Clay Helton’s job security in question again after OT loss to BYU

Clay Helton entered the season on the hot seat, and USC’s loss to BYU in overtime on Saturday is enough to cause questions about the head coach’s job security.

A week after rallying to beat Stanford at home 45-20 behind backup quarterback Kedon Slovis, the Trojans traded leads with the Cougars most of the game. An unbelievable 52-yard field goal with under two minutes left helped USC tie the game at 27 and send it to overtime, where they lost 30-27 after being intercepted.

Immediately, top college football reporters recognized that Helton’s job status was even shakier.

Incredible two weeks for Kalani Sitake and #BYU. Not a ringing endorsement for Clay Helton's future at #USC. So many mistakes by the Trojans.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 14, 2019

USC loses at BYU, 30-27. Clay Helton lost his AD earlier this week. This is the latest step toward him losing his job. A new AD simply can’t arrive there and think he’s the guy to lead them to a national title.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 14, 2019

Helton is in his fourth full season as the program’s head coach after taking over for Steve Sarkisian in 2015. He rode Sam Darnold to a pair of double-digit win seasons until dropping to 5-7 last season. They’re now 2-1 this year and have a tough schedule ahead. Making matters worse, Helton no longer has a big figure in the athletic department behind him.