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Clay Helton's change of pace just what USC needs to climb from Pete Carroll shadow

USC has put the post Pete Carroll-era on a dusty shelf. The school has finally moved on. And that's a good thing.

There was no air of Hollywood permeating the Trojans' spring game on Saturday. No celebrity-filled sidelines or bandwagoners. No canned responses from coaches.

Instead of an episodic spectacle worthy of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, a football scrimmage of which John McKay would approve materialized. Head coach Clay Helton's back-to-basics approach to college football is a welcome respite. USC ran the ball. USC passed the ball. USC did not do anything fancy to disguise deficiencies.