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Sam I AmRedshirt freshman QB Sam Darnold was the obvious silver lining in a losing effort. "I thought he did a tremendous job," said head coach Clay Helton about his new starting quarterback. "He made some terrific plays in a hostile atmosphere on a rainy night. You could not ask for anything more from the kid than what he did tonight." Darnold completed 18 of 26 for 253 yards and ran 9 times for 41 yards and a touchdown. The team needed a spark and Darnold ignited the offense. "I am so proud of Sam," said senior RB Justin Davis. "I am so proud of the way he handled himself and stayed composed. If he keeps playing like that, we're going to win some football games."
First Half Regrets
The Trojans put together their best performance of the season, but they did not do enough to put Utah away and then the Utes capitalized with a late comeback. "I thought the biggest thing for us was the first half," said Helton. "We came in 17-10, but I walked in at halftime feeling sick to my stomach because of the three turnovers, two of them deep in their territory which could have led to points and being up two or three scores." USC only punted once the entire game, but three first half fumbles let the Utes hang around.
Running Wild
When the Trojans held onto the ball, they ran wild with it. On only 10 carries, Davis covered 126 yards with a touchdown. "The offensive line allowed me to see a hole and I just took advantage of it, just let my abilities work," Davis praised his offensive line. "They did a great job up front." The offensive line also held Utah's pass rush to one sack after the Utes recorded 10 sacks last week. USC averaged 6.5 yards per rush as a team.
A Step Behind
The Utes came out running the football, but once they were behind, they were forced into the air. The Trojans could not generate a pass rush, so the defensive backs were assaulted in coverage. "Congrats to Troy [Williams]," Helton complimented Utah's quarterback. "He made some big plays down the stretch as well as the big receiver, Tim Patrick. I thought they made the plays that had to be made down the stretch." Williams orchestrated a game-winning 93-yard touchdown drive, finishing the game with three consecutive scoring drives of 10 plays or more. "The quarterback played well," said CB Iman Marshall. "We gave up a lot of slants, a couple of plays, but at the end of the day, we've got to execute on our end and we didn't do that today."
The Kicker
Utah is known for having the best specialists in the Pac-12, but USC's group was exceptional tonight. PK Matt Boermeester continued his tremendous season, hammering two field goals through the uprights and burying the Utes in their own end with four touchbacks. On his lone punt, Chris Tilbey placed the ball at the Utes' seven-yard line. And of course, Adoree' Jackson returned his third career kickoff for a touchdown, going 100+ yards to tie the game in the first quarter.
September Ends
The Trojans had the hardest September schedule of any team in the country, and it has put them "behind the eight ball" to use a Helton expression. "It pains me that the whole Trojan Family, all the fans have to go through this because USC is not supposed to be 1-3," said Davis. "We're going to come together as a team and do what we can do to get these next two wins." USC returns home to play Arizona State and Colorado. "They are going to Fight On," said Helton. "The kids that were out there tonight, they live and breathe to help this team win."
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