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LOS ANGELES — Utah's undefeated run came to an end Saturday night as the USC Trojans rolled over the Utes 42-24.
It was a lackluster performance from the Utes as they allowed USC to dictate the game from start to finish. The following are some takeaways from Saturday night's game.
Cameron Smith is Wilson's kryptonite
USC linebacker Cameron Smith made it extremely difficult for Travis Wilson to establish any type of passing game. Smith picked off Wilson three times — one pick six and another eventual touchdown score. Wilson later had a fourth interception in a late-game Hail Mary pass as Utah attempted to close the score gap.
Wilson started the game throwing 9-of-9 for 69 yards and one touchdown before throwing his first interception in the second quarter. From that interception on, Wilson was out of his game and struggled to accurately hit receivers. He overthrew receivers, missed reads and simply looked out of rhythm.
Saturday's game is not the first time Wilson or Utah has faced adversity, and it's not the first set of bad interceptions Wilson has thrown. But everything was derailed for Utah after that first interception, setting the tone for both teams. If Utah hopes to maintain its dominant season, it's got to start with a consistent performance from Wilson and his receivers, despite interceptions or other forms of adversity.
While one game won't dictate the season, given Utah's wavering decisions with its quarterbacks over the years, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kendal Thompson and Chase Hansen moving closer to a starting position. But head coach Kyle Whittingham needs to show Wilson that he has confidence in him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster gets highlight reel performance
Coming into the game Saturday it was no surprise that JuJu Smith-Schuster was going to be a handful for the Utes. Smith-Schuster was all that and more as he compiled a highlight reel performance night against a normally dominant Utah defense.
Smith-Schuster ended the game with eight catches for 143 yards and one touchdown. But how he picked apart Utah's defense was the special part as he continued to find ways to make Utah defenders miss tackles and found ways to extend plays.
Conference standings still in Utah's favor
While the loss stings for Utah, they still control their destiny