It's strange seeing Clay Helton cornered.
After all the coaching shenanigans of the last few seasons, USC needed some certainty, a routine. A bit of boring wouldn't be a bad thing wafting from the coach's office. In this case, call it bald and boring.
At times, it seems that Helton's football world view doesn't extend much beyond a spring drill he recently installed to test everyone's manhood.
USC's coach tipped the defense on what was coming: power runs to the right. No deception. No fakes. Over and over. Go ahead, try to shut it down.
"We're either going to make 10 yards," Helton told the defense, "or you're going to stop us."
So, who won? "It was pretty even. The offense had a good run about four times in a row. Then the defense got pissed off."
That scene tells you most of what you need to know about Helton's stripped-down Trojans. They're more about jumping the snap count than groovin' on Snapchat. Consider them more gladiator, less glam.
"Choosing a coach is an inexact science," former USC athletic director Pat Haden said Nov. 30, the day he elevated Helton from interim to full-time coach. "In Clay's case, there is exactness."
That's why it's fun to see Helton squirm when the subject of company cars is raised. As the Trojans' offensive coordinator, he was perfectly happy driving a Ford Expedition until it was suggested the USC head coach had a certain image to project.
Helton was quickly switched into to a Mercedes from Fletcher Jones Motorcars in Newport Beach, California. The man bent on sweeping the last remnants of Hollywood out of USC football has missed a spot.
Just check his parking space.
"I'll do it for Mr. Jones and for the university, but I really like that truck," Helton said. "I'm just a ball coach. Just give me a good Ford, and I'm happy."
Whichever way this sea change by the sea goes, the preceding story will eventually shrink to the size of a small offseason anecdote. For all his physical leanings, this 43-year-old father of three -- a son of physical Southern football -- understands half this job is finesse.
Win championships, sure, but there is more to it. Helton is the latest to bear the weight of a tradition on a scale with Alabama or Texas or Oklahoma.
Suddenly, Helton has to manage the clock, the media and the expectations. The last two guys to have the job -- both his former bosses, Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian -- ultimately couldn't balance it all.
"There are probably about four or five places you just say the name ... [USC is] a Walt Disney World for coaches," he said. "You always dream of being there."
Kiffin and Sarkisian had their moments, but their career arcs cratered at USC. Helton being the third Trojans' coach in less than six years marks USC's biggest upheaval in that department in more than a century.
A program built on stability has to be re-stabilized in a hurry. Despite an 8-6 finish in 2015, the Trojans will be favored by many to win a second consecutive Pac-12 South title ... at least.
"My least favorite word in the world right now is 'talent,'" Helton explained. "I've heard 'talent' [here] for six years."
What Helton really wants is a group of ballers, so much so the players developed the hashtag #allaboutball. No one with pretense may apply. USC quarterbacks will play under center. Fourth quarters will be about grinding down the opponent with the running game.
It is not a philosophy unfamiliar to USC. Student Body Right was essentially a real-world version of Helton's spring drill.
"Growing up," Clay continued, "I remember the names -- Marcus Allen, Junior Seau, Willie McGinest, Ronnie Lott. Blue collar, toughness, physicality. That's what I hope we get back to."
Upon Helton's hiring, Keyshawn Johnson told the L.A. Times, "We don't need a rock star coach. We make coaches rock stars."
Helton is definitely more rock than star. For most of those six seasons, he was the guy hiding in plain sight. Hired to Kiffin's first staff in 2010, Helton had spent the previous decade at Memphis -- not exactly a football giant.
He was the quiet assistant who'd built his rep in increments. As a player, he quarterbacked both Auburn and Houston. As a son, he played for his dad, Kim, at Houston.
Matt Barkley thrived with Helton as his position coach at USC. Helton was then the calming influence when Ed Orgeron wasn't hired full-time to replace Kiffin in 2013.
Orgeron quit after eight games as interim. When the Las Vegas Bowl rolled around, Helton was the Trojans' third coach that season -- that after USC went 41 years (1960-2000) using only five coaches.
When Sarkisian flamed out last season, Helton was picked again as the interim. He went 5-2, leading the Trojans to wins over No. 3 Utah and UCLA to clinch that division title.
Summoned to Haden's office the next morning, Helton was so fired up about signing his first head coaching contract, he forgot to read it.
That could have been bad news for super agent Jimmy Sexton, who attached himself to Helton long ago.
"It took me about a half second [to sign]," Helton said. "Jimmy called me later and said, 'Do you want me to look at it? I told him I'd send it to him, but it's already done."
Helton now has to feel like one of the most experienced coaches ever to enter his first full season. He is 6-4 overall as the Trojans' interim coach over the past three seasons.
"I learned more offensively under Sark and Lane Kiffin than I did in the previous 15 years as a coach," Helton said. "To me, they were offensive geniuses."
There are different levels of genius. Personal demons have driven Sarkisian out of the game.
Helton's first full season begins against Saban, Kiffin and Alabama on Sept. 3 in Arlington, Texas.
For all of his iron fist bluster, Helton has reopened doors -- mostly to parents and former players at practice. That's the way it used to be at USC before the dark days of probation.
In a quiet moment, Helton even admitted that if Snoop Dogg or Will Ferrell showed up, they'd be welcome -- just like the old days.
"Hey, it's your opportunity to drive the car," Helton said as he prepares to carry on that tradition, "and it's a really nice car."
Even if the one he drives is only a Mercedes.
