LOS ANGELES (AP) – Clay Helton will remain the head coach of Southern California after the first lost season of the Trojans since 2000.

USC Sports Director Lynn Swann made the announcement on Sunday, one day after the Trojans finished 5-7 with a tight defeat against Notre Dame.

Despite the widespread dissatisfaction with Helton among USC boosters and supporters, Swann chose to keep the coach in trouble. Nine months ago, Swann extended his contract until 2023 with Helton, aged 32 to 17, and occupying his first position as head coach.

The Helton Trojans won the Rose Bowl two seasons ago, winning a series of nine consecutive wins. They won the Pac-12 title last season. But USC have lost five of their last six games this season, limited by two straight defeats against arch-rivals UCLA and Notre Dame.

"I am a strong advocate of uniformity within a program, I am supported by a leader, I support him and I help him and their team to progress," he said. Swann in a statement. "A season does not define a coach."

Swann's decision extended the improbable reign of the brilliant long-time assistant at the top of the West Coast's most renowned university football program. Helton was the offensive coordinator of the Trojans when he was suddenly promoted to head coach during the 2015 season after Steve Sarkisian's dismissal following a series of alcohol-related criminal behaviors.

Helton immediately brought stability and professionalism to a program that had been upset several times since the departure of Pete Carroll six years ago. His 21 wins in his first two seasons were the most marked by a coach from USC history.

Yet, Helton never conquered an important part of the USC fan base, which felt that his two years of success rested on the shoulders of the formidable raw talent base of the Trojans and over the years. Quarterback Sam Darnold. The collapse of the Trojans in the second half without Darnold this season seemed to confirm these beliefs for many boosters, but Swann preferred stability to another wave of turmoil for his marquee program.

"We recognize and understand our shortcomings in areas such as culture, discipline, diets, staff and staff," said Swann. "We agree that changes need to be made, and they will, we will improve and we will improve in all areas." Coach Helton has put together a plan to bring the USC back to the top.

The Trojans' slide culminated in a 24-17 loss to the Irish, who were fighting third in the Coliseum on Saturday night in their annual intersectional rivalry match. USC played well for Helton in the season finale, but failed to qualify for the bowl – an unthinkable failure at the prestigious Pac-12 school, which only knew four seasons lost since 1961.

A banner advocating Helton's fire was placed over the Colosseum before the Trojans faced Notre-Dame. Helton was booed as he was leaving the Colosseum field after the loss, but he responded with the school's "Fight On" gesture.

"We understand that the championships are what is expected and deserved at USC," said Helton in a statement. "I met with Mr. Swann and discussed changes and improvements, and our staff, our players, and I will work tirelessly during the off-season to form a disciplined football team at the championship level. I really believe that with the continued development of the talent we have in this team, the best is yet to come.Our number one goal is to win championships and we will not settle for anything. "

Swann has supported Helton several times publicly during the season despite the unusual nature of their partnership. Swann inherited from Helton when he resumed the athletic department of his alma mater in July 2016, but the new AD has always been a lucrative extension of Helton last February.

The Trojans had won their first 19 home games under Helton, before losing their last three games in a row, before reducing the crowds at the Coliseum, which is undergoing an expensive makeover this year to urge donors and fans to buy tickets. season and suites.

The Helton Trojans have lost some eminently win-and-away home games against Arizona State and California in the last five weeks, before a 34-27 loss last weekend against a two-game winning team in the annual showdown between Los Angeles and Crosstown.

A win in any of these three games could have made the Trojans eligible. Instead, USC will not participate in a bocce game for a season without an NCAA playoff ban for the first time since 2000 – the last season of coach Paul Hackett's term before Carroll took over. over.

Helton, named coach of the quarterbacks by Lane Kiffin in 2010, led the USC to a win at the Las Vegas Bowl late 2013 at a passing match after the coach Acting Chief Ed Orgeron had left the program when Sarkisian was hired as Kiffin. Part-time replacement – a fairly typical development in the tumultuous post-Carroll era of this school.

When Pat Haden, at the time AD, sacked Sarkisian and promoted Helton in 2015, Helton transformed the culture of the program by focusing on a quaint devotion to faith, family, and football. Helton's southern flair did not really appeal to many USC fans, but coach players and recruits seemed to adhere to it, expressing genuine gratitude for Helton's skincare and management skills.

But the results matter most for a USC-style program, and Helton is 12-13 in games with a starting quarterback other than Darnold, who took over in the fourth game of the 2016 season and quickly established himself as one of the best smugglers in the country.