Utah gets USC in delayed opener
Don’t wait for the dramatic ending: The Trojans were outplayed by Arizona State and Arizona for the bulk of those games before scoring two touchdowns in the final 2:52 to stun the Sun Devils 2827 and a last-minute touchdown drive to edge the Wildcats 34-30.
Kedon Slovis is completing 71.4% of his passes and leading the Pac-12 in passing yards (353.0 per game) but has only thrown three touchdown passes with one interception. USC is too talented to wait until the closing bell is about to ring before shifting the offense into overdrive.
Make the Utes beat you: The Trojans have been their own worst enemy early in the season, leading the Pac-12 in accepted penalty yards (84.5 per game) and committing four turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) while slogging through two wins.
Clay Helton’s team must focus on the details to beat Utah on a chilly Saturday night in Salt Lake City. Kyle Whittingham’s program has been consistently great on defense and special teams through the years.
Keys for Utah
Stay healthy enough to make kickoff: Utah’s first two games were canceled due to COVID-19 issues. Whittingham said this week things were trending in the right direction for his team to return to practice and finally take the field for a game on Saturday night.
The two-time defending South Division champions are not expected to be at full strength for the opener but are in much better shape than last week when walkons were preparing to start at UCLA.
Break out the Bentley?: The Utes lost nine starters from last year’s dominant defense, as well as Pac-12 offensive player of the year Zach Moss. South Carolina transfer Jake Bentley, assuming he has beaten out Drew Lisk and Cam Rising, brings SEC starting experience to the QB position and must put up some points opposite Slovis.
Utah does return some proven skill players in wide receiver Britain Covey and tight end Brant Kuithe. The home team will also have the advantage of knowing that USC does not traditionally play well in cold weather.
Prediction
USC 27, Utah 23: The Trojans are already used to playing tight games and coming through in the clutch this season. That game experience should be the difference against the Utes, who are are preparing for their third different opening day opponent in as many weeks.