So, the last two USC head coaches to step foot in Sun Devil Stadium didn’t even make it through the season – and it’s largely because of what happened during those USC-ASU games. “None raised a concern”. Haden said that during the meeting he “laid out our expectations for his behavior”. He took over for prior interim coach Ed Orgeron in 2013, who did not stick around after Sarkisian was announced as successor to fired coach Lane Kiffin, and coached the Trojans to a 45-20 victory over Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl. “He cares deeply for our student-athletes, and he always makes their well-being his highest priority”.
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I don’t know what it is about the city of Tempe and the USC coaching staff, but in recent years, they have not mixed.
USC President Max Nikias issued a statement in strong support of Haden, who is under scrutiny for his handling of Sarkisian’s problems and the football team’s struggles.
Haden said he sent a letter of termination to Sarkisian when he was unable to contact the coach personally, one day after Sarkisian showed up to work “unwell”.
Haden, speaking Sunday afternoon on the practice field, did not reveal details about the conversation, and he did not take questions from reporters.
Helton on if he’d like to be the permanent head man: “I want to be the head coach”.
Offensive coordinator Clay Helton was named interim coach to replace Sarkisian for the remainder of the season. In a September interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “He understands he let us all down”. What an unbelievable Saturday it will be, and what a great opportunity for us as Trojans. Helton played college ball at Duke and Houston, and was an assistant at Houston in the late 1990s and then at Memphis from 2000-09 before Kiffin hired him at USC as quarterbacks coach. “And then (when) something doesn’t go right in your situation and then everybody piles on, I think it’s very tough”. “I told the guys, we’re going to win a lot of ballgames here and we’re going to have a lot of fun”.
Carroll said that he has been in touch with Sarkisian and will do whatever he can to help him through the process. “It’s unfortunate that sometimes the personal things affect the business”.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, I’ve been in this situation before”, Helton said, adding, “We’ll take the approach as we did the last time we were in this. I’ll never forget, as long as I live, Pat Haden introducing me to this team and the ovation that they gave”. “I don’t know if it’s going to get any better”.
Coach Pete Carroll reached out to friend and protégé Steve Sarkisian at what is the lowest point of Sarkisian’s career, if not his life. An AP review of Sarkisian’s expense reports from his years at Washington showed a steady acquisition of alcohol on his trips, ranging from mild indulgences to lavish liquor purchases, sometimes before lunch.
The hallowed USC football program has five AP national championships and more than a century of proud history, but it has endured turmoil for most of the past six years since Carroll left the school for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 2009.
This isn’t terribly surprising, given an earlier incident this offseason when Sarkisian apologized for apparent drunken behavior at a booster event and promised to seek treatment at the time. LINE: Notre Dame -6.5ABOUT USC (3-2): Kessler is coming off his worst performance of the season and was held to 156 yards passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 17-12 home loss to Washington last week.
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The Irish played a disgusting game last November, falling 49-14 at Southern California, for their first four-game skid in his tenure as coach.
