Go beyond the scoreboard
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With USC playing in its final season in the Pac-12, The Times is revisiting the top five games in the history of each conference series. This week: USC-Utah.
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Sept. 10, 2011: USC 23, Utah 14
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The first weekend of Pac-12 play started with a bang. In the expanded conference’s inaugural week of games, USC’s Matt Kalil blocked Utah’s potential game-tying field goal as time expired.
Torin Harris returned it for a touchdown, but the score initially was waved off because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when most of the USC bench spilled onto the field in celebration.
Two hours after the game, Pac-12 officials announced the touchdown counted in the first sighting of what would become the frequent “#Pac12Refs” headache.
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Oct. 26, 2014: No. 19 Utah 24, No. 20 USC 21
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Four seasons into its Pac-12 era, Utah got its first conference win over the Trojans when Travis Wilson threw a touchdown pass to Kaelin Clay with eight seconds left. Wilson nearly ran for the winning score two plays earlier, but the touchdown was taken away as he was ruled down at the one-yard line.
Freshman Adoree’ Jackson starred on defense and special teams, forcing a Utah fumble at the one-yard line during the third quarter and scoring on a 100-yard kick return.
Caleb Williams and others hope the loss at Notre Dame will help motivate No. 18 USC when the Trojans host No. 14 Utah on Saturday.
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Oct. 14, 2017: No. 13 USC 28, Utah 27
USC outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, right, tries to tackle Utah running back Zack Moss during the 2017 meeting between the two teams.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
USC stuffed Troy Williams’ two-point conversion attempt with 42 seconds remaining to complete a 14-point comeback.
The Trojans trailed 21-7 at halftime before scoring on drives of 98, 88 and 93 yards in the second half. Ronald Jones gave USC a 28-21 lead with an 11-yard touchdown with 4:54 remaining.
After being shut out for the second half, Utah rallied on the final drive as Williams, a former star at Narbonne High, led the Utes into the end zone on a one-yard run, but couldn’t score again on a rush for the conversion.
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Sept. 20, 2019: USC 30, No. 10 Utah 23
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
He waited behind Sam Darnold, got passed up for a freshman and then finished third in a four-man quarterback competition. Matt Fink finally was rewarded with his moment against Utah.
After starter JT Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury during the season opener, and backup Kedon Slovis lasted just two plays against Utah before leaving because of a concussion, Fink led USC to an upset of the Utes with 351 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He connected with Michael Pittman Jr. for a career-high 232 yards on 10 catches, including a 77-yard touchdown during the third quarter that put the Trojans ahead 21-10.
It was Utah’s only Pac-12 loss en route to a South Division championship.
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Oct. 15, 2022: No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42
(Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)
Cameron Rising willed Utah to a thrilling comeback in Salt Lake City to hand Lincoln Riley his first loss at USC as the Trojans gave up a 14-point, second-quarter lead.
Rising gave Utah its first lead by rushing for a two-point conversion with 48 seconds remaining after he scored on a one-yard run. The Ventura native threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns on 30-for-44 passing and led the Utes with 60 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground to offset Caleb Williams’ five touchdown passes.
The Utes orchestrated a second 14-point comeback in the Pac-12 championship game two months later as Williams left because of a hamstring injury.
Mason Cobb has been the anchor for USC’s defense and he thanks his grandfather for it, who recently died at age 90.
