Lincoln Riley Makes Desperate Clay Helton Plea After HC Confirms Quadruple Injury Blow

USC, at the moment, is giving it back to all the doubters about Lincoln Riley’s testing 4 season. Coming off a gallant win against Missouri State, the Trojans will be facing an opponent with a unique link to the program. Former USC and current Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton will return home to a heated atmosphere. Lincoln Riley, however, has a loud and clear message for fans.

Helton is coming back to the Coliseum for the first time since he was fired as USC’s head coach in 2021. After a series of underperforming seasons at the helm, and failing to restore USC’s national glory, Helton left in 2021 after 2 games. His 49-24 record in a program that was once an indomitable presence in the Pac-12 obviously didn’t sit well with fans. Though calls for his firing began long ago. It was only after a loss to rival Stanford in 2021 that forced former AD Mike Bohn to take the call.

Now that he returns as an opponent, Riley urged fans to ensure the vibe doesn’t become unruly. Riley told the press recently that he wanted fans to “react with a lot of appreciation” when Helton steps foot in his former home. “I want him to know he’s appreciated by this place and always will be,” he said. Riley also claimed that Helton was in charge of things when “he didn’t have all the advantages that the outside world thought USC had.”

Only 2 out of his 7 seasons at USC finished in double-digits. He even won the Pac-12 Conference Championship game in 2017, bringing some stability to the once-elite program since the Pete Carroll era. The next year, however, the Trojans plummeted to a 5-7 score. At Georgia Southern, though Helton has faired averagely. He is now at a 20-20 record after an opening loss to Fresno State.

“[…] There were successes. There were failures, and that happens over 12 years. But the gratitude I had just to be a part of it, that was what’s hit me the most,” Helton told The Los Angeles Times ahead of his return to the Coliseum. He also has struck an off-the-field rapport with Lincoln Riley, as they both golf together. Riley, just like Helton, is already facing a lot of heat for his failures. Ahead of this interesting game, Riley will see some losses.

Some key players’ absences hit Lincoln Riley’s prep for Georgia Southern

Though USC is the projected winner of this Week 2 matchup, Riley will be missing a few players to injury. WR Prince Strachan is out with an ankle injury, and joining him are CB Alex Graham, kicker Caden Chittenden. RB Bryan Jackson’s status is ‘doubtful’, as of now. All of them were important pieces in the depth charts.

Strachan, for example, was looking for a breakout year this season. Coming from 2-year Boise State career, he had 37 catches in 578 yards and 3 TDs under his belt. The WR room already has the strong duo of Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon. Strachan has proved to be a serious boon for Boise State, and made for a key player in the depth. In the RB room, Jackson was an extremely important element alongside Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders.

This year, Lincoln Riley cannot afford another mediocre season at USC. He has to defeat Georgia Southern, so that the win acts as a safety blanket for when the season gets turbulent. The HC is urging fans to recognise Helton for his contributions, but they’ll still carry some resentment for his failures.