Utah vs. USC: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The No. 3 Utah Utes suffered their first loss of the season against the unranked USC Trojans, 42-24, on Saturday, leaving their College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.

All-Pac-12 running back Devontae Booker was limited to 62 yards on 14 carries against a Trojans defense that ranked seventh in the conference against the run entering the matchup. Quarterback Travis Wilson didn’t offer much more, going 24-of-36 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. A minor bright spot was the 129 yards from wide receiver Britain Covey, who hauled in the two touchdown passes.

Booker’s Heisman Trophy hopes continue to dwindle with Utah’s slouch through the middle of the season, with Saturday's loss coming on the heels of a sloppy Week 7 scare against the Arizona State Sun Devils. ESPN.com's Heisman rankings tabbed Booker as high as No. 5 as recently as two weeks ago. He’ll likely need the Utes to run the table to have a chance of hoisting the trophy.

However, the story wasn’t Utah's offensive struggles; it was the Trojans’ defensive dominance. USC entered the contest giving up 402.5 yards per game but was allowing only 21.3 points per game, good for third in the Pac-12.

True freshman linebacker Cameron Smith accounted for three interceptions—the first time for a USC player since 1991, per CBS Los Angeles. He had Wilson’s number all evening, as Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde noted:

A dazzling offense that was anchored by quarterback Cody Kessler, who finished 21-of-28 for 264 yards and a touchdown, complemented the defense. The Trojans also ran for a combined 139 yards on 34 carries between running backs Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis, who each had a score.

Kessler's primary target, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, put on a show as well, hauling in eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. The two connected for the proverbial dagger: a 25-yard score that helped extend the lead to 42-17.

USC's official Twitter account shared the replay:

It was a benchmark win for a Trojans team that has endured a topsy-turvy season. USC opened the year at No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25, then strung together three losses in four games entering Saturday in the midst of the lingering off-field saga of former head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has since been replaced by interim coach Clay Helton.

But a change on the sidelines might have been what the team needed, per Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer:

Not many would imagine a playoff contender to be an underdog against a three-loss team that had recently fired its head coach. But Las Vegas called it earlier this week, tabbing the Trojans as three-point favorites in the opening line, per Odds Shark.

Clay Travis of Fox Sports pointed out the irregularity:

USC will take on the California Golden Bears, losers of two straight, in a winnable Week 9 matchup—particularly if the Trojans stick to the stout ground game they employed against the Utes.

Utah still sits atop the Pac-12 South at 3-1 in the conference, 1.5 games ahead of Arizona State and UCLA, which it will play on Nov. 21. But the Utes' chances in the playoff picture are in peril, as the current AP Top 10 houses six undefeated teams. Much can and will change before the season ends, but the Utes no longer control their own destiny.

Postgame Reaction

The win was one of the Trojans' most monumental in nearly a decade, per ESPN Stats & Info, when Pete Carroll was still on the sidelines and churning out BCS wins like clockwork.

They accomplished the feat by doing something no team had done to Utah all season, per Michael Yam of the Pac-12 Network:

The Trojans celebrated in style in the locker room following the game, courtesy of USC Athletics:

Helton drew praise for his game plan, but he reverted attention to his players in his postgame press conference, telling reporters, per the Daily Trojan, "This team is the definition of 'Fight On’.”

USC is still alive in the Pac-12 South, sitting at 2-2 in conference play with Arizona State (which it beat) and UCLA (which it plays Nov. 28). The Trojans now hold the tiebreaker with Utah, but they will need the Utes to lose at least once more to reach the Pac-12 championship game.