USC vs. Utah Complete Game Preview

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 25; 10 p.m. ET

WHERE: Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: Fox Sports 1

Saturday’s Week 9 Pac-12 South tilt pitting USC vs. Utah is arguably the biggest game the Utes have played since joining the conference in 2011. And the gravity of this matchup is not lost on Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“We understand it’s going to be a great environment,” Sarkisian said on his weekly conference call Sunday. “We understand it’s a blackout. We understand it’s for first place [in the division]. We understand there’s so much going into it.”

The MUSS—Mighty Utah Student Section—should have Rice-Eccles Stadium rocking for this top-20 showdown, the winner of which moves to the front of the pack in an tightly contested conference.

Both remained tied atop the loss column with Week 8 wins, albeit in much different fashion.

No. 20-ranked USC rode a record-setting performance by quarterback Cody Kessler to a 56-28 dismantling of Colorado, while No. 19 Utah overcame an offensively anemic performance to beat Oregon State in overtime on the road, 29-23.

Keys to Victory for USC

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Keep Kessler Standing

A confident Kessler came out gunning last week against Colorado, throwing four touchdowns in the first quarter and finishing with a USC record seven scores.

Kessler operated with a clean pocket much of the afternoon, affording him the time necessary for deep routes to develop. Utah doesn’t often offer opposing quarterbacks the same luxury.

With 33 sacks, Utah has the most prolific pass-rush defense in college football.

The Trojans offensive line has taken considerable strides since giving up five sacks to Boston College in Week 3, but the Utes promise to test the USC front perhaps more than any opponent this season.

Don’t Get Beat in Special Teams

Sarkisian offered high praise for Utah’s special teams, and with good reason. Go up and down the Utes’ roster, and one could argue it features the conference’s three best special teams players.

“Our emphasis this week on special teams is going to be critical,” Sarkisian said. “Utah’s done a marvelous job all year long on special teams, whether it’s in the kicking game or in the return game.”  

Kicking to Kaelin Clay is a risky proposition for any opponent. Clay has four returns for touchdowns on the season: three from punts, one on a kickoff.

"

Video: Kaelin Clay does it again. He returns a punt 58 yards for a touchdown against Washington State https://t.co/8V01kIbwBw

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) September 28, 2014"

Add that USC gives up more long punt and kickoff returns than all but five teams in the nation, and Clay could have an outcome-altering impact in special teams Saturday.

“We need to have a spotlight our coverage unit,” Sarkisian said.

The Utes also have the ability to flip the field with punter Tom Hackett. Hackett has 18 punts inside the 20-yard line, per UtahUtes.com, which helps fuel the Utes’ outstanding defense.  

Kicker Andy Phillips’ 13 field goals and 26 extra points give him an average of 10.8 points per game, best in the Pac-12.

Phillips’ consistency means that once the Utes cross about the 35-yard line, they are going to score at least three points. This puts more pressure on the USC defense to force 3-and-outs.

Keys to Victory for Utah

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Make the USC Offense One-Dimensional

Kessler stole the show in USC’s win over Colorado, but his overshadowing the Trojans’ typically prolific rushing attack was not for lack of effort from the ball-carriers.

Running back Javorius “Buck” Allen had his sixth 100-plus-yard game of the season and scored a touchdown for the sixth straight game. It was USC working both phases of its offense to perfection, something that Sarkisian has been hoping to see all season. 

The Trojans can be had when one of the two facets is shut down. 

In its Week 3 loss at Boston College, USC could not establish a consistent rush despite 29 carries. Kessler passed for 317 yards and four touchdowns, but the Trojans were held out of the end zone for a game-defining stretch of nearly 40 minutes.

The week prior, USC scored just 13 points in its win over Stanford. While Allen rushed for 154 yards, the passing game never quite clicked. Kessler finished with 135 yards and completed passes to just four targets—the quarterback has typically connected with eight or nine receivers per game. 

Utah’s ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks could limit USC’s passing attack. But with a run defense ranked No. 20 nationally at 114.17 yards per game, the Utes are also capable of grinding down the Trojans run game.

Quarterback Play

Kyle Whittingham’s decision to insert quarterback Kendal Thompson into the lineup against UCLA paid dividends. An explosive scrambler, Thompson added an element to the Utah run game that caught the Bruins off-guard.

Thompson made the start at Oregon State but struggled both as a runner with just 2.2 yards per carry, and as a passer at 4 of 8 for 17 yards.

Travis Wilson came on and, while his 5-of-10 passing for 45 yards was not a vast improvement, he did lead the Utes on their sole touchdown drive of regulation.

Whittingham was coy about the starting-quarterback situation after the UCLA game but appears more steadfast in his option this week. 

"

Indeed Travis Wilson is listed as the starting QB this week. #Utes

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 20, 2014"

No matter if it’s Thompson or Wilson starting behind center, however, the Utes need more than 62 yards passing to beat USC.

USC Players to Watch

TONY AVELAR/Associated Press

OFFENSE

WR John “JuJu” Smith

John “JuJu” Smith had quite the afternoon in Week 8: four receptions for 104 yards and his first career touchdown.

With his breakout down, the freshman Smith may have taken an important step toward becoming the consistent No. 2 target to complement standout junior Nelson Agholor in the receiving game.

But Smith also plays an important role in USC’s special teams, a critical component of Saturday’s contest. Sarkisian said Smith played more special teams repetitions against Colorado than any other Trojan, save linebacker Quinton Powell.

