Game Breakdown: USC takes first loss in dramatic 43-42 finish at Utah

Undefeated no more.

After a four-hour offensive explosion, No. 20-ranked Utah just eked out a victory over No. 7 USC, taking a 43-42 lead on a late touchdown drive and two-point conversion with 48 seconds remaining.

The two offenses exchanged blows all night, with quarterback Caleb Williams making one ridiculous play after another only to be answered by Utah quarterback Cam Rising.

When Rising capped that final 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge on fourth-and-goal and then dove into the end zone for the go-ahead two-point conversion, the Trojans couldn't muster one more answer.

This was a game that got messy and discombobulated, with a heavy dose of stopped play and some very shaky officiating. USC was flagged for 12 penalties for 93 yards (Utah had 5 for 42), including two especially damaging roughing the passer penalties.

In fact, the Trojans (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12) looked set to pull away early in this game after Williams led touchdown drives on each of their first two possessions for a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing Utah drive, Calen Bullock looked to have an interception in the end zone to further USC's momentum but Stanley Ta'ufo'ou was flagged for a controversial roughing the passer penalty. That gave the Utes new life and they scored on the next play with Micah Bernard's 12-yard touchdown run.

It was hard to ignore the impact that had on the game overall. USC answered with yet another touchdown four plays later on a drive that included Williams' 65-yard completion to Mario Williams and a 2-yard touchdown to Kyron Hudson.

Instead of being 21-0, it was 21-7 and the Utes (4-2, 2-1) climbed their way back into the game from there.

"I feel two ways about it. The officiating was really poor tonight. But we still should have won the game," coach Lincoln Riley said. "That's part of road football and that's part of football in general. You're going to have some nights where the calls don't go your way. They certainly did not tonight, but you still find a way. I thought we continued to keep our composure and fight and we still should have won the game. I'm not going to be the guy up here saying we lost the game because of the officiating -- because we didn't.

"We're not going to be excuse-makers here. It was just another thing that we had to overcome tonight, and we were close to getting it done."

Utah completed its comeback from the early deficit when it scored on its final possession of the first half -- a 5-play, 70-yard drive that took 45 seconds, ending with a 16-yard Cam Rising touchdown pass to Devaughn Vele -- and then the opening drive of the second half, a 7-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rising to tight end Dalton Kincaid to make it 28-28.

The teams traded touchdowns the rest of the way -- an 11-yard Williams to Josh Falo score for USC early in the third quarter, a 1-yard Rising rushing touchdown early in the fourth, a 20-yard Williams to Michael Jackson III touchdown midway through the fourth and then the decisive score.

Perhaps more than the penalties, the Trojans were done in because they couldn't stop Kincaid, Utah's 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end who had 16 catches for 234 yards and that score.

Caleb Williams finished 25-of-42 passing for 381 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and 57 rushing yards.

USC lost both linebacker Eric Gentry and star receiver Jordan Addison (6 catches for 106 yards and a TD) to injury. Gentry was out of uniform and in a protective walking boot late in the game while Addison stayed in uniform but was clearly impacted by what looked to be a knee injury. Riley had no updated after the game.

Afterward, Riley's message was that this is just the beginning for his Trojans.

"Obviously, a tough, tough way to take a loss," Riley said. "... But you can't question the fight or the resolve of this football team. We had to overcome a lot tonight, and we got damn close to doing it. So we'll rally. I have been in this position a couple of times. I told those guys I kind of have an idea what it looks like when you can really make a run off of one of these, and this team has the inner fortitude, the culture, the desire to win, the desire to overcome anything that [doesn't go your way], even things that are out of your control. We got enough of that to get it done."

First quarter

13:16, USC, Travis Dye 8-yard rush (Denis Lynch kick), USC 7-0

4:53, USC, Jordan Addison 2-yard pass from Caleb Williams (Denis Lynch kick), USC 14-0

1:08, Utah, Micah Bernard 12-yard rush (Jadon Redding kick), USC 14-7

Second quarter

14:20, USC, Kyron Hudson 2-yard pass from Caleb Williams (Denis Lynch kick), USC 21-7

4:01, USC, Cam Rising 2-yard rush (Jadon Redding kick), USC 21-14

1:15, USC, Josh Falo 3-yard pass from Caleb Williams (Denis Lynch kick), USC 28-14

0:30, Utah, Devaughn Vele 16-yard pass from Cam Rising (Jadon Redding kick), USC 28-21

Third quarter

12:02, Utah, Dalton Kincaid 4-yard pass from Cam Rising (Jadon Redding Kick), Tied 28-28

11:02, USC, Josh Falo 11-yard pass from Caleb Williams (Denis Lynch Kick), USC 35-28

Fourth quarter

10:55, Utah, Cam Rising 1-yard rush (Jadon Redding kick), Tied 35-35

6:15, USC, Michael Jackson III 20-yard pass from Caleb WIlliams (Denis Lynch Kick), USC 42-35

0:48, Utah, Cam Rising 1-yard rush (Cam Rising rush for 2-pt conversion), Utah 43-42

With a 14-0 lead in hand, the Trojans found themselves facing the Utah offense at the fringes of the red zone. The Utes gambled with a flea-flicker shot into the end zone, only for Calen Bullock to play the football perfectly from centerfield and pick it off, regaining possession for USC. Suddenly, the team had a chance to go up three scores against the Utes on the road — potentially creating a daunting deficit for the hosts.

