No. 14 Utah hits field goal as time expires to beat No. 18 USC, 34-32

Utah’s Cole Becker hit a 38-yard field goal as time expired to give the No. 14 Utes a 34-32 win over No. 18 USC.

The Trojans took a one-point lead with 1:46 to go on a TD run by Caleb Williams. But the much-maligned USC defense couldn’t keep Utah QB Bryson Barnes from gaining pivotal yardage on the ground as a 26-yard scramble by Barnes got Utah in field goal range with five seconds to go.

The loss is the second straight defeat for USC and drops the Trojans out of playoff contention. It left the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner to sit in stunned silence on the bench after the game as he realized that his team’s hopes of a national title were all but extinguished.

USC scored too quickly because of a great punt return by Zachariah Branch. After USC forced Utah to punt with just over two minutes to go while trailing 31-26, Branch returned the kick to the Utah 11-yard-line. Williams scored on the first offensive play as USC was unable to burn much time off the clock.

The USC defense had a hard time stopping Utah’s offense all night. A Utah offense that scored a combined 14 points in back-to-back games against UCLA and Oregon State looked nearly unstoppable on Saturday night.

Two-way star Sione Vaki was exceptional once again. The safety-turned-running back rushed for 158 yards and two TDs in Utah’s 34-14 win over Cal in Week 7. Saturday night, he had nine carries for 68 yards and five catches for 149 yards and two scores.

Utah had 248 yards rushing and racked up 483 total yards of offense while averaging more yards per play than the vaunted USC offense. While USC rushed for over six yards a carry, Williams was 24-of-34 passing for 356 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown. USC was also just 4-of-11 on third downs.

Utah’s gameplan was clear from the start — it wanted to limit the opportunities Williams had. The Utes rushed the ball twice as much as they threw it and took their time substituting on defense after USC’s offense subbed. That slow-motion subbing even led USC to burn a timeout on offense in the second half to prevent a delay-of-game penalty.

No two-loss team has ever made the playoff

USC now sits at 6-2 and 4-1 in the Pac-12 knowing that no two-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff. And it’s hard to see this USC team going undefeated the rest of the way with a schedule that includes Washington and Oregon.

A defense that Lincoln Riley said was “much-improved” in 2023 has been anything but in the Trojans’ losses to Notre Dame and Utah. USC had serious issues with physicality and tackling in 2022 and Notre Dame and Utah have bossed the Trojans over the past two weeks.

Utah, meanwhile, is still in the mix for a third consecutive Pac-12 title. Barnes had the best game of his career on Saturday night after re-taking the starting job against Cal. And that will be the case the rest of the way, as Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham revealed starting QB Cam Rising will be out for the season.

Utah also has Washington and Oregon remaining on its schedule. We’re set up for an incredible round-robin fight for the Pac-12 title over the final five weeks of the season.