It is the second straight week the Trojans are favored; they were 6 1/2-point favorites over Utah.
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Southern California Trojans linebacker Cameron Smith (35) runs the ball after intercepting the ball against the Utah Utes during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Ronald Jones II, Stockton native Justin Davis and fullback Soma Vainuku rushed for scores to help the Trojans (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) snap their two-game skid and earn a victory for interim coach Clay Helton in his debut game at the Coliseum.
“Thank God for this guy”, Kessler said of Helton. “When they play together like they did tonight, they’re a good football team, they’re hard to beat”. “There’s a lot of talent in that room”.
Trojans’ quarterback Cody Kessler passed for 264 yards amd a score against Utah’s notoriously stingy defense while also recording a rushing touchdown on a fourth and goal. Utah comes in ranked third in the nation and has won three straight Pac-12 games.
USC’s fall from grace has been swift, with the most notable thud coming when coach Steve Sarkisian was first suspended and then fired last week when the school after Sarkisian’s continued problems with alcohol abuse.
USC’s up and down college football season was back up on Saturday night when the Trojans upset the No. 3 team in the country, Utah, in Los Angeles. “He has kept us family”. Smith recorded three interceptions and one touchdown in the game.
“I feel like a few players on the team do feel that way that it has more of a rivalry to it, just because three of the coaches were here”, Whittingham said.
Considering Ohio State and Michigan State square off on Nov. 21, which is the same day Baylor travels to Oklahoma State, and Baylor heads to TCU on Nov. 27 and TCU travels to Oklahoma State on Nov. 7, the possibility of a Power 5 team remaining undefeated is slim among those matchups. The over is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 games overall.
Although there were a few bright spots from the loss, such as Gionni Paul, who had 17 tackles, and Britain Covey, who had 129 yards receiving and two touchdowns, this was not enough to give Utah a shot at winning.
Heisman candidate Travis Wilson had his worst game of the season, throwing for just 154 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
Both ranked among the top 10 nationally in total offense, the teams combined for 1,248 yards in the wild, back-and-forth contest. “We got to punch our next opponent in the mouth”. “I forgot what it feels like to lose”.
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“I used to watch him last year, and I’ve been watching him this year”, Covey said of McCaffrey. “I think we’re doing a great job of that”. The Utes have five games left and have to finish strong, and just like USC got them, he will make sure to get his revenge against the Beavers. Senior running back Devontae Booker is averaging an extraordinary 26.8 carries per game and has rushed for 783 yards and eight touchdowns while also leading the Utes with 23 receptions. That included an 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The quarterback’s throws between the hashes were shaky much of the night, and included a few more miscues that could have ended in Utah turnovers.
