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Clay Helton sat down to answer questions during his weekly Q and A. Helton discussed the heartbreaking loss to Utah as well as the Trojans upcoming game at home against Arizona State.
Helton saw plenty of positives from the Utah game including the success of the run game which allowed for a better passing game. Darnold’s play was also praised. Coach Helton cited the early turnovers as the reason why the defense looked tired at the end of the game which was a factor in Utah’s offensive success at the end of the game. He thinks his team once again improved. Helton was also pleased with the 3rd down efficiency which was a stark area of improvement compared to the abysmal 3rd down performance against Stanford.
For the upcoming game against Arizona State Helton emphasized that because Arizona State has a high-scoring uptempo offense ball control and keeping the USC offense on the field will be crucial. The Sun Devils have a variety of ways to score, and excel at finding ways to win so the best way to stop them is to keep the ASU offense off the field. USC struggled on 3rd downs and penalties against Stanford but limited the turnovers. Against Utah USC dramatically improved on 3rd downs but turnovers were a huge problem in the early part of the game. The Trojans will need to convert on 3rd down, cut out the penalties, and hold on to the football in order to limit the scoring opportunities for an Arizona State offense that is averaging almost 50 points per game.
You can watch the full interview below:
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