SANTA CLARA — USC coach Clay Helton could breathe a sigh of relief after a 31-28 victory over Stanford on Friday night in the Pac-12 championship game.

But he will feel even better when he sees what USC athletic director Lynn Swann said after another sloppy victory.

“We’ve got a head coach we’re going to keep,” Swann said after the game.

Whether or not Swann meant it, this puts him on the record supporting Helton. Multiple sources reported during the season that Swann was unhappy with Helton but knew it was not possible to make a change when USC is 11-2.

“I want to follow the model of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Swann said. “They’ve had three coaches since the 1960’s.”

But what about USC’s much-maligned assistant coaches?

“I don’t call plays or hire assistant coaches,” Swann said.

Again, this does not square with what other sources have said. Swann is believed to be unhappy with several defensive coaches among others but now he is on record as keeping out of such matters.

And what about the Trojans’ repeated penalties and other mistakes that occur on a weekly basis?

“The coach will fix that,” Swann said.

Perhaps this is where Swann left himself an opening because if he does not see progress next season he can say a change is necessary.

Why was this a key area of discussion on a night when USC won its first conference title since 2008? Because the atmosphere around the program has become toxic as some staff members felt dissatisfaction over the direction of the program despite the win-loss record.

Swann has also not been shy speaking to some about the sometimes loose-ship run by Helton.

Whether or not coaching changes happen remains to be seen, but Friday night’s game perfectly illustrated the highs and lows of USC during the season.

The Trojans squeaked out another victory when it looked in the first half like they would comfortably put away the Cardinal. But the Trojans never do comfortable. Instead, they simply rely on quarterback Sam Darnold to bail them out.

Darnold looked NFL-ready Friday night as he continually rescued the Trojans and Helton with big plays to squash Stanford comebacks.

But in typical USC fashion, the heroics usually come with a sour aftertaste.

Perhaps the play that best personified these Trojans occurred in the fourth quarter when Stanford tailback Bryce Love fumbled at the USC 11-yard line. Stanford recovered because most of USC’s players were too busy celebrating the tackle instead of watching the ball pop loose.

USC’s athleticism saved the day, however, as defensive end Uchenna Nwosu tackled tailback Cameron Scarlett short of the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Did it matter that Stanford star tailback Bryce Love was hurt and unable to be on the field for the key play? Perhaps, but give USC’s much-maligned defense its due.

And give a shout out to its young receivers. Sophomore receiver Michael Pittman set a Pac-12 championship game record with 146 yards receiving.

“I didn’t even know what the record was,” Pittman said.

In the play of the game, Darnold stood calmly in his end zone between two Stanford defenders and lofted a pass to a wide open Pittman for a 54-yard gain that erased the Cardinal’s momentum in the fourth quarter and sparked a 99-yard drive that gave the Trojans a two-score lead with less than five minutes left.

“The coaches are trusting me more,” Pittman said. “I think Sam should win the Heisman.”

Pittman caught a 7-yard touchdown and more importantly, had a 40-yard reception on a third-and-6 situation in the first half. Freshman Tyler Vaughns also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass.

It’s worth remembering USC stubbornly did not start Vaughns until senior Steven Mitchell got hurt and did not start Pittman until a few days after his father expressed dissatisfaction with how the coaches handled his son. Surely, it was a coincidence.

“(My dad) had my best interests at heart,” Pittman said.

USC looked exactly as it did in so many games this season. The Trojans should have been ahead by a couple touchdowns but were instead locked in a tight game.

The punt returns were incredibly ill-advised as Ajene Harris actually ran backward on one play and got tackled at his own 3-yard line.

This is the type of play USC needs to fix or maybe Swann will order Helton to do something about it after the season.