Utah-USC: The Great Eight of the 21st Century
Revisiting eight of the most memorable clashes since the turn of the century
10/20/2023
No. 14 Utah heads to the Los Angeles Coliseum this weekend to face off against No. 18 USC, in what will be the teams' final regular season meeting as members of the Pac-12 Conference.
Utah has had no shortage of classics with the Trojans during this century, and especially since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Even in the years where USC has come out on top, the Utes have often been right there in an edge-of-your-seat ballgame.
Presenting what we call the Great Eight: a selection of eight classics between Utah and USC over the last three decades.
It's been a great back-and-forth series (with USC). Championship implications almost every year…(each game has) turned out to be very a competitive and very intense football game. I'm sure this year will be no different.Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham
2001 Las Vegas Bowl - Dec. 25, 2001
Utah 10, USC 6
The Utes' first bowl win of the new millennium was a Christmas Day triumph down in Las Vegas--a place where Utah would eventually return to, and raise, back-to-back conference championship trophies.
Nearly 31,000 fans poured into Sam Boyd Stadium for this victory, Utah's first over USC since 1916 and snapping a six-game losing streak against the Trojans.
Adam Tate rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, all while USC was held to a single yard on the ground and 151 total yards. Defensively, Sheldon Deckart had two sacks and the Utes combined for five sacks against USC quarterback Carson Palmer, the Heisman Trophy winner a year later in 2002.
Sept. 10, 2011
USC 23, Utah 14
It wasn't Utah's first-ever trip to the Coliseum, but it did mark the start of a new era with the Utes' inaugural game as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. And although Kyle Whittingham's squad did not leave with the victory that night, the Utes were right there with the Trojans down to the wire. A would-be game-tying field goal was blocked by USC and returned for a touchdown as time expired in the game.
The AP wrote postgame, “Utah left no doubt it belongs in the same league and on the same field with once-mighty Southern California. The Utes just couldn't quite leave that Coliseum field with a win in the first game in Pac-12 history.”
Oct. 25, 2014
No. 19 Utah 24, No. 20 USC 21
Like any program moving into a new conference, the Utes experienced their share of growing pains during the first few years of Pac-12 membership. One of the first “signature” conference wins for the team came in 2014, thanks in part to some late-game heroics.
With a then-record crowd of 47,619 watching inside Rice-Eccles Stadium, quarterback Travis Wilson connected with Kaelin Clay for a one-yard touchdown with just eight seconds left in regulation. USC had time for one last play, but Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick sealed the victory with a sack.
Devontae Booker had his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game.
Sept. 23, 2016
No. 24 Utah 31, USC 27
Keeping with the theme whenever Utah and USC clash on the gridiron, the 2016 meeting kept fans on the edge of their seats, even after Tim Patrick's go-ahead touchdown reception with 16 seconds on the Rice-Eccles Stadium clock. The Utes had pulled ahead late, but just as in 2014, USC still had time--the Utah defense needed to get just one more stop.
Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold found JuJu Smith-Schuster upfield, but as the play unfolded Sunia Tauteoli and Reggie Porter were there for the tackle to secure a hard-earned dub.
Said offensive lineman Isaac Asiata, "Those are the games you dream about when you're a little kid, playing teams like that and winning. It's a childhood dream come true. It was a great team win."
Sept. 20, 2019
USC 30, No. 10 Utah 23
The lone blemish on Utah's 2019 regular season schedule, the Utes either were tied with or within one possession of USC for the majority of this Coliseum clash. Utah clawed back within a touchdown in the final five minutes, but USC was able to drain the clock and keep the Utes from getting one last shot at the end zone.
It did not take away from a 457-yard performance from the Utah offense including quarterback Tyler Huntley's 270 total yards (210 passing, 60 rushing). On defense, eventual first round NFL Draft pick Devin Lloyd led the team with seven tackles.
Oct. 9, 2021
Utah 42, USC 26
Playing for the first time since the tragic loss of teammate Aaron Lowe, the Utes came into the Coliseum with heavy hearts on this night--but having vowed to be 22-percent better each day, a promise that remains today.
It was a back-and-forth game for much of the first half, but Money Parks' first career touchdown and another score on a (somewhat accidental) flea flicker to Devaughn Vele sparked 28 unanswered points for the visitors. Utah did not look back from there, and quarterback Cameron Rising earned his second win on the heels of his first career 300-yard game. Every skill position found the end zone, while Mika Tafua had 2.0 sacks, Vonte Davis had a 30-yard interception return and Clark Phillips III broke up three passes.
For the first time ever, Utah had conquered the Coliseum.
Oct. 15, 2022
No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42
Remember where you were for this one?
The hype around the 2022 Utah-USC matchup started building moments after a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State in the previous year's Rose Bowl. Then, with Pac-12 Championship implications on the line, FOX picked up the game in the primetime TV slot.
It was easily the hottest ticket in Salt Lake City during the 2022 football season. But this game didn't start how Utah would have wanted.
Utah trailed by 14 points at multiple times during the first half--though it's not about how you start, it's how you finish.
Rising threw for 415 yards and rushed for 60 more, culminating with a one-yard scamper into the end zone and just 48 seconds on the clock. Moments later, Rising darted back across the goal line for the two-point conversion, putting the Utes ahead, 43-42, and sending the record crowd of 53,609 into an absolute frenzy.
Dalton Kincaid racked up 234 yards in catching all 16 targets from Rising—the second-most receptions in a game by a tight end in recorded college football history.
2022 Pac-12 Championship - Dec. 2, 2022
No. 11 Utah 47, No. 4 USC 24
For the second straight season, Utah fans headed en masse down Interstate 15 to cheer on the Utes at Allegiant Stadium. The squad had come home with the Pac-12 Championship trophy a year before--could they do it again?
History was made as Utah pulled off the largest comeback by a team in a Pac-12 Championship Game. Just as in the regular season, the Utes trailed USC by 14 points in the first half before rattling off three touchdowns and a field goal. It unfolded all while the Utah defense forced four straight punts, turning momentum to the Utes.
Game MVP and quarterback Cameron Rising passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns, including a 57-yard strike to Money Parks in the third quarter. The defense smothered USC in the second half, holding the Trojans to just one yard in the third quarter. Safeties Cole Bishop and R.J. Hubert each had nine tackles, while Utah tied a season-high with seven sacks as a team.