TE Bryce Dixon

Sarkisian touched on one element of USC’s passing attack against Colorado that is crucial to pushing Utah’s stout defense back on its heels.

“When a variety of people are catching it, I think it makes it a lot more difficult on the defense because they don’t know where the ball is going,” he said.

Tight ends Bryce Dixon and Randall Telfer combined for six receptions last week, and Dixon got into the end zone twice.

"

True freshman Bryce Dixon @ABCDIXON has 2 catches for 24 yards and 2 TDs. pic.twitter.com/ZiMWHbhQkB

— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) October 19, 2014"

“All in all, it was impressive to see that when those guys got opportunities, they made plays,” Sarkisian said.

Dixon’s size and athleticism, in particular, could play a key role in attacking the stingy Utah defense. The Utes are solid in the red zone, allowing just 10 touchdowns from inside their own 20-yard line on the year. Dixon could be the equalizer USC needs to break through on Saturday.

DEFENSE

LB Anthony Sarao

USC’s roster limitations mean some players have to take on added workloads. Few have taken on quite the level of responsibility that Anthony Sarao has.

Sarao played 104 snaps in the Trojans’ Week 7 win at Arizona, and Sarkisian estimated the linebacker played 81 on defense and 14 on special teams against Colorado.

“He’s a very reliable guy,” Sarkisian said. “We know on defense and on special teams, we can count on him.”  

With the added emphasis of special teams play this week, Sarao’s role there is of paramount importance. But the linebacker’s run-stopping ability is also of significance this week, as USC must slow Utah’s hard-charging running back, Devontae Booker.

CB John Plattenburg

Last week after John Plattenburg’s strong showing in the second half at Arizona, Sarkisian said the freshman defensive back would have an opportunity to play a significant role going forward.

Plattenburg made the most of his opportunity against Colorado with eight tackles.

With fellow first-year cornerback Adoree’ Jackson nursing a hip flexor, Plattenburg must once again step up for the USC secondary.

Utah Players to Watch

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

OFFENSE

RB Devontae Booker

Booker bulldozed his way from relative obscurity before the season to earn praise as one of the Pac-12’s premier running backs at the midway point.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham took it one step further after Booker’s 229-yard, two-touchdown effort in last Thursday’s win at Oregon State.

“I think he’s the best back in the Pac-12,” Whittingham said, via UtahUtes.com.

Booker is averaging better than six yards per carry for 742 on the campaign, with much of his damage being done in conference play. Booker has three straight games of 178, 156 and 229 yards with five touchdowns.

WR Dres Anderson

The focal point of Utah’s passing attack, Dres Anderson has struggled with drops this season. He had a few opportunities at Oregon State slip out of his hands, just a few weeks removed from dropping a potential game-sealing touchdown catch against Washington State.

Still, Anderson remains the most dangerous weapon in the Utah pass game. He has four touchdowns to lead the team, and his breakaway speed makes Anderson a constant big-play threat.

DEFENSE

DE Nate Orchard

The leader of Utah’s tenacious blitzing defense is end Nate Orchard. His 10.5 sacks rank second in the nation, behind only Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha.

Orchard was the Football Writers Association of America Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week following his Week 6 performance at UCLA, in which he sacked Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley four times.

For an encore, he sacked Oregon State's Sean Mannion twice last week. 

DE Hunter Dimick

If it’s not Orchard, it’s Hunter Dimick wreaking havoc in opposing backfields. Dimick has 5.5 sacks, second on the Utah roster behind only Orchard.

The two working in tandem is a handful for any offensive line.  

What They're Saying

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

USC

Sarkisian on preparing for Utah:

“The biggest challenge, as it is every week, is our execution. We’re working diligently as a staff…to put together a great game plan in all three phases. The challenge is to go and execute that game plan, to make sure we implement it, we prepare our players, we do a great job of coaching them and the players in turn feel confident in the game plan.”

Allen on feeding off Kessler’s passing performance:

“I love that Nelson and JuJu and the receivers got to show what they could and show that we’ve got more than one weapon. It’s not just all about Buck Allen.”

Utah

Whittingham on rallying to beat Oregon State and improving to 5-1, via UtahUtes:

"

It was a great effort by our players. I couldn't be prouder of the group of guys, how they hung in there and kept fighting. There was adversity in the game and we went and worked through it. There's going to be adversity in every Pac-12 contest; that's the nature of the conference. There are good football teams in this league and every week you have to be ready to play the full 60, or in this case 60-plus with a couple of overtimes periods. The bottom line is that it was an outstanding job by our football team hanging in there.

"

Wilson on playing with Booker, via UtahUtes.com:

"

It's great to have a back like that, especially in games like this when the passing game is not clicking. He kind of bailed us out to be honest. He does a good job at making us hit the chains and that's a big benefit to have.

"

Prediction

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Rare is the date on the Pac-12 calendar one can pinpoint as being destined for a low score. But with Utah’s outstanding defense on one side and USC’s talented defense on the other, Saturday is just such an affair.

Booker is the best running back USC will have seen to this point, but the Utes’ quarterback woes limit what Utah is able to do offensively.

Conversely, USC needs to replicate the production and balance it demonstrated in its route of Colorado—easier said than done against the nation’s No. 1 sacking defense.

Nevertheless, the Trojans have enough offensive weapons to test the Utes. Barring any catastrophic special teams plays—i.e., a Clay return for a touchdown—USC should sneak out of Salt Lake City with a key Pac-12 South win.

Prediction: USC 21, Utah 17

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com unless otherwise noted.