Southern Cal vs. Utah: Game Grades, Analysis for Trojans, Utes

In a thrilling Pac-12 South Division showdown, the Utah Utes were able to come away with a slim 24-21 victory over the visiting Southern Cal Trojans.

Utah signal-caller Travis Wilson was sensational on the game-winning drive. A 19-yard scramble helped to set up the go-ahead 1-yard touchdown throw to Kaelin Clay with 0:08 remaining in the contest. Devontae Booker also had a hand in the victory—rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown. 

It was a very tough defeat for the Trojans. The defense for the most part did a very good job of bottling up the second-leading rusher in the Pac-12. Cody Kessler displayed considerable grit throughout the night, and made some big plays. 

However, two turnovers led to touchdowns by the Utes. Questionable decision-making and play-calling by the staff also didn't help matters much. 

A full box score can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com. Check out first-half grades and final grades for both the Trojans and Utes. Additional analysis for positional units will also be addressed. 

Position Units	First-Half Grades	Final Grades
Passing Offense	A	B
Pass Defense	B	B
Rushing Offense	C	C-
Rush Defense	A	B+
Special Teams	A	B+
Coaching	A	C-

USC Trojans Game Analysis

Passing Offense

The opening play was strange, to say the least. Whether it was a misunderstanding between quarterback and receiver, it resulted in a touchdown for Utah nonetheless. 

In terms of Kessler's play, he was very good. His awareness in the pocket was on full display, as he was able to step up to evade pressure and make throws down the field. Aside from one poorly thrown ball to Nelson Agholor, he was one of the better players for the Trojans on the night. For the game, Kessler went 24-of-32 for 264 yards and a touchdown. 

In terms of pass protection, the unit did well despite the injury to starting left tackle Chad Wheeler. 

Utah led the nation in sacks per game heading into tonight's contest, and it finished below their season average of six. 

Pass Defense

Adoree' Jackson in particular was very good in coverage. He battled immensely hard, and even forced a fumble. The longest pass play of the evening went for only 18 yards. SC's secondary competed hard at the line of scrimmage, and it was able to neutralize Dres Anderson effectively. 

Rushing Offense

The vaunted SC ground game never fully got into a rhythm. Credit Utah's defensive front for plugging the holes up front, but the Trojans offensive line seemed to have poor get-off when it came to run blocking. 

Buck Allen finished with only 101 yards on 27 carries. Congratulations are in order to him, as he went over the 1,000-yard mark for the year. 

Rush Defense

In the first half, the Trojans held the second-leading rusher in the conference to 32 yards. The defensive front was winning the battle at the line of scrimmage, and even forced three fumbles (two of which came from Devontae Booker). 

In the second half, Booker came alive and ran with more effectiveness. Despite the Utah tailback accruing over 100 yards on the evening, USC made him work for every yard. It was a very strong performance by the front seven. 

Special Teams

Jackson displayed why he was regarded as one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school. Based on his electric kickoff return for a touchdown, USC should look to get the ball in his hands more. 

The only blemish on the evening came from the big 54-yard punt return by Kaelin Clay, which helped to give Utah great field position. 

Coaching

The decision on the fourth-down try late in the game will be a huge talking point in Los Angeles this week for the media. Steve Sarkisian will be questioned for not attempting a field goal, but also for calling a pitch option to a wide receiver.

Although Allen hadn't been running with tremendous effectiveness, he's your best option in a short-yardage situation. Defensively, there was seemingly a reluctance to blitz Wilson—especially in the second half. As the old adage says, "prevent defense prevents you from winning."

Position Unit	First-Half Grades	Final Grades
Passing Offense	B	B
Pass Defense	C-	B-
Rushing Offense	D	C+
Rush Defense	B+	B+
Special Teams	C	C+
Coaching	B	B+

Utah Utes Game Analysis

Passing Offense

Wilson was efficient on the night. He wasn't asked to make many throws down the field. In fact, Utah's longest pass play went for 18 yards. This was by design, in order to accentuate Wilson's strengths. The underneath routes to Westlee Tonga were effective. 

However, there wasn't an attempt to stretch the field vertically with Anderson or Kenneth Scott. Utah could afford to at least give the opposition the threat of throwing deep. Regardless, Wilson did not turn the ball over. He finished 18-of-32 for 193 yards and a touchdown.

Pass Defense

In the first half, USC was gashing Utah with crossing routes and throws underneath. The Trojans did a nice job of attacking the Utes when they brought pressure. 

In the second half, a minor adjustment was made. Utah opted to play more zone in order to compensate for the speed of USC's skill players. Although Kessler threw for 264 yards, the longest pass play for the Trojans went 28 yards. Utah did a nice job of not allowing USC to beat it deep for a big play. 

Rushing Offense

Credit USC's defense for stonewalling Booker in the first half. Much like USC's offensive line, Utah's group was unable to open up holes in the ground game. Utah averaged only 3.3 yards per carry on the night. 

It did a nice job of protecting Wilson on passing situations, but the run game as a whole ran for only 137 yards on 42 carries. 

Rush Defense

The front seven did a terrific job of plugging the gaps and virtually living in the backfield. Blitzes came from all angles and really clogged things up front. In particular, Jason Fanaika and Jared Norris were extremely active. 

Utah held the Pac-12 leading rusher to only 101 yards on 27 carries. This equates out to a paltry 3.7 yards per carry average. 

Special Teams

The kickoff return for a touchdown by Jackson was very un-Utah-like. However, the electric punt return by Clay helped to give Utah great field position. 

Andy Phillips connected on his only field-goal attempt, and punter Tom Hackett was strong—averaging over 46 yards per punt. 

Coaching

Offensively, the play-calling was a bit conservative. There wasn't a whole lot of faith in Wilson delivering the ball down the field vertically. The reemergence of the run game in the second half enabled offensive coordinator Dave Christensen to be more creative. If anything, the play-calling did cater to Wilson's strengths as a player. This was particularly true when Wilson would roll out and take advantage of his mobility.

Defensively, the unit played more zone in the second half. It shrunk the field—cutting off some of the underneath routes SC exploited in the first half. Utah also devised a great scheme versus SC's elite running back.