20 crashed Utah No. 7 USC 43-42 to achieve one of the biggest upsets of the season and dominate the Pac-12 race. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising threw for 415 yards and added five touchdowns in total as he beat Caleb Williams on the USC’s Caleb Williams.
Utah lost tight end star Dalton Kinkade in their final drive to the game after 16 shots for 234 yards and a touchdown. Regardless, running back Micah Bernard succeeded in putting together a handful of lunges to prepare a one-yard track from Rising for the touchdown. Instead of playing overtime, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham requested a two-point transfer which Rising also did for the match win.
USC had one final push to kick a game-winning field goal and was awarded a first, plus a few extra seconds, shortly after the referee. Utah managed to pressure Williams in the final games, however, to exit Salt Lake City, Utah, with a 3-1 Pac-12 record and tiebreaker in a crucial conference title match against USC.
Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns on a losing attempt. Wide receivers Mario Williams and Jordan Addison both provided 100-yard runs; However, Edison came out in the third quarter with an obvious lower body injury. Michael Jackson III came under attack late but the Trojan attack struggled to find consistency as they suffered their first Lincoln Riley era loss on Saturday.
emotional moment
When the clock reached zero, the players from both teams were overwhelmed by emotion. For Utah, finding a way to win the game after losing 21-7 in the first half was a good change after struggling with losses to Florida and UCLA. But most importantly, the victory came while getting dressed hand painted helmets Celebrating fallen teammates Aaron Lowe and T Jordan, something Kincaid found himself emotional about after the match.
On the sidelines of USC, Williams tried to cover his tears with his helmet, but it was clear how much the loss took its toll. He was nearly perfect with over 400 yards and five touchdowns in just 50 touches. But as one of the most scrutinized players in college football after moving out of Oklahoma with Riley, his failure to score in the final round would be the only thing on his mind for another week.
Clock control
The end result may not reflect that, but Utah suspended an anchor for the game to prevent things from getting out of hand. The Trojans received only four drives in the second half as Utis held the ball for more than 18 minutes and 43 times to keep the powerful USC attack on the sidelines.
The Trojans scored touchdowns in two of their first three leaders in the inning. After Utes scored a two-point conversion, he hit USC once. That’s all it needed Utah to take the lead. It wouldn’t give up. The best plan for teams to limit a high-strength USC attack is to simply keep it on the sidelines.
Effects of Pac-12
USC was quietly making its way into the College Football Extension discussion, perhaps jumping into the top four with a convincing win. However, the loss means Utah gains a tie-breaker advantage over USC while fighting for the berth of the Pac-12 Championship Game.
While Utah had two losses, one came while playing without a conference against Florida. The other came against UCLA, a team the Trojans haven’t played yet. Oregon also remains undefeated in team play, although the Ducks host the Bruins next week. Earning a tie-breaker could make all the difference in the Pac-12 title race as the league moves to a no-branch setting to determine the champion.
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