In a bustling hallway outside USC's celebratory locker room, Clay Helton stood alone and took a quiet moment to gather his thoughts.
Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler, standing across the way, apologized to a television reporter for bypassing an interview so that he could share a jubilant moment with victorious teammates.
And then the fifth-year senior turned around, spied Helton and walked toward the interim coach with arms outstretched to share a long, tight embrace.
In a season of turmoil, Helton, Kessler and the Trojans had just defeated rival UCLA with a 40-21 victory at the Coliseum that made USC the Pac-12 Conference South champion.