Since Clay Helton was made USC’s full-time football coach in November, his team has gone 1-6.
It is a slow start that has left a fervent fanbase frustrated.
But as pressure has intensified, Helton said he understands the disappointment.
“I know the expectations of ’SC, and I’m a realist,” Helton said this week. “We’re in a production-based business. If you don’t win, especially at this level, there’s going to be griping, and it’s well deserved.”
The decision to remove the interim tag from Helton was popular late last season. Two days before the official announcement, the Trojans had finished atop the Pac-12 South with a victory over rival UCLA.