USC coach Clay Helton seems to do a good job shielding himself from the consistent criticism and speculation about his coaching future, not getting caught up in all that "damn noise" as he called it last weekend.

But Helton did have a suggestion for reporters Friday night, as it pertained to the Trojans' third-string QB and unlikely star of the evening Matt Fink.

"It's a great story, and I hope all of y'all tell it," Helton said. "Because in a world where people go different places, this one fought for his family and I love him for it."

Fink's odyssey to this moment -- to seizing the spotlight in a game so potentially pivotal to the trajectory of USC's season and, yes, also perhaps for the future its head coach -- was indeed well-traveled. Literally.

Back at the end of spring practice, it would have been hard for anybody to expect or even envision Fink passing for 351 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in a 30-23 win over a No. 10-ranked Utah team. Maybe his teammates will disagree, but it's unlikely that Fink would truly disagree -- he did after all enter the NCAA transfer portal and actively look for a better path to playing time.

He retold that chapter from his perspective Friday night, after validating his ultimate decision to return to the Trojans in early summer.

"I did some research, I went to schools and had some unofficial visits, had an official visit with Illinois and I met some great coaches, met some great players and helped build some good relationships. But what [it comes down to is] this team is stacked," Fink said. "You have the best players in the nation here. Why would I go somewhere else and play with lesser of athletes? Not saying any other school isn't a great school and [doesn't] have good athletes, but I'm saying 'SC is on the rise. We have guys who are going to push us to the top here."

That all makes sense. Michael Pittman underscored that point with 10 catches for 232 yards and a TD vs. Utah.

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell quipped afterward: "At times we threw it into double coverage, up to Pitt twice actually and he came down with it. That's just having a special guy. … That's fun."

Everybody knew the potential this offense and its playmakers had, especially with the installation of Harrell's Air Raid system. There was palpable excitement in and around the program.

But -- to paint the picture honestly -- none of that buzz involved Fink, even when he returned from the transfer portal.

Sophomore JT Daniels was the incumbent starter and favorite to retain the job. Redshirt sophomore Jack Sears was the perceived top challenger who sparked relentless debates in the fan base resonating from his lone start last fall -- after Daniels was concussed vs. this Utah team and Fink sustained broken ribs in closing out that game. And then along came true freshman Kedon Slovis, who would beat out both veteran QBs for the backup job and take over as the starter following Daniels' season-ending knee injury.

To be further honest, many were actually surprised when Fink was slotted third on that depth chart ahead of Sears, who would promptly enter the NCAA transfer portal.

So no, this was not really a scenario many considered -- except, of course, Fink.

"That's the only thing that kept me motivated through the whole process, not to mention I have a great team of brothers that continue to push me forward," he said of his belief that his time would indeed come.

And when it did, two plays into the first quarter Friday night with USC already regarded as underdogs in its home stadium?

"I don't think this moment was too big for me. I've been [around] Sam Darnold and I've seen things that are much crazier, but I think getting in today and showing what I could do is what I really wanted to do by staying here," Fink said.

Said Pittman: "Matt's capable of anything that any of our other quarterbacks are, and I think that he showed it."

He definitely showed a lot.

After opening with an incompletion down the right sideline to Tyler Vaughns, Fink reeled off consecutive completions of 12 yards to Vaughns, 15 to Amon-Ra St. Brown, 8 to Pittman and then a 29-yard touchdown to Vaughns in the back right corner of the end zone.

On USC's second series, Fink lofted a third-down pass up for Pittman, who came back to the ball to secure a 26-yard reception. He hit tight end Josh Falo for 12 yards on the next play and then dropped in a 31-yard touchdown to St. Brown, who was sandwiched by converging defends at the goal line as he caught it while handing on for a quick 14-7 lead.

"We're never going to change the game plan," Harrell said. "We're going to put a guy in, we're going to expect him to execute at a high level. I spend a lot of time with them, we sit in meetings all day and I expect them to go execute. That's what he did."

After a three-and-out, a fumble by running back Stephen Carr and another three-and-out as Fink tossed an incomplete sideline fade on third-and-1 (a decision Helton seemed to address with him on the sideline), USC's offense was stalling in familiar ways.

A forced fumble by the USC defense on a first-and-goal play from the Trojans 2 had protected a 14-10 halftime lead for the hosts, but like so much else with this team it seemed ever tenuous.

So after the Trojans defense forced a Utes punt to open the second half, the team needed its offense to respond. On third-and-9, Fink lobbed the ball down the left seam to Pittman with two defenders in the area, but Pittman found a soft spot in the coverage and not only caught the pass but raced into the end zone for a 77-yard touchdown -- USC's longest offensive scoring play since 2015.

"Matt's just not scared to take shots, so Matt will just look over and be like, 'Fade' and then you just run a fade. He'll like look at me and give me the signal and I know he's probably going to throw that pass," Pittman said of the connection he had with his one-time roommate and close friend.

He was asked how Utah didn't catch on to that communication?

""I think they did, but they just couldn't stop it," he said plainly.

That touchdown gave USC a 21-10 lead in what would remain a wild game. Fink would throw an interception on his next series, lofting a risky pass down the right sideline toward Amon-Ra St. Brown. The turnover led to a quick Utes touchdown to narrow the gap and the Trojans offense stalled on its next two series as well.

But late in the fourth quarter, with a 23-20 lead, Fink connected again with Pittman for 42 yards in stride down to spur a final touchdown drive.

"It's just great that he's been waiting and he finally got his time," Pittman said of Fink. "That's something that he's been waiting for."

He wasn't perfect. He sailed some throws, bounced a third -down incompletion when the game was tight earlier in the fourth quarter, etc. But he was a true spark for the Trojans when their season absolutely needed it.

In discussing Slovis' situation -- the back of his head slammed to the turf after taking a hit to the chest while releasing a pass -- Helton said the freshman got "dinged" and wasn't medically cleared to return.

There was no talk Friday night of any plans for the position at Washington next weekend. That can come later -- this was indeed Fink's moment in which to bask.

And Helton too thought back on the process that led the QB to return this summer in hopes that he might get a chance like this at some point.

"We talked a bunch. He had done everything. He had done everything possible to help this team. He had competed for the job, he had gone into this Utah game last year, broke ribs for the team and had done everything and graduated from this university also," Helton said. "He and I sat down, I said, 'Matty, if you choose to leave, I love you and I'll support you, but I want you to know the door is always open here. You're a member of our family, and I'm leaving it open because of how you have competed, how you have represented this university getting your degree and I'm not totally sold that it's the right decision.

"'It's a decision that you've got to make personally, and I want you to be able to evaluate it, I want you to be able to research, go anywhere you want to and know if you want to be a part of this team I want you here for the fall. We're going into training camp, we're going to go compete and wherever it lies don't have any regrets. Don't have any regrets if it doesn't go the way [you want].'"

Fink had no regrets Friday night, nor did he allow himself to play with any. For a guy with 18 career passing attempts entering the night, he took his shots, hit on most of them and delivered a moment that could jumpstart this Trojans season. That is to be determined, of course.

But regardless of what happens moving forward, Fink validated his gamble to return to USC with no guarantee he'd ever get his shot -- just a belief in the unknown and more importantly a belief in his abilities that outpaced most all outside expectations.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of this guy," Helton said, seated next to Fink in the postgame media session. "In today's world, things don't go always your way and you live through adversity and you say, 'You know what, when my opportunity comes I'm going to make the most of it.' In a world where everybody goes different places, this one stayed for his family and waiting for his moment and waiting for his memory -- and what a memory it was tonight."