Utah working again Micah Bernard breaks tackles throughout recreation towards USC at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. The Utes and Trojans will collide once more Friday on the Pac-12 championship recreation in Las Vegas. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III pokes the ball away from USC broad receiver Jordan Addison at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Phillips missed final week’s recreation towards Colorado as a consequence of an damage and his standing for Friday’s recreation is up within the air. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham loves how the Pac-12 championship recreation is being framed from a nationwide perspective.
The No. 11 Utes collide with No. 4 USC Friday (6 p.m., MST, Fox) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Simply wanting ahead to going again to Vegas and working it again. All of the playing cards have fallen into place. Every thing that we wanted to occur occurred. We’ve simply acquired to go see it by now.” — Utah QB Cam Rising
To many observers across the nation, a Trojans victory is a foregone conclusion. They’ve been penciled into the School Soccer Playoff. And quarterback Caleb Williams is on the verge of being awarded the Heisman Trophy.
Whittingham is embracing this underdog function.
“Nicely, just about everybody has them profitable already and going to the playoffs and Caleb profitable the Heisman,” he stated. “That’s already been talked about. We love that function. We love the chip on our shoulder, the no person giving us an opportunity. We appear to thrive in that capability and in that world. We’ll see.”
Of the weekend’s convention championship video games, the Pac-12’s is probably the most intriguing by far. Utah can assist decide the School Soccer Playoff lineup by ruining the Trojans’ Pac-12 title and CFP hopes.
If the Utes can accomplish that, they’ll earn back-to-back Pac-12 championships and Rose Bowl bids.
“It’s a championship,” stated working again Ja’Quinden Jackson. “Each recreation we’ve performed this 12 months, we’ve performed it prefer it was the championship. Our mindset is similar.”
In fact, Utah handed USC its solely lack of the season, a dramatic 43-42 resolution on Oct. 15 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
However first-year Trojans coach Lincoln Riley stated that he’s not centered on what occurred earlier this season.
“It’s a championship recreation. You’re going to play a superb crew, regardless. I don’t suppose that we'd be any roughly excited if it was anyone else,” he stated. “I’ve been on this state of affairs twice, the place one of many groups acquired us in the course of the 12 months we ended up taking part in (within the championship recreation).
“This isn't a revenge recreation. This isn't what that is. We performed a very good soccer recreation, as did Utah up in Salt Lake and it was an elite faculty soccer recreation. It got here down to at least one play right here or there,” he continued. “They acquired us that point however this isn't about that recreation. This can be a new recreation, a brand new problem, a brand new setting.
“The groups have advanced. Each groups have modified definitely all year long. That is about that and the alternatives at hand. … We’ve challenged the fellows to reset and perceive that that is going to be a special recreation, a special problem, a special setting.
“You’ve acquired to be prepared to reply to that, particularly towards an amazing crew like Utah. … The sport doesn’t at all times play out the identical manner the second time. You must have an open thoughts and go compete.”
Whereas USC clinched a spot within the championship recreation a few weeks in the past, Utah wanted a sequence of inconceivable occasions to occur in an effort to earn a berth on this contest.
Perhaps it was destiny, or future, that put the Utes again within the Pac-12 championship.
Going into final weekend, to clinch a spot on this recreation, Utah wanted 4 video games to go its manner — they usually did, culminating in Washington’s victory over Washington State late Saturday evening.
Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III pokes the ball away from USC broad receiver Jordan Addison at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Phillips missed final week’s recreation towards Colorado as a consequence of an damage and his standing for Friday’s recreation is up within the air.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
“To be fully trustworthy, I fell asleep,” linebacker Karene Reid recalled. “However I awoke at 3 a.m. in a panic, sweating, like, ‘Who gained? Who gained?’ I used to be relieved, man. I couldn’t imagine it.”
“Simply wanting ahead to going again to Vegas and working it again,” stated quarterback Cam Rising, a Southern California native that grew up loving former USC stars Reggie Bush and Matt Leinert. “All of the playing cards have fallen into place. Every thing that we wanted to occur occurred. We’ve simply acquired to go see it by now.”
Riley stated that loss to the Utes helped outline the Trojans’ season.
“We had been examined in a manner there that we hadn’t been. We skilled failure. We skilled a loss and we hadn’t skilled that but. … You win video games and all people’s blissful. You surprise once you lose a tricky recreation on the street, within the trend that we did, proper there on the final second, is all people actually going to stay to this now? Definitely, the temper, the vibe in that locker room was … upset however not defeated in any respect. Perhaps much more impressed, which is what you hope to see.
“Most significantly, we did one thing about it after that,” Riley added. “You lose one like that in the course of the season, you need to claw your manner again to a place like this. And we’ve accomplished that.”
Williams remembered earlier than that recreation at Utah, the crew talked about how nice tales can’t be written with out adversity.
“After that recreation, that was one of many issues that was stated within the locker room. We now have this adversity in our life proper now,” he stated. “We didn’t need to lose, however we did lose. An incredible guide or story can’t be written with out it. … The vibe was fully totally different from instances after I’ve misplaced earlier than. It was a constructive vibe contained in the locker room after.”
Utah celebrated that last-minute victory over USC that evening after Rising scored a game-winning two-point conversion.
“It was superior,” Rising recalled. “Hopefully, I get to do one thing like that once more.”
What's going to it take for the Utes to decelerate Williams and are available out on prime Friday?
“It actually must be a crew effort. We are able to’t have the Clark Phillips Present or the Cole Bishop Present. As a lot as I need to see them do properly, all people’s acquired to have an important recreation. That’s what it’s going to take,” stated linebacker Karene Reid. “It’s acquired to be a crew effort. In addition to the DBs cowl, there’s acquired to be strain on the quarterback as properly. That quarterback’s too good to get an interception purely off of excellent protection. There’s acquired to be a few transferring items.”
Phillips, Utah’s lockdown cornerback, didn't play Saturday towards Colorado. Will he be obtainable Friday?
“We hope so,” Whittingham stated. “I can’t say definitively proper now. However we’ll see.”
Sure, Utah stumbled just a few instances in the course of the common season, with losses at Florida, UCLA and Oregon.
However the Utes are in place to do what they got down to do in the beginning of the season — repeat as Pac-12 champions.
“That perception hasn’t wavered. We’ve by no means stopped believing even after a recreation went unhealthy. It didn’t matter,” Rising stated. “We simply stored the course and that’s why we’re right here. We’ve acquired to execute and end it out.”
Going through a top-four program, with a lot at stake, and plenty of underestimating his crew — Whittingham wouldn’t need it every other manner.
Pac-12 Championship Recreation
No. 11 Utah (9-3, 8-2)
vs. No. 4 USC (11-1, 8-1)
Friday, 6 p.m. MST
Allegiant Stadium
TV: Fox
Radio: ESPN 700