Countdown to Kickoff: USC vs. No. 10 Utah

It was just a week ago that this USC football team was still riding the high of a dominant finish to the Stanford game, the unveiling of a budding star in freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis and overall a renewed optimism.

Then everything reset -- hard.

The 30-27 overtime loss at BYU replaced that optimism with a cavalcade of critics suddenly saying these 2019 Trojans look a lot like the 2018 squad all over again. Slovis' 3 interceptions leveled out the excitement from his near-flawless performance the previous week.

And it all gave way to the familiar talk about Clay Helton's future as head coach and where this season goes from here.

Often times, college athletes reflexively downplay storylines, but not this week -- it was refreshing to hear that the Trojans see this game Friday night with No. 10 Utah the same way most do.

"This is definitely, if not the biggest, one of the biggest games of our season, and I think how we respond to this, how we respond from that loss is going to determine what kind of team we'll be this season," defensive tackle Brandon Pili said.

It could indeed set the tone for everything the rest of the way.

The reality is USC (2-1) has put itself in a very tough spot, dropping a winnable game at BYU largely through its own mistakes right before the toughest stretch of the schedule -- starting at home Friday night against the Utes (3-0), followed by a road game at No. 22 Washington and then after the bye week a road trip to No. 7 Notre Dame.

Helton's task this season, coming off that 5-7 letdown last fall, was to not just improve but show that he could turn the Trojans into a true contender again. His margin for error just got slimmer, and if this season is going to be a success USC has to produce during this three-game gantlet.

"It's always tough losing to a team that statistically you're supposed to beat and you have a mindset, 'We're going into this game, we have to beat these guys.' And losing like that, it's a big heart-breaker, but at the same time we've got to stay focused and bounce back," Pili said candidly.

Linebacker Palaie Gaoteote said the players have tuned out -- or tried to -- the dialogue in the fan base coming off that loss. They don't need to hear it to know what's at stake.

"We try to stay off the media and stuff. After the BYU game we just tried to stay off of it, just get back to the books and just get back to grinding hard," he said.

Helton, meanwhile, said this Utah team is the "most complete" that coach Kyle Whittingham has had, while touting "four or five" future NFL players on the defense and the dynamic offensive duo of quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss. The Utes were picked as the favorites in the Pac-12 preseason poll and have handled business so far with comfortable wins at BYU and against Northern Illinois and Idaho State.

This is their first major test as well and pivotal opportunity to show whether that hype was merited for a program that has reached double-digit wins just once during its first eight seasons in the conference and has yet to win a Pac-12 title.

"This is kind of like a Pac-12 championship, this game Friday. How we looking at it, we're going to play it like a Pac-12 championship and we don't want to take no more losses so we're going to come hard," USC cornerback Olaijah Griffin said.

Well, USC showed last week it has a long way to go to fashion itself as a Pac-12 contender, but sure, if that's ever going to be in the conversation this fall this would need to be the first step with control of the Pac-12 South on the line.

But that's not all that's at stake, of course. Helton's job status will continue to hang over this season every step of the way, and the loss at BYU only amplified the "damn noise" he confidently dismissed as a mere part of the job last Saturday.

In that same setting, he also told everyone "this is going to be a special team, mark my words."

Now it's time to prove it.

Game time: 6 p.m. PT Friday

Where: United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

TV: FS1 with Joe Davis, Brock Huard and Bruce Feldman on the call

Radio: Listen locally on KABC-AM 790

Line: Utah -3.5

Series history: USC is 11-6 overall vs. Utah and 8-1 in games played in LA. But the Trojans have lost 3 of the last 5 games overall, including a lopsided 41-28 defeat last year in Salt Lake City.

USC true freshman QB Kedon Slovis has shown the full gamut of possibilities with his performances so far. Thrust into the starting role follow JT Daniels' season-ending knee injury, Slovis was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after his first start -- a dazzling 28-of-33 passing performance for 377 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INT. Then came a frank reminder that he is still a raw freshman, one just as capable of throwing 3 INTs in a 30-27 overtime loss at BYU.

So which Slovis will the Trojans get Friday night? Well, that's the question. USC showed in the second half last week that it is not built to rely on its rushing attack. The formula for success for this Trojans offense remains its Air Raid passing attack, and that means trusting Slovis to bounce back and learn quickly from his mistakes.

USC coach Clay Helton said: "He's been very decisive with his decision-making, and I've been very impressed with that. He's not scared to pull the trigger, that's for dang sure. He's got no conscience and no fear, and that's a special thing. I think that's what makes the difference between the great quarterbacks," Helton said. "JT [Daniels] has it, Kedon has it. Those guys they've got it, they pull the trigger, they're not scared to release the ball. So for me it's take the same approach you took vs. Stanford. We say reads are sacred and don't get bored, do the same thing over and over and over again and don't guess. ... I would be shocked if he doesn't have a great game this game."

USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said: "Like I said, he's going to be a special player and he's a youngster and sometimes you're going to make some mistakes. No matter how old you are you're going to make some mistakes. ... It doesn't matter who you are or how long you've been playing, there's going to be plays you wish you had back, but I think the key is always to learn from it and grow from it and he'll do a great job of that because that's the kind of kid he is."

Utah senior quarterback Tyler Huntley is a dual-threat QB who had his way with USC last season, passing for 341 yards and 4 TDs and rushing for another score in that dominant win over the Trojans. Well, so far this season he's looked like a more refined passer while completing 77.8 percent of his attempts for 602 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs and also rushing for 99 yards and a TD. He completed right around 64 percent of his passes the last two years while combining for 27 TDs and 16 INTs, so if his newfound efficiency is the real deal that makes him an especially tough guy to defend.

USC, of course, has struggled with two mobile quarterbacks already this season in Fresno State's Jorge Reyna and BYU's Zach Wilson, so Huntley is a concern for the Trojans.

USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said: "He's really made a lot of progress [in] his time at Utah. This year he's shown a poise in standing in there, he's going through his reads. I think it's just part of his maturation process."

USC

Senior wide receiver Michael Pittman is on a tear. After going without a catch in the first half against Stanford, he's gotten in sync with Slovis while hauling in 15 catches for 177 yards and 2 TDs over the last six quarters. Meanwhile, Tyler Vaughns leads the Trojans with 23 catches for 321 yards and a TD. Amon-Ra St. Brown (14-139-2) was slowed by a foot injury this week, but he seemed on track to be available.

While many have clammored to see more of redshirt freshman running back Markese Stepp (7.2 yards per carry on his 12 touches so far), RBs coach Mike Jinks indicated that he'll stick with the rotation as it's been -- led by a heavy dose of Vavae Malepeai (272 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC, 4 TDs) with Stephen Carr mixing in behind him (111 yards and 2 TDs, with 10 catches for 75 yards and a TD.

Utah

Helton said he thinks Utah senior running back Zack Moss is one of the best at his position nationally. Moss is averaging 6.5 yards per carry while rushing for 373 yards and 4 TDs through three games. He averaged 6.1 YPC last season and rushed for 136 yards vs. USC. The Trojans' tackling struggles so far make the Utes' multi-faceted ground attack particularly troublesome.

The Utes haven't been overly aggressive through the air -- Huntley hasn't attempted more than 19 passes in a game yet -- but USC cornerback Olaijah Griffin said he thinks this is the best group of receivers he's seen so far this season. Britain Covey (7 catches for 70 yards), a 5-foot-8 junior, has been around forever for Utah and is joined by 5-foot-9 sophomore Jaylen Dixon (8-92-1), 6-foot-2 sophomore Brant Kuithe (7-143-1), 5-foot-10 senior Demari Simpkins (6-57) and 6-foot-2 sophomore Bryan Thompson (4-171-2) in a balanced passing attack. Simpkins is also a threat on jet sweeps.

USC

Talented sophomore linebacker Palaie Gaoteote was a culprit in USC's aforementioned tackling woes the first two games of the season, but he delivered a strong bounce-back performance in the loss at BYU, finishing with 9 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He mentioned this week that the key for him is remaining disciplined with his eyes. He'll need to have a big game in this one.

As of the last update Wednesday evening, starting cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart was questionable while working through the concussion protocol. If he can't go, 5-star freshman Chris Steele will get the start there. Steele has been rotating in behind Taylor-Stuart while seeing his reps increase each week. Olaijah Griffin starts on the other side and was excellent against Stanford before coming back down to earth vs. BYU.

Starting nickel Greg Johnson was limited to just 10 snaps last week due to his own head injury, but he has been cleared for this game. Safety Talanoa Hufanga might be the key to the secondary, though. He's coming off a 10-tackle performance.

Up front, USC is hopeful that redshirt-senior defensive end Christian Rector can return after missing the last game with an ankle injury. He practiced this week and looked to be on track to play. The Trojans have been mostly strong up the middle against the run, but they've struggled to contain the edges and finish potential plays in the backfield. The defensive front will need to set the tone in this game, but the linebackers -- including middle LB John Houston -- will need to be at their best.

Utah

The Utes are stout and experienced up front with senior DE Bradlee Anae (27 career starts, 20 sacks), senior DT John Penisini (12 career starts) and senior DT Leki Fotu (17 career starts) leading the way. The linebackers are strong too, as sophomore Devin Lloyd is off to a great start this season with 24 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, and senior Francis Bernard has 22 tackles, 2.5 TFL and 1 interception.

