Utah Blows Past USC 41-28 In Major Pac-12 Showdown
Oct 21, 2018, 4:18 AM | Updated: Oct 22, 2018, 3:11 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah defeated the USC Trojans 41-28 at Rice Eccles Stadium in a game that could have major implications at the end of the season for the Pac-12 South.
The Utes fell behind 14-0 early in the first quarter before scoring 34 unanswered points. Quarterback Tyler Huntley matched a career high of 341 passing yards, and added four touchdowns Saturday night.
In The Driver’s Seat
With the win the Utes move into a tie with USC for first place in the division. With the win, the Utes currently hold the tie-breaker.
“We’re in the driver’s seat,” said Utah wide receiver Britain Covey after the game. “It’s good to know. If you look at it and say we got to win out, it’s a little overwhelming, so you got to just take it game by game.”
A UTAH MAN AM I pic.twitter.com/wd0BGlF0oJ
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 21, 2018
Utah Responds To Adversity
The Trojans scored first on a 34-yard touchdown pass from JT Daniels to Michael Pittman, who eluded the grasp of two Utah defenders.
On the next possession, Huntley lost the ball after being sacked by John Houston, Jr. Former Bingham Miner and USC defensive lineman Jay Tufele recovered the ball and ran it 48 yards into the end zone, putting the Trojans up 14-0 after the extra point.
The Utes remained composed, and went on to score 34 straight points against the Trojans.
“The one thing that coach Whitt says before every game is there’s going to be adversity at some point,” said Covey. “The key is when you get hit with that, that you don’t freak out and you just recognize it for what it is.”
Utah scored on their next possession in just three plays. Huntley found Covey on a crossing route. The wide receiver sliced through a pair of Trojan defenders on a 46-yard touchdown.
After a Chase Hansen interception, the Utes completed a drive with a 43-yard field goal by Matt Gay.
They took the lead on a 3-yard rush by Tyler Huntley. May Gay then kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half to take a 20-14 lead.
Utah picked up where they left off in the second half, scoring on the its first drive on a pass from Huntley to Solomon Enis to increase the lead to 27-14.
Remember when @Utah_Football was down 14-0?
The Utes have scored 27 unanswered points since. 😤
Catch #USCvsUTAH live on Pac-12 Now: https://t.co/7RJg0i043O pic.twitter.com/5y53B3tOxZ
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) October 21, 2018
The Utes tacked on two more touchdown passes by Huntley, one to Demarti Simpkins and another to Jake Jackson to finish their scoring onslaught. The Trojans also added a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was already in Utah’s pocket.
Huntley ‘Played A Heck Of A Game’
Huntley remained on fire, having put on strong performances in each of the Utes’ last three games. He has led the Ute offense to 40-plus points in three straight games, a first against three straight Pac-12 opponents and the first against any opponents since 2010.
“Shout out to Tyler,” said Covey. “He played a heck of a game. He made some plays that if we don’t make, it’s a really close game.”
Utah outgained USC with 541 total yards of offense compared to just 205 by the Trojans.
Up Next
Next up for Utah is a road contest against UCLA on Friday, Oct. 26th at 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
