No. 19 Utah Undermines No. 20 USC
The No. 20 USC football team (5-3, 4-2) suffered its second loss of the season in the final 10 ticks of regulation, as the Trojans faltered against the No. 19 Utah Utes 24-21 Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah. After leading for majority of regulation, a 1-yd touchdown pass with 8 seconds remaining was the difference maker to topple the Trojans.
The USC offense took the field at its own 11 yard line with 7:00 to play along with the comfort of a 21-17 lead in hopes of running out the clock and registering a game-sealing score. Redshirt junior running back Javorius "Buck" Allen cut into the time, piecing together a string of short runs to contribute to his 100-yd day that carried him over the 1000 yard mark for the season, surrounded by conservative throws by redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler that helped move the ball into Utah territory. Faced with a third and two, head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to abandon the run game and Kessler's throw landed well short of his intended target, setting up a difficult fourth down.
Foregoing a 42-yd field goal attempt, Kessler and the Trojan offense lined up for the fourth down attempt where the ball was pitched to junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor out of the back field. Agholor busted around the edge, but stepped out of bounds a yard shy of the first down marker, giving the ball back to the Utes on their own 28 with just over 2 minutes to play.
"We made the calls we made, we believed in them," said Sarkisian, who noted that the strong winds were the primary reason for attempting the fourth down play. "In the end we didn't get it done."
Having relied on the work of running back Devontae Booker for most of the night, Utah looked to the junior to continue its success on the final drive. Booker strung together a combination of a short run with a 17-yd reception that moved the Utes into striking distance at the Trojan 36, where quarterback Travis Wilson took over.
After completing two passes to move the ball inside the USC redzone, Wilson called his own number, scrambling around the left side for a big gain and lunging at the pylon in the corner of the endzone. Ruled out of bounds at the half-yard line with 15 seconds remaining, Booker attempted a rush up the middle and was swallowed up by a swarm of Trojan defenders, forcing the Utes to burn their final timeout.
With options limited after the pause in action, Wilson took the shotgun snap and found an open receiver who squirted free in the endzone for the decisive 1-yd touchdown pass to seal Utah's 24-21 victory.
The first score of the game was registered by the home squad, after a Kessler pass to sophomore Darreus Rogers that fell to the ground was ruled a backward pass. Unaware that the play was not blown dead, USC players made no effort to tackle the Utah defender who scooped the loose ball and returned it 53 yards for the score on the second play of the game.
"I've never seen it before," said Sarkisian. "Never seen it happen before and it happened."
Digging themselves in an early hole, the Trojan offense quickly responded on their next drive. Behind big completions to Agholor and redshirt senior tight end Randall Telfer that advanced the ball into striking distance, Kessler found true freshman Juju Smith for the shoestring catch that he corralled for a 10-yd score.
Following a 24-yd field goal by Utah midway through the second quarter, freshman utility Adoree Jackson returned the Utes kickoff 100 yards for the Trojan touchdown to give USC the 14-10 advantage. Jackson's score was the third 100-yd scoring play in school history, joining the company of Marqise Lee and Anthony Davis.
The Trojan's redzone defense played a pivotal role in allowing USC to stay in contention to pull off the road victory. After Utah found its way within reaching distance of the USC endzone, the Cardinal and Gold forced two fumbles on the one yard line to thwart the Utes' effort. Senior linebacker J.R. Tavai punched the first one out of Booker's grasps in the early going followed by a Jackson strip-and-recovery when a Ute receiver was fighting to get into the endzone to keep the Trojan lead at 14-10.
"We're either going to come together or crumble," said Kessler after the thriller. "I think with the leadership this team has, we'll come together."
USC will be back in action Saturday, traveling to Pullman, Washington to take on the Washington State Cougars in a PAC-12 battle at 1:30 p.m.
Final Stats
USC
Cody Kessler: 24/32, 264 yds, 2 TDs, 1 int
Javorius "Buck" Allen: 27 carries, 101 yds
Nelson Agholor: 10 receptions (career-high), 110 yds
Utah
Travis Wilson: 18/32, 194 yds, 1 TD
Devontae Booker: 26 carries, 102 yds, 1 TD
