The imperious Kiffin created or endured numerous controversies before getting fired by Haden at the airport after a game in 2013. Petersen’s unranked Huskies then beat USC in the coaches’ first meeting last Thursday.
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A few of USC’s, ahem, finer moments seem to happen in Tempe.
News circulated from player to player by way of texts and phone calls, further jolting a highly touted team that had already stumbled to a 3-2 record, slipping out of the national rankings. The focus right now is Notre Dame.
Now he must not only rally players but also assistants who are no doubt anxious about their futures. Big changes could be on the horizon for USC, and what the Trojans do now will be watched by everyone around college football. “We all have to respect Pat Haden and (senior associate athletic director) J.K. McKay and the decision that they made and hope they are moving in the right direction and Sark can get things back together so he can get back on the sideline”. I wouldn’t’ have hired him otherwise.
“It was a great learning experience”, he said, “and I walked away from it a better coach”.
Helton stepped in and led the Trojans to a 45-20 victory over No. 21 Fresno State.
It appears that the rocky Steve Sarkisian era at USC is already over.
Today Haden said in a statement that firing Sarkisian “is in the best interest of the university and our student-athletes”.
Sarkisian apologised for being drunk and using “inappropriate language” at a booster event in late August, and ESPN also reported that staff suspected Sarkisian was drunk for USC’s 42-14 win over Arizona State on 26 September. He was 12-6 at USC.
The quarterback tried and tried again to be what BYU needed him to be that season.
A former assistant at USC under Pete Carroll, Sarkisian returned as coach of the team after the 2013 season following a four-year spell at Washington.
Offensive Coordinator Clay Helton will take over in the mean time as interim head coach.
Clay Helton was officially introduced as USC’s interim head coach on Tuesday.
Sarkisian was “not healthy” when he showed up for work on Sunday, Haden said at the time, with the Los Angeles Daily News reporting more specifically that Sarkisian was “not sober” at the start of a special teams meeting.
“It breaks my heart to see how this has gone”. Pat Haden has been doing an outstanding job in leading Trojan Athletics in the past five years and I want to take this opportunity to reiterate my unwavering support for him.
Sarkisian has been rumored to have arrived to team facilities intoxicated for Sunday’s practice and was not present for the remainder of the practice. Sarkisian was originally asked to take an indefinite leave of absence as he dealt with health- and alcohol-related issues.
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“My son turned down several schools to come play for Coach Sarkisian”, one parent told the website. “A few of the earlier mistakes he had then, they just never stopped”, the source said.
