Utah Forces Fumble, Sione Vaki Finds End Zone For Second Time

LOS ANGELES – After Cole Bishop subbed into the second half and immediately recovered a fumble, Utah put together a scoring drive finished by none other than Sione Vaki.

The score was Vaki’s second of the game and fourth of the season.

LOOK AT THAT MAN GO!!!

Sione Vaki in for his 2nd TD of the night! 🙌

📺 @CFBONFOX #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/88BxT4LTIp

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 22, 2023

Vaki has recorded two touchdowns in each of Utah’s last two games.

Vaki’s first score came on the third play of the game. He caught a pass from Bryson Barnes and ran around the Trojan defense for the TD.

RELATED: Sione Vaki Puts Utah On Board Early Against USC Trojans

Us too https://t.co/6W4WeFmzXv

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 22, 2023

Following his second score against the Trojans, Vaki had four receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He added six carries for 40 yards on the ground.

Three Storylines For Utah Football Vs. USC

1. Cam Rising. This storyline took one more interesting turn this week when Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham revealed it would be possible for Rising to return next season with a medical redshirt as long as he doesn’t play a down of football this year. Now, nothing is in motion for that yet and there is no guarantee that Rising would even want to do that, but the possibility is there. With that said, the Utes will be rolling with Bryson Barnes this week in Los Angeles.
2. Sione Vaki & Ja’Quinden Jackson. In step with storyline number one, it seems Utah found a formula they like on offense without Cam Rising. Bryson Barnes is part of it, but perhaps most importantly is the one-two punch in the run game they found with safety Sione Vaki and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson. It will be critically important that the Utes find that same lightening and keep it up against the Trojans. If they do that, they may have a fighting chance.
3. Utah’s Dominant Defense. The one thing that has gone well for the Utes all season has been the defense and they will need them to do it again on Saturday. Caleb Williams and the Trojans showed last week again Notre Dame that they do not handle being bullied very well. Utah’s defense is more than capable of replicating that, but they will need to be on their game and as disciplined as ever.

 

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Two Questions Heading Into Utah Vs. USC

1. Can Utah Pass Just A Little More? Vaki and Jackson really opened some things up for the Utah offense through the run game which also opened up some things for the pass game. The unfortunate thing was that while Barnes was efficient in the pass game, he did miss some big play possibilities by hesitating just a bit on some open plays. Hit one or two more of those and this offense is looking more than adequate. The plays were there. Barnes has shown he’s capable of hitting them at random conjunctions, but can he get into more of a rhythm and hit them confidently?
2. Can Utah Manage Without Cole Bishop In The First Half? This feels like a slightly stupid question since this Utah defense is loaded, but continuity can me a lot to a unit and missing a key piece has the potential to be disruptive. Thankfully the Utes do have Nate Ritchie to fall back on in the first half and he’s certainly no slouch. Still, can this defense not miss a beat without one of their best players in the mix in the first half?

Numbers don’t lie 📊 pic.twitter.com/7hAVlBuWnw

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 18, 2023

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

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