LOS ANGELES — Bryson Barnes fell behind, fought through the Southern California onslaught and headed downhill. The Utah quarterback ducked, dodged and eventually went down inside the USC 20 with 5 seconds left in the game, putting the Utes in perfect field position for the game-winning field goal.
Caleb Williams could only watch and admire as Utah’s third-string quarterback ended the Heisman Trophy winner’s national championship dreams.
Cole Becker hit a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and No. 14 Utah blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before posting a thrilling 34-32 win over No. 18 USC on Saturday night.
After Williams ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:46 left to mark a major comeback for the Trojans (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12), Barnes led Utah’s winning drive with this spectacular 26-yard scramble to score the winning goal The Utes (6-1, 3-1) are well within reach for Becker’s winning goal. Utah celebrated its narrow victory with its fans in the Coliseum, where Williams and Lincoln Riley had never lost.
“We really had the upper hand there for a while and we got a little soft towards the end,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “But you know, they have a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, so they’re going to do some things, and that’s just the way it is. But we have a pig farmer as our quarterback and we’re proud of that guy too. What a warrior he is.”
In fact, Barnes – who grew up as a hog farmer in southern Utah – set a career-high 235 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score. He also turned down a pick-6 in the fourth quarter and led the Utes’ offense to a season-high 482 yards as they extended their winning streak over USC to four games.
“Bryson is going to be Bryson,” said running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who had 117 yards rushing. “He’s a competitor. He is smart. We definitely believe in the guy.”
Two-way sensation Sione Vaki caught two touchdown passes and totaled 217 yards for the Utes, but they narrowly survived an impressive rally by the Trojans.
After Zachariah Branch’s 61-yard punt return set up Williams’ go-ahead TD run to give the Trojans a 32-31 lead, Utah launched a drive that included Jackson’s fourth-and-1 conversion run to the USC 40. Barnes scored the game-winning scramble one play later.
“It was a good heavyweight fight,” said Riley, who is 17-5 at USC and suffered three losses to Whittingham’s Utes. “Two good football teams are playing and it came down to the last play. The locker room is a bit of a mess at the moment, as it should be. Had two tough defeats in a row and none of us planned it that way. But you can’t script it. It’s college football. It comes down to little things here and there, and we haven’t played cleanly enough in the last few weeks.”
Williams passed for 256 yards and no touchdowns in a second straight difficult game for the star and his Trojans, whose national title hopes are all but dead after back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Utah. USC refused to make any players available to the media afterward.
Landen King caught an early TD pass for the Utes, who angered the Trojans and their fans with repeated substitutions on the defensive line that slowed USC’s offense.
After trailing 28-14 in the third quarter, USC mounted a comeback when safety Calen Bullock returned his interception 30 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Trojans attempted a 2-point conversion and failed.
Branch, the Trojans’ electrifying freshman, set up Williams’ go-ahead shot on the first play of the punt return – but the Trojans’ second 2-point conversion attempt also failed.
After Utah quickly advanced to midfield with a personal foul and targeting penalty on USC lineman Bear Alexander, Barnes began his all-out run.
TWO-WAY SIONE
Vaki, Utah’s starting strong safety, gave another dazzling display of tackling prowess in his third offensive game for the Utes. A week after running for 158 yards and three touchdowns against California, Vaki caught five passes for 149 yards – the first 100-yard game by a Utes receiver all season – and ran nine times for 68 yards.
Vaki caught a 53-yard touchdown pass on the Utes’ third play from scrimmage. He scored again late in the third quarter, making an extraordinary cut after a short catch and a 15-yard TD.
“Maybe we need to rest him on defense because he’s so valuable on offense,” Whittingham said.
THE TAKING AWAY
Utah: Few programs on the West Coast can match the tenacity and consistency of the Utes over the last two decades, and Whittingham’s dominance of Riley’s rebuilding project underscores the current state of these programs. Utah does more with less than any other elite program, and a third straight Pac-12 title is still in play.
USC: The Trojans’ season has faltered with back-to-back losses, but signs of their decline were evident in poor defensive performances earlier in the year. Aside from the late comeback, USC’s inability to stop a well-coached Utah team with a third-string quarterback and a safety-playing tailback says all that needs to be said about the quality of coordinator Alex Grinch’s defense.
INJURIES
Utah: QB Cameron Rising and TE Brant Kuithe will not play this season, Whittingham announced during his postgame press conference. Rising, a native of nearby Ventura County, has been injured in each of the last two Rose Bowls. Kuithe injured his knee at the start of last season.
NEXT
Utah: Hosts Oregon on October 28th.
Southern California: October 28th in California.
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football