USC halts No. 7 Utah's unbeaten run, 42-24
LOS ANGELES — Breaking down USC's 42-24 win Saturday against No. 7 and previously unbeaten Utah:
THE BIG PICTURE: On Saturday, a betting line that looked curious when it came out last Sunday and yet had actually increased to a touchdown by kickoff. But talent is talent, and that still matters in football. The Trojans were fast and skilled, and their defense feasted on Utah quarterback Travis Wilson, who reverted to his uneven form of years past in a nightmare second quarter.
Utah still has a very clear path to the Pac-12 South title and is by no means out of the College Football Playoff race, but the Utes were exposed a bit on Saturday and will absolutely not survive down the stretch unless Wilson throws with more accuracy and takes care of the ball.
Though this was USC’s best performance of the season given the opponent, it probably doesn’t change much long-term. The Trojans played desperately with their season on the line and could potentially win out and make the Pac 12 title game, but this is still an inconsistent program that has underachieved to be 4-3 and will make a coaching change at the end of the year.
WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT: The Pac-12’s playoff chances. Are they teetering? With Utah going down, every team in the league now has a loss. Plus, there is only other one-loss team in Stanford. That means, unless both of those teams somehow win out, there is a very good chance the Pac-12 champion will have at least two losses and could be in jeopardy of missing the College Football Playoff. Utah, with that valuable non-conference win against Michigan, could still have the schedule strength to get in as a one-loss team. But what does it say about the Utes to get blown out this way by an injured and previously struggling team from USC?
THE DECIDING PLAY: With 3:37 remaining in the third quarter, USC interim coach Clay Helton faced a crucial choice. Up 28-17 and facing fourth-and-goal inside the 1, a field goal would have solidified a two-touchdown lead, but a touchdown would have all but ended the game. On the other hand, if USC had been stuffed against a very good front seven, Utah would have had life to mount a comeback. Helton gambled after a timeout, calling quarterback Cody Kessler’s number on a sneak. Kessler got into the end zone — barely and after a review — giving the Trojans a 35-17 lead.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: USC true freshman linebacker Cameron Smith was a four-star recruit from Granite Bay, Calif. — northeast of Sacramento — who chose the Trojans over offers from pretty much the entire Pac-12. He looked like a future star on Saturday, making the two biggest plays of the game to turn the momentum in the Trojans’ favor. With Utah leading 14-7 in the second quarter, Smith read Wilson’s eyes in the middle of the field and jumped in front for an interception, returning it 51 yards to set up a tying touchdown. That gave the Trojans some life, as they promptly took a 21-14 lead.
Utah, trying to sneak in a score before halftime, got aggressive and put the ball in Wilson’s hands on fourth down from USC’s 45 with just over a minute left. But Wilson made another terrible throw and Smith another great read in the middle of the field, taking it back all the way for a 54-yard touchdown return and a 28-14 lead.
Smith remarkably added a third interception with 8:50 remaining after the game had gotten out of hand.
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