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The USC Trojans will be playing a game in Salt Lake City for the first time in 95 years tonight. The bad news for Ute fans who will be attending the game? The USC Band is in town, too. Utah fans better be hoping the Ute defense plays better than it did at Arizona State or they’ll be hearing "Fight On" in their dreams for the next 20 years.
Game Notes- Utah (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) vs. No. 13/12 USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12)
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 4
- Time: 7:00 p.m. MDT
- Site: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017)
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: ESPN700, SIRIUS/XM 85, Sports USA
- Series Record: USC leads 7-3
- Last Meeting: 2011 (USC 23-14)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, temps in the low 60s
Here are the top five storylines to look forward to in the game:
1.Regrouping. How will the Utes regroup after what was a demoralizing loss at Arizona State. We should be able to see pretty quickly if the Utes have given up on the season. USC should come out firing offensively. If Utah is as demoralized as it looked in the second half against the Sun Devils, Rice-Eccles is going to have the same feeling it did in 2010 when TCU came in and trounced the Utes.
2.Biggest Matchup:Lee and Woods vs. Ute Secondary. USC wide receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods will be the biggest test the Utes’ secondary has ever seen. Ever. Lee and Woods are NFL-caliber receivers right now. If the Utes haven’t made adjustments from last week, these two will have a hay day. Look for the Utes to change up their pass coverage a little bit like they did last year against USC. Typically a pressing man-to-man style, the secondary will likely mix in some zone coverages against the Trojans Thursday night to try to win this matchup.
3.Barkley for Heisman. USC quarterback Matt Barkley’s early season has been much like President Obama’s first debate on Wednesday night — a heavy favorite faltering unexpectedly. Barkley has played well enough to not be the reason the Trojans are no longer a national championship contender, but he has not handled pressure well. If the Ute defensive front-seven can get pressure on Barkley, the Utes will have a chance.
4.Back to the run. There was a feeling around practice this week that the Utes will do everything they can to establish the run game on Thursday. The USC defensive line is undersized and the Ute coaches feel like they can get the run game going with a healthy John White and a resurgent Kelvin York (a former USC commit). If the Utes can establish the run, it will open the pass game and, maybe more importantly, limit the Trojans’ amount of possessions.
5.Running out of sandbags. The Utes continue to try to mix and match on the offensive line to fill in for injuries and poor play. Two freshmen will be starting on the Ute offensive line against one of the best pass-rushing defensive lines in the country. One thing the Utes do have going for them in pass protection is the scheme SC typically uses. Because of the athleticism on the defensive line, the Trojans typically don’t blitz a whole lot. This is something the Utes should be able to handle. That said, USC surely saw the ASU tape wherein the Sun Devils blitzed like crazy. That may change the way the Trojans go after Jon Hays and that could be trouble. But if the Trojans rely on their scheme, the Utes may be able to give Hays enough time to get the ball to his playmakers.
Trevor Amicone is the founder of byutahinsiders.com, which covers BYU, Utah and national college football with weekly polls, bowl projections, opinions and analysis. Follow its brand new Twitter page at @BYUtahInsiders and Trevor's at @TrevorAmicone.
