USC falls apart in Utah, loses lead in Pac-12 South

The Trojans opened their matchup against the Utes strong, taking a 14-point lead early in the game. But USC slowly let the lead slip out of its hands, allowing 34 unanswered points in a 41-28 loss at Utah on Saturday.

The loss has serious Pac-12 implications for the Trojans. Heading into the night a game ahead of the Utes, they will now need to rely on a Utah conference loss in order to have a chance to win the Pac-12 South.

JT Daniels left the game in the fourth quarter with a possible concussion – Josh Dunst | Daily Trojan

USC lost freshman quarterback JT Daniels with a possible concussion in the fourth quarter, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Matt Fink played the last several series.

The second half showed a USC defense that ran out of gas after a tough first 30 minutes. The Utah offense was able to march down the field drive-after-drive to continuously pin up points. The offensive pressure started with the very first drive resulting in a touchdown to extend the Utes lead to 27-14. Utah maintained control throughout the second half to close out the win.

After at 14-point first quarter, USC’s offense was non-existent. The lack of production forced the defense to spend an increasing amount of time on the field, which allowed the Utes to lay into the Trojans. The USC offense recorded just 73 rushing yards and 132 passing yards compared to Utah which more than tripled the Trojans with 196 on the ground and 341 through the air.

USC’s first offensive drive left much to be desired after being penalized before snapping the ball. The Trojans were quickly stymied with pass rush pressure and solid defense in the secondary.

Senior linebacker Cam Smith, who sat out last week with a hamstring injury, was not listed as a starter but came in on USC’s first defensive drive. He left the game not long after.

The Trojans first score came after a fourth-and-1 stop by junior defensive end Christian Rector to grant the Trojan offense great field position. A face mask penalty against Utah advanced the Trojans to the 34-yard-line. Daniels completed a 34-yard pass to junior wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., which slipped through the hands of two Utah defenders, after nearly being sacked for a big loss.

Jay Tufele runs in for a touchdown after recovering a fumble. – Josh Dunst | Daily Trojan

On the ensuing drive, USC’s pass rush was too much for junior quarterback Tyler Huntley to handle, as junior inside linebacker John Houston Jr. stripped the ball. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jay Tufele recovered the ball and scored a 48-yard touchdown to add to the Trojans’ early lead.

The Utes quickly responded with a 46-yard touchdown pass, to sophomore wide receiver Britain Covey after a missed tackle by senior Ajene Harris.

That solid defense was lost halfway through the second quarter as a missed sack from Rector allowed the Utes to break into the red zone and ultimately score a touchdown at the hands of Huntley on an run-pass option that the Trojans couldn’t handle. This granted the Utes a 17-14 lead over the Trojans.

The last two drives of the first half ended in field goal attempts, with USC missing its attempt and the Utes adding another 3 points to close the first half with a 20-14 lead.

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