Pac-12 Championship Wednesday: Notes

The Trojans hit the practice field for the final time before their Friday night battle for the Pac-12 Championship.

Helton said the team is in "good spirits" and praised them for a good week of work.

The Trojans are more mature than the last time they faced Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship. "There are not a lot of individuals on this football team. They win games because they're one organism working together. That family culture is the biggest thing that I take away over the last two years of them playing together as one team rather than as individuals," said Helton.

The Trojans' goal each and every year is Championships, but Helton is proud of the progression that has been made. "When you look at back-to-back 10 win seasons, when you look at 'you weren't in this game last season and now you are', to be able to have two undefeated seasons in the Coliseum, two back-to-back Novembers undefeated, you are providing consistency within a program and you are taking steps forward. That's what I want to see each and every year," said Helton.

QB Sam Darnold played well against Stanford earlier in the season and Helton attributes that to having a reliable run game. "It provided some one-on-one matchups. You looked up and all of a sudden it was a one-on-one drill all over the park, as far as throwing the ball, and that's not a lot of confusion for a quarterback."

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