Comebacks and surprises: A look back at most memorable Utah-USC games

It seems like there’s always a lot on the line when Utah and USC match up on the football field.

More than any other series in the Pac-12 Conference for Utah, the annual game between the Utes and Trojans has produced some classic contests.

Utes on the air

No. 14 Utah (5-1)
at No. 18 USC (6-1)
Saturday, 6 p.m. MDT
LA Memorial Coliseum
TV: Fox
Radio: ESPN 700/92.1 FM

Like usual, there’s a lot on the line as Utah heads to LA Memorial Coliseum for one final contest between the two teams before the Trojans depart for the Big Ten and the Utes head to the Big 12. USC is reeling after a 48-20 loss at Notre Dame last Saturday.

No. 14 Utah, which already has a conference loss, can ill afford another one, and No. 18 USC is trying to preserve an undefeated conference record and keep its playoff hopes alive.

“I don’t want to call it a rivalry because I don’t think that’s the situation, but it’s been a great back-and-forth series,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Implications typically every year, most every year. Conference implications, championship implications. Of course we played them in the championship game last year, so it’s turned out to be a very competitive and a very intense football game and I’m sure this year will be no different.”

As the Utes and Trojans gear up to face each other for likely the last time for a while, here’s a look back at eight of the most memorable matchups between the two schools.

2022: No. 11 Utah 47, No. 4 USC 24

A little under two months after a 43-42 regular-season thriller, the Utes and Trojans met again — this time in Las Vegas.

A series of improbable events unfolded on the last week of the regular season, paving the way for Utah to appear in its second straight Pac-12 championship game.

The Trojans, ranked No. 4, entered the contest with just one loss. If USC won, it would likely punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff. Early in the second quarter, it looked on track to do exactly that.

USC led 17-3 and the Utes had just fumbled. The Trojans had the ball in Utah territory and were threatening to blow the game wide open. The Utes held strong as USC went for it on fourth-and-8 from the Utah 37-yard line, QB Caleb Williams’ pass fell incomplete, and the Utes had new life.

Utah took advantage, scoring twice before the halftime break to tie the game up.

After the Utes scored 10 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead with 14:56 left in the game, USC’s offense finally responded, scoring its first points since the second quarter on a 12-yard Williams touchdown pass, cutting the lead to three with 10:52 remaining.

Utah quarterback Cam Rising wouldn’t waste any time, dialing up a play-action pass to Thomas Yassmin, who ran 35 yards after the catch, breaking two tackles on a 60-yard touchdown.

An R.J. Hubert interception on the next USC possession, followed by a Ja’Quinden Jackson 53-yard touchdown run, set off the party for Utah.

2022: No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42

It was going to come down to whoever got the ball last.

Two explosive offenses went blow for blow in one of the most exciting college football games of the season.

USC’s Williams, who would go on to win the Heisman, threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns, while Utah’s Rising threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns, plus added 60 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.

The Trojans broke a 35-35 tie in the fourth quarter with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Michael Jackson III, leaving Utah with six minutes to put together yet another touchdown drive. Utah, which already had two conference losses, could not afford another Pac-12 defeat.

Rising connected with Dalton Kincaid on two key third downs to keep the drive alive, including the third-down conversion that got Utah into the red zone.

After Micah Bernard was stuffed at the 1-yard line on third down, the Utes had one play for the game. Rising took the snap and went untouched into the end zone with 50 seconds left, and the Utes had a choice to make — kick the extra point to send it to overtime or go for the win.

Whittingham did the latter. Rising dropped back to pass on the two-point attempt, then scrambled for the end zone — and the win — in one of the wildest finishes in this series.

2021: Utah 42, USC 26

In Utah’s first game following the death of Aaron Lowe, the Utes played inspired football, winning their first game at the LA Memorial Coliseum since 1916.

“It’s a breath of fresh air after what we’ve been through to see their sheer enjoyment. That’s the best way to describe it,” Whittingham said. “They obviously had Ty (Jordan) and Aaron on their mind. That’s going to be a constant the rest of the season, just keeping their memory alive. To see them have the success they had tonight was great. I think this team needed that.”

Trailing 10-7 with six minutes left in the second quarter, the Utes broke the game wide open, scoring 28 consecutive points.

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Leading 14-10 just before the halftime break, Utah went for it all as Rising handed the ball off to TJ Pledger, who pitched it back to Rising, who hit Devaughn Vele for a 37-yard touchdown to increase Utah’s lead to 21-10.

Rising threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score, while Tavion Thomas rushed for 113 yards and a score in what would be a turning point for Utah’s season. The Utes entered the Week 5 matchup with a 2-2 record, and after beating the Trojans, would lose just one more regular-season game en route to the school’s first-ever Pac-12 championship.

2018: Utah 41, USC 28

For the first time since joining the Pac-12, Utah beat the Trojans by more than a touchdown. USC jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before the Utes, led by quarterback Tyler Huntley, scored six consecutive times to win comfortably at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Trojans went up 14-0 in the first quarter via a 48-yard scoop-and-score by Jay Tufele, but a 46-yard touchdown pass from Huntley to Britain Covey got the Utes settled down.

From there, the Utes’ defense held USC scoreless for two quarters, forcing the Trojans to punt five times and intercepting quarterback JT Daniels twice before the Trojans scored again in the fourth quarter.

Huntley completed 22 of 29 passes for 341 yards and threw four touchdowns. He also ran for another one score in a masterful performance as Utah put up 541 yards of offense.

2017: No. 13 USC 28, Utah 27

Quarterback Troy Williams and Utah jumped out to a 21-7 lead over the Trojans before Sam Darnold and No. 13 USC rallied for the win at the Coliseum.

Marquise Blair got things started by running a Darnold fumble 18 yards for a touchdown before Darnold responded with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Petite to tie the game.

Williams caught a touchdown pass from Demari Simpkins and later threw a touchdown pass to Simpkins, and Utah had a 21-7 lead at halftime.

The Trojans chipped away at the Utes lead, as Utah punted on four straight drives. Darnold connected with Petite again in the third quarter for a touchdown, scrambling to evade the Utah rush before throwing the touchdown pass.

Early in the fourth quarter, Darnold tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Josh Falo, and then the Trojans took a 28-21 lead with just under five minutes remaining on a Ronald Jones II rushing score.

Williams engineered an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that featured a 37-yard completion to Siale Fakailoatonga on fourth down to set up a Williams rushing touchdown with 42 seconds in the game.

Down one, Whittingham opted to go for two and the win. Williams tried to scramble for the end zone but was stopped short and the Trojans held on for the win.

2016: No. 24 Utah 31, USC 27

No. 24 Utah rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and turned in a classic finish.

It was Darnold vs. Williams again, this one at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes were down by as many as 14 points after Darnold ran for an 8-yard score in the third quarter.

Later in the quarter, Utah running back Armand Shyne fumbled on the goal line, but in the ensuing pileup, offensive lineman Isaac Asiata emerged with the ball, resulting in a Utah touchdown.

A Matt Boermeester field goal at the start of the fourth quarter meant Utah had to overcome a 10-point deficit to win. The Utes went to work, as Williams found Raelon Singleton for a 10-yard touchdown to cap off a 75-yard drive, cutting the deficit to three points.

Utah’s defense forced the Trojans to punt, and Williams and company got the ball at their own 7-yard line with 5:30 to play, and Williams engineered the game-winning drive.

Facing third-and-15 at the USC 49-yard-line with three minutes left, Williams completed a pass to Singleton for 14 yards, then Shyne converted the fourth-down run.

With 45 seconds left, Utah again faced a fourth-and-1, and this time, Zack Moss came through with a 5-yard run to set the Utes up at the Trojan 18-yard-line with time ticking.

Tim Patrick, one on one with Adoree Jackson, was able to win the matchup, Williams delivered the ball perfectly and the Utes won in exciting fashion.

2014: No. 19 Utah 24, No. 20 USC 21

In a matchup of two top-20 teams, No. 19 Utah defeated No. 20 USC at Rice-Eccles Stadium thanks to another last-minute, game-winning touchdown drive, this time by quarterback Travis Wilson.

The Utes and Trojans went back and forth through the first three quarters. Utah’s Davion Orphey scored on a 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown on USC’s first drive of the game but Adoree Jackson put the Trojans ahead 14-10 in the second quarter on a 100-yard kick return touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans regained the lead, going up 21-17 on a touchdown pass from Cody Kessler to Darreus Rogers, which capped off a 73-yard drive.

With two minutes left in the game, the Utes forced a crucial stop. The Trojans gambled and went for it, up four, on fourth-and-2 from Utah’s 28-yard-line. Nelson Agholor was short, and Utah had two minutes to go 73 yards for the win.

The Utes marched down the field, getting to USC’s 36-yard-line via a 17-yard pass from Wilson to Devontae Booker. Wilson completed two crucial passes, the first a 10-yard strike to Dres Anderson, and the second a 7-yard pass to Kenneth Scott.

On second-and-3, Wilson ran 19 yards, first looking like he got in for the touchdown — he was ruled short at the 1-yard-line after review — as Fox Sports announcer Gus Johnson exclaimed “Hercules!”

Wilson rolled out to his right and hit a wide-open Kaelin Clay with eight seconds left to win the game.

2011: USC 23, Utah 14

Utah’s first conference game as a member of the new Pac-12 was a thriller.

Jordan Wynn and the Utes battled Matt Barkley and the Trojans at the Coliseum. USC led for much of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and building a 17-7 advantage in the third.

Utah responded with a John White IV rushing touchdown midway through the third period, set up by a 51-yard run by Reggie Dunn, that cut the Trojans’ lead to three points.

Neither team could do much on offense from that point on, with nine consecutive punts.

With 1:11 left in the game, starting at Utah’s 33-yard-line, Wynn led a drive down the field, completing a pass to DeVonte Christopher on fourth down that kept the drive alive.

After that, a pass interference penalty set the Utes up for a 41-yard field goal attempt to tie the game with 11 seconds left, but Coleman Petersen’s kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown by USC.