The tables turned quickly, however, as the officials inexplicably called a roughing-the-passer penalty on Stanley Ta’ufo’ou for pushing Cam Rising to the ground just after the pass. The penalty changed momentum instantly, and the Utes scored on a disoriented USC defense on the subsequent play to suddenly close the gap to just 7 points. From that moment on, it stopped feeling as though USC was running away in a blowout.

The Rice-Eccles Stadium crowd -- a school-record 53,609 -- regained its energy and kept the volume up from then on, contributing to what would be tougher quarters to follow. Ultimately, that play may have been the difference in USC's 1-point loss.

After a grueling touchdown drive by the Utes to tie the game at 35-35 near the midpoint of the fourth quarter, the Trojans were desperately in need of an answer. They began the ensuing drive with 90 yards to go but marched all the way down the field, finding themselves with a critical third-and-8 at the Utah 20. With the Utes' showing an all-out blitz, Caleb WIlliams quickly checked to a screen play that worked to perfection. USC's receivers did an excellent job of blocking downfield as Michael Jackson III took off after catching his first pass of the season, keeping his balance through a tackle attempt to find the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown.

The play gave USC the lead back at 42-35 with just over 6 minutes left in the game, putting it in position to finish. It would end up not mattering, but it was a big play at a critical time for USC.

QB Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams was white hot, scorching the Utah defense with one deep shot after another in between a collection of fantastic scrambles. Williams ripped off a bevy of big plays to lead the Trojans to a 28-point first half, throwing for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns in just the first 30 minutes of play. Every tool in his kit was on display Saturday night: the unmatched escapability, the wheels, the composure and the rocket of a right arm.

It wouldn't be enough, ultimately, as Williams wouldn't manage to lead the Trojans on a game-winning drive to close out the contest. He missed opportunities and made mistakes throughout the game but was easily the best player on the field whenever he was on it. Williams finished the contest with 381 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air, along with another 57 rushing yards.

Linebacker Eric Gentry

Though the Trojans defense struggled to contain the Utah passing attack for pretty much the entire night, Eric Gentry’s contributions throughout the game helped the USC defense manage a few precious stops. The highlight of his night came in the third quarter, with the Utes threatening to tie the game at 35 just outside the end zone. As the Utes’ looked to be on the verge of punching in a score, Gentry drove his shoulder straight through the ball-carrier's arms, jarring the football loose and saving the Trojan lead for the time being.

Gentry was really the only linebacker who provided a solid presence for USC in coverage, doing what he could to take away throws over the middle when hardly anyone else did. He made a considerable impact against the run as well, flying to the football and tackling well for most of the night. Unfortunately, a fourth-quarter injury would end Gentry's night early. It remains too soon to know how serious the injury is, but given that he needed to be carted off it doesn't look good.

The defense couldn't contain tight end Dalton Kincaid in the passing game at all, giving up 234 yards and a touchdown on 16 receptions to the Utah tight end. USC's inability to limit his production made it easy for the Utes to drive up and down the field throughout the night, most importantly on the drive that would clinch the game for Utah. Additionally, the inability of the defense to contain Cam Rising on the ground was a major liability in the second half. The game winning score and two-point conversion both came in that fashion, with USC unable to find answers for Rising's legs.

It also has to be noted that the aforementioned wonky officiating in this game certainly played a big role on the outcome. The Trojans twice had potential third-down stops on defense taken away by highly dubious roughing the passer penalties — instead leading to 14 points for Utah. The Trojans defense absolutely needed to play a better game, especially down the stretch, but the way the game was called certainly mattered.

The Trojans are now no longer undefeated and have failed to take advantage of Saturday's shuffling in the top 10. Their path to both the Pac-12 championship and the College Football Playoff just got much tougher. They'll essentially have to win out to have a good shot at either one with Notre Dame and UCLA still on the schedule. The defense was picked apart for a lot of this game, and the loss of Gentry only adds more questions for USC on that side of the ball. On offense, Jordan Addison's injury is a big concern as well, as potentially missing him down the stretch would be a major blow. The severity of his injury remains to be seen.

The hardest thing for USC to bear coming off this loss is the fact that this was absolutely a game that it should have won. That's positive is knowing they're capable of beating everybody they've played, but it's a bitter, bitter way to have to accept a loss.

Passing:

Caleb Williams: 25/42, 381 yards, 5 TD, 0 Int

Rushing:

Travis Dye: 11 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD

Caleb Williams: 8 carries, 57 yards

Receiving:

Mario Williams: 4 rec, 145 yards

Jordan Addison: 7 rec, 106 yards, 1 TD

Travis Dye: 3 rec, 43 yards

Michael Jackson III: 1 rec, 20 yards, 1 TD

Josh Falo: 2 rec, 14 yards, 2 TDs