Junior cornerback Jaylon Johnson (5 career INTs) is one of the best in the conference at his position, and senior safety Julian Blackmon already has 2 picks this fall.

"When you're talking about this Utah front, you're looking at four or five NFL players on it," Helton said. "And one of the things I think they do a great job … is they set up tackles for loss by penetration. We just got done playing a 2-gap football team, and now you're going to play a team that really plays on a edge and gets up field and gets in the backfield. They can do it with four-man rush or they can pressure and they do it effectively."

Utah's hallmark is as usual its physicality, while that remains a question for this USC team. So the pivotal matchup is at the line of scrimmage both ways.

"I told our guys in the team meeting right off the bat, I think this is going to be a big man's game," Helton said. "I think whoever controls the offensive and defensive fronts will win the game."

USC's pass rush has been inconsistent and Utah has yet to give up a sack all season, but the Trojans will need to get in the backfield and -- this is key -- finish when they have opportunities to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. They have to be cognizant, though, of not opening up scrambling opportunities for Huntley with that pass rush.

And going the other way, USC needs a better performance from the offensive line than it got a week ago. That's going to be a tall task. The Trojans struggled to create rushing lanes against what was often a three-man front from BYU. The going gets much tougher against the Utes, who rank No. 7 nationally in allowing only 65 rushing yards per game so far. As we noted, USC's passing attack may have to take the lead here, so pass protection will be key.

USC QB Kedon Slovis: "In high school and in every level of football I've faced some sort of adversity. Just different as it is every time. If it was the same thing every time it wouldn't be adversity and everyone would be successful. It's a learning curve and you've got to adjust and get better."

USC OC Graham Harrell on Slovis: "That's what I told him -- no matter what happens and no matter what the situation is, we've got to be disciplined enough to continue to go through our read every single snap. ... No matter what the situation is, no matter what the play is, just be disciplined enough to go to your reads. There's times on that film where he's kind of skipping one or you kind of see his head turn too fast and it's like this is an example -- be disciplined enough to look at that guy because he was open."

USC HC Clay Helton on Utah: "I'm really impressed all across the board. I think it's the most complete team Kyle has had since we've been here."

DC Clancy Pendergast: "We've got to do a better job of tackling."

RBs coach Mike Jinks on the RB rotation: "Again, I really don't care what anybody says. We're going to do what's best for this football team."

Ryan Young: "Utah, 34-27. The Utes still have to prove that they can deliver on all the hype this season and that Whittingham can take his program to the next level. This is their first truly tough test, on the road against a capable if erratic Trojans team. But it's hard to scrutinize the matchup and not see it favoring Utah in most ways. It's also hard to forget how the Utes manhandled USC last season in Salt Lake City -- that 41-28 final wasn't reflective of how one-sided that game is. With the Trojans still trying to prove that they aren't that same team as a year ago, that performances can't be written off. I think USC's defensive issues -- and perhaps some more sloppiness -- will be the deciding factor here."

Tajwar Khandaker: "Utah, 38-24. Utah is simply too well-refined of a machine for USC to steal a game on the basis of pure talent -- the Trojans’ only potential advantage in this matchup. Whittingham will play this game carefully, knowing that his team is more than capable of leaving the Coliseum with a win, and the Utes will probably run Zack Moss down the throat of a weak Trojan front. I think Slovis will have a good night despite the talent in Utah’s secondary. If the Trojans can find a way to win, it’ll have to come from the freshman’s right arm. All the same, I don’t think the Trojan defense can hinder Utah’s offense, and I see a two-score loss in the cards to bring USC to .500."

-Reporter Rountable: Picks, predictions and perspective on USC-Utah

-Podcast: USC analyst Max Browne breaks down the matchup with Utah

-USC freshman CB Chris Steele: 'I see my game going to another level'

-USC Film Room: Breaking down Michael Pittman's performance vs. BYU

-Wednesday practicer report: Key injury updates ahead of Utah game

-Tuesday practice report: DE Christian Rector 'excited to play' after injury

-Mike Jinks on RB rotation: 'We're going to do what's best' for this team

-Podcast: Former USC QB Max Browne critiques Kedon Slovis' struggles vs. BYU

-Graham Harrell reiterates QB Kedon Slovis 'is going to be a special player'

-Monday practice report: Graham Harrell on play-calling, BYU thoughts

-There was a Bru McCoy sighting and update at practice Monday

-Pro Football Focus snap counts and grades for USC's defense vs. BYU

-Pro Football Focus snap counts and grades for USC's offense vs. BYU

-Clay Helton likens USC's early setback, young QB to 2016 Rose Bowl team