brings to the table. It's a combination of who he is and also understanding the business."
Obstacles ahead for Helton
USC is 2-0 in Pac-12 play and essentially 1.5 games up on preseason favorite Utah in the South Division. Would a division title save Clay Helton, or does he need to do more? The next two games are huge: USC visits Washington and, after an open week, Notre Dame.
While FPI had the Trojans as a slight favorite over Utah, it gives them just a 28.2% chance against Washington and a 17.1% chance against Notre Dame. USC is 2-5 in its last seven road games.
Wins are paramount for Helton, and so are optics. Even in victory Friday, the Trojans showed flaws. They struggled to seal the edges and finish tackles, allowing a 30-yard run on second-and-25 from the Utah 5-yard line. Through three quarters, they had minus-17 rush yards on nine carries, and held the ball for just 13:28.
A dynamic pass game offsets the run struggles, but this is still USC.
"Air Raid and SC is not the answer," a Pac-12 assistant told me. "You're SC for a reason, because you can get the best players in the f---ing country. Why run an Air Raid there? Run an Air Raid because you don't have the line guys, but they've got the line guys. They can run the ball."
Added a Pac-12 defensive coordinator: "You don't have to play that style. You can be a bully and physically get after people. You can score points with the Air Raid, but you can't control a game like you can the other way."
Pac-12 coaches are united in labeling USC the league's most talented team every single year. For that reason, Helton's Trojans must not just flash dominance, but show it consistently, especially when the schedule eases up after Notre Dame.
If not, USC will have options. Meyer's return to coaching is far from a guarantee, but it was impossible not to notice him watching the Trojans from behind the west end zone Friday. Helton has been USC's most successful coach since Pete Carroll, but he still fights who he was when he got the job: a career assistant likely ticketed for a Group of 5 head-coaching job. A good weekend for Helton ended on a down note as quarterback recruit Bryce Young from Mater Dei High School, a longtime USC pipeline, flipped his commitment from USC to Alabama. But the Trojans bounced back on Monday, when they added Jake Garcia, the Class of 2021's No. 2 pocket passer and No. 22 overall recruit.
"They'd go full-in on Urban," an industry source said. "It sounds like he might be open to it. How could you not go after him?"
If USC becomes the team Helton expects, there will be no need. The Utah win restored confidence, but the Trojans must build on it as the competition gets tougher.
"I don't want to jinx it. I'm kind of superstitious myself," Fink told me. "But we're gonna do some great things this year."
Week 4 notes
Justin McMillan finds Jalen McCleskey down the middle for a 53-yard touchdown, giving Tulane the lead over Houston with three seconds left.
• Tulane's first magical play against Houston, a fake kneel-down called "knee" that became an 18-yard Amare Jones run, was a replication. Green Wave offensive coordinator Will Hall had seen Jeff Brohm successfully execute it when Brohm coached at Western Kentucky. The New England Patriots ran an unsuccessful version against Atlanta in Super Bowl LI.
Tulane practices it every few weeks.
"It's either there or it's not, it's not hard to execute, it's like the old fumblerooski," Hall told me. "If the play ever gets started, it's got a chance. [Jones] did a great job getting as much as he could and get out of bounds, saved us a timeout."
The next play, called "Cactus" -- "Clear with a crosser and a Speedo," Hall said -- comes from Hall's days as a Division II coach at West Alabama. Tulane clears out one side for a deep dig route, where the receiver is told to "catch it and get down," setting up a field goal attempt. The quarterback can also check down to a crossing receiver and set up a Hail Mary.
With the score tied at 31-31 and 15 seconds left, quarterback Justin McMillan (LSU transfer) took the snap from the Tulane 47-yard line. He found Jalen McCleskey (Oklahoma State transfer) on the deep dig, but McCleskey slipped behind the defense and raced for the winning score. For one night, Tulane owned college football, thanks to its creative playcalls.
"We did not think we'd catch it and score," Hall said. "The quarterback did a phenomenal job moving around in the pocket, and when [McCleskey] split and got through, I felt pretty confident he would score. He's as fast as fast could be."
• Al Washington grew up in the shadows of Ohio Stadium, the son of a Buckeyes linebacker, also named Al, who ranks eighth on the team's career tackles list (345). In January, Washington returned home to coach Ohio State's linebackers and restore a standard that had clearly slipped in 2018.
"The culture, I know well, and just the position, my father played it," Washington told me. "Ohio State linebackers have always been the tip of the spear."
"Nasty" is a buzzword for Washington, who wants to instill more aggression and emotion in Ohio State's linebackers, without crossing the line. So far, he's seeing results.
Senior Malik Harrison (seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) is off to a blistering start. Juniors Pete Werner, Baron Browning and Brendon White have combined for eight tackles for loss, and Tuf Borland recorded his first career interception against Cincinnati.
"They're kind of getting their pride back, which is really cool, but we've still got a lot to work on," Washington said. "Guys are playing with some emotion without trying to go over the top and be goofy. We don't need any theatrics, but you've got to play with passion. That's one thing that we stress to our room."
• The SEC became the hot spot for coaching hot-seat speculation coming out of Week 4. Although Auburn's Gus Malzahn notched his second signature win in the state of Texas (Oregon, Texas A&M), second-year coaches Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee) and Chad Morris (Arkansas) are reeling.
The Vols faced Florida as a double-digit underdog and never threatened their rival, generating more turnovers (four) than points (three). Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano struggled (107 pass yards, two interceptions).
Tennessee is off before hosting Georgia and Mississippi State, before visiting Alabama. The buzz about athletic director Phillip Fulmer returning to the sideline isn't going away.
"Everyone thinks Fulmer is teeing it up for him to come back," an industry source said.
Morris might have leapfrogged Pruitt for worst nonconference loss as Arkansas fell to San Jose State, which went 3-22 the past two seasons and hadn't beaten a Power 5 opponent since 2006. Morris, who didn't exactly wow anyone at SMU, is 2-12 against FBS opponents with the Hogs.
"They're worse than they were last year," a Power 5 coordinator told me.
Could Arkansas dump Morris so soon? Before the season, it seemed to hinge more on Malzahn's availability. But Morris might not be giving the school much choice.