USC quarterback Caleb Williams is sacked by Utah defensive finish Gabe Reid at Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis. The 2 squads will meet once more Friday in Las Vegas within the Pac-12 championship recreation. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Many contemplate it the Pac-12 Recreation of the Yr.
It occurred Oct. 15, when No. 20 Utah knocked off No. 7 USC 43-42 in entrance of the biggest crowd in Rice-Eccles Stadium historical past.
The Utes rallied from a 21-7 deficit and ultimately, quarterback Cam Rising scored on fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard landing run with 48 seconds remaining. It was Utah’s first lead of the whole night time.
Then, coach Kyle Whittingham determined to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Rising scored once more and Rice-Eccles erupted.
For USC, it was a bitter loss — their first of the season.
For Utah, that dramatic victory saved the Utes within the Pac-12 race.
In that recreation, Rising accomplished 30 of 44 passes for 415 yards. He threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 3 extra. Tight finish Dalton Kincaid caught a game-high 16 passes for a career-high 234 yards and a TD.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams accomplished 25 of 42 passes for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns.
So it appears becoming that the 2 packages meet once more on Friday (6 p.m., MST, Fox) for the Pac-12 championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
How will that October basic sequel maintain up in opposition to the unique, with a lot on the road?
Definitely, USC and Utah are totally different groups than they had been in mid-October. And quite a bit has occurred since then.
First, for the Ute protection, that recreation was the turning level for the season.
Within the first half, the Trojans rolled up 364 yards of whole offense and scored 28 factors. Within the second half, Utah restricted USC to 192 yards and two TDs.
The Ute protection has improved considerably since that first-half efficiency. It’s a top-20 protection within the nation.
“We by no means had folks not purchased in. It was only a matter of the protection maturing, guys gaining expertise. That was the onset of the protection pivoting and making a reversal and taking part in effectively was the second half of that recreation,” Whittingham stated this week. “We performed extraordinarily effectively within the second half of that USC recreation. From that time on, we’ve performed fairly good protection.
“The best way that our guys have grown up this 12 months. Nice job by (defensive coordinator Morgan) Scalley and his employees, getting them prepared each week,” he continued. “Nice job by the gamers, taking the preparation course of useless severe and ensuring we don’t have any wasted time on the sphere or within the assembly room. It’s a really businesslike method with our protection. They’ve actually performed some good soccer as of late.”
“We’ve grow to be tighter as a protection. We’ve watched extra movie,” stated linebacker Karene Reid. “We’ve spent extra time without work the sphere collectively and that’s proven up on the sphere.”
Utah defensive lineman Gabe Reid remembers Whittingham urging his protection to make performs that night time.
“Coach Whitt came visiting to the D-line notably after that first drive in opposition to USC, and stated, ‘Hey, we’ve received to determine it out or it’s going to be an extended night time.’ It took us a short while to get going however I actually suppose that was a turning level for our protection, the place we rallied collectively and stated, it’s on us,” he stated. “We have now the blokes to make the performs. We did that. We’ve continued to do this week-in and week-out. So I’m excited for us to show the constant, stable protection that we're this week.”
The Utes sacked Williams 4 occasions, three within the second half. Nonetheless, earlier this month, Utah misplaced defensive finish and sacks chief Van Fillinger, who suffered a season-ending damage.
“We’ve grown up in quite a lot of areas, quite a lot of place teams. We didn’t have a ton of expertise early on. We weren’t taking part in very basically sound. We had been leaving gaps. We had been technique-wise not good,” Whittingham stated. “We weren’t tackling effectively early within the season. We simply continued to get higher and higher because the season wore on. As I’ve talked about, the true turning level appeared to be the second half of the USC recreation. Since that time, we’ve been actually stingy on protection.”
As for USC, it misplaced operating again Travis Dye to a season-ending damage earlier this month. Dye ran 11 occasions for 76 yards and a landing within the first assembly.
However Austin Jones has stuffed that void left by Dye. He ran for 154 yards final week in a win over Notre Dame.
“He has picked it up and performed an awesome job. There’s been no drop-off,” Whittingham stated. “Completely different type of participant than Dye however the outcomes are the identical and the manufacturing is similar, if not higher. He’s actually run the soccer effectively for them.”
Huge receiver Jordan Addison sustained an damage within the recreation in opposition to Utah, however he’s again now. On the season, he’s caught 58 passes for 843 yards and eight TDs.
Utah has been impacted by offensive accidents as effectively. Rising suffered a knee damage in opposition to USC and missed the subsequent recreation in opposition to Washington State. He struggled in opposition to Oregon however appeared extra like his standard self final week in opposition to Colorado.
Requested Monday if he's bodily able to doing what he did the primary time in opposition to USC, Rising replied, “Sure, sir.”
And Kincaid, who was sensational in opposition to the Trojans, sustained an damage in opposition to WSU that led to him lacking the Arizona recreation. He suffered one other damage final Saturday.
In the meantime, within the first assembly between USC and Utah, the Trojans entered that recreation main the nation in sacks. However USC recorded zero sacks in opposition to the Utes.
“We’ve received the identical 5 (beginning O-linemen) and we’ve been capable of keep comparatively wholesome there,” Whittingham stated. “We’ve had a bit of shuffling of the deck right here and there however no main overhauls on the O-line. We’ve received the identical 5 proper now which were beginning many of the 12 months that shall be prepared for this recreation.”
Although operating again Tavion Thomas wasn’t a lot of an element in opposition to USC in October, he has since declared for the NFL Draft. The Utes shall be relying closely on Ja’Quinden Jackson, who had only one carry for zero yards in opposition to the Trojans. Jackson stated he’s extra comfy taking part in the place now. And, as a staff, “We’re far more bodily than we had been a month in the past,” he stated.
USC’s protection has improved, too. For instance, the Trojans held Notre Dame to 90 yards on the bottom final Saturday. The week earlier than, USC restricted UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet to 95 yards.
The Trojan offense has made some refined tweaks.
“They’ve received a bit of totally different personnel twist now, doing variations of their coverages, making it laborious for offenses,” Rising stated. “They’re doing a superb job.”
Whittingham stated USC is utilizing a good finish greater than they did within the first assembly.
“They’ve gone extra to an 11-personnel,” Whittingham stated. “Which means totally different personnel on the sphere for us once they’re in 11 versus once they’re in 10 (personnel).”
How will Friday’s sequel between Utah and USC stack up in opposition to the unique?
“It seems like they’ve gotten higher every week. The approach is best. The performs are run extra clear,” Karene Reid stated concerning the Trojan offense. “However I’d prefer to consider that about ourselves, proper? It’s the top of the season. So we’re going to get their greatest they usually’re going to get our greatest, too.”
Pac-12 Championship Recreation
No. 14 Utah (9-3, 8-2)
vs. No. 6 USC (11-1, 8-1)
Friday, 6 p.m. MST
Allegiant Stadium
TV: FOX
Radio: ESPN 700