USC Trojans fire head coach Clay Helton

The USC Trojans fell to the Stanford Cardinal 42-28 on Saturday to drop to 1-1 on the season. 

That was enough for USC athletic director Mike Bohn to make a change. 

Via an official statement, Bohn announced Monday that the program has parted ways with head coach Clay Helton. 

"Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to our young men," Bohn said in the statement. "We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best. Consistent with our values as an institution, he deserves the utmost respect from the Trojan Family during this transition." 

Helton guided USC to an overall record of 46-24 during his tenure that, per ESPN, officially began in 2015 and included two stints as interim coach. Associate head coach Donte Williams, who had served as cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator, will be interim head coach for the rest of the season. 

"We will actively and patiently pursue a coach who will deliver on the championship aspirations and expectations we all share for our football program," Bohn added. "With our storied history, our talented roster, and the major investments we've made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I'm optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for USC."