Why national media say Utah-USC could come down to who ‘imposes its brand of football’
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It might be the final conference game between the two programs — that’s just one of several compelling storylines when No. 14 Utah plays at No. 18 USC on Saturday.
There’s plenty more at stake when the Utes and Trojans face each other at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (6 p.m. MDT, Fox) in a game that’s sure to have implications beyond this weekend.
That’s why the national media is talking about the latest matchup between two programs, who have turned in several thrilling contests in a short time as fellow Pac-12 members.
What about this year’s game? Here’s what several national experts had to say.
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Who will impose its will?
Both teams come into the game with a loss on their ledger — Utah is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Pac-12 play after beating California 34-14 last week.
USC, meanwhile, is 6-1 overall after a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame last Saturday, while the Trojans are 4-0 in conference play.
While the Trojans have built their success around an explosive offense, the Utes are defined by a dominating defense.
“Styles make fights, and this game will determine which team imposes its brand of football on its opponent. The Trojans showed last week that they are deficient on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, which led to a blowout loss to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana,” CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee wrote. “However, we all know how explosive the offense can be with quarterback Caleb Williams taking the snaps.
“The Utes want to make every game a rock fight, which typically leads to mistakes from opposing quarterbacks and low-scoring games.”
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura discussed how Utah has ridden its defense to another strong start to the season and has the Utes still in contention for a third straight Pac-12 championship heading into a four-game stretch in which Utah will play at USC, at home against No. 9 Oregon and on the road at No. 5 Washington.
“How good has the Utah defense been? Consider this: The Utes are 5-1 and are ranked No. 14 in the country despite having the nation’s No. 111-ranked scoring offense,” Bonagura wrote. “That’s not possible without an elite defense. The Utes rank No. 5 nationally in scoring (12.2 ppg) and have forced opponents to go three-and-out 46.5% of the time, the third-best mark in the country.”
Why both teams will test each other
Behind reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, USC is averaging 47.3 points per game (second nationally) and 492.6 yards (seventh nationally).
Utah, meanwhile, has locked down its opponents defensively — the Utes lead the country in third-down conversion defense (23.1%), are fifth in scoring defense (12.17 ppg) and are tied for fifth nationally in team sacks (3.67 per game).
“The good news for USC is last week’s misadventure at Notre Dame has no impact on the Pac-12 race. But the bad news is the loss exposed plenty of issues, and the two-time defending league champion Utes will be all too happy to take advantage of them as they look to stay within shouting distance of the lead,” USA Today’s Eddie Timanus wrote.
“... This might be a good night for Utah’s more conventional ground attack, as USC is still surrendering an unsustainable 4.2 yards per rushing attempt. If that proves to be the case, Williams will see his opportunities with the ball limited. It’s also possible that the Trojans’ offense will regain its explosive form and force the Utes into uncomfortable comeback mode. A scenario in between is more likely, resulting in a tense affair.”
The Athletic’s Justin Williams rates the Utah-USC matchup at No. 4 of his top 10 to watch this weekend, behind the other three games featuring two ranked teams playing each other.
Williams also suggests that the pressure is more on the Trojans to prove they can recover — USC has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the Associated Press poll but has been sliding down the polls the past several weeks as its defense continues to struggle.
“What do we make of the Trojans now? USC fans and haters alike have been waiting for weeks for a seemingly inevitable wobble, manifesting in a 48-20 shellacking by Notre Dame last week and a dreadful performance by quarterback Caleb Williams,” Williams wrote. It makes it easy to forget that the team is still 4-0 in league play and atop the Pac-12 standings, but that’s about to get tested as well, with matchups against Utah, Washington, Oregon and UCLA over the next five weeks.
“Does Lincoln Riley’s squad have the resolve to bounce back against a Utes defense that’s fifth in the country in points allowed and one of the best according to advanced analytics? And against an offense — still without quarterback Cam Rising — that just ran for 317 yards against Cal?”
Could USC hit rock bottom against Utah again?
After falling flat last week at Notre Dame, ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote that USC is in danger of bottoming out in Year 2 under Lincoln Riley.
That would be a familiar disappointment for USC, which has lost three straight games against Utah.
The first win in that streak came in Los Angeles and broke a century-long losing streak for the Utes in Los Angeles. It also proved to be a catalyst in Utah’s first of two straight Pac-12 titles.
Last year, Utah beat USC twice — once during the regular season, then again in the Pac-12 championship.
Those two losses cost the Trojans a shot at the College Football Playoff — USC was 11-0 against all other opponents during the regular season.
“With the absence of QB Cam Rising, this year’s Utah offense has misfired. The Utes scored just seven points in a loss at Oregon State. But their defense might be the best of the Kyle Whittingham era,” Connelly wrote.
“... Rising’s status remains a mystery, but we’re just going to assume he’s out until noted otherwise. (Honestly, a redshirt wouldn’t be much of a surprise at this point.) But the Utes’ manhandling of USC — on offense for two games, on defense for one — defined Lincoln Riley’s first season with the Trojans. Another win would pretty much wreck Riley’s second season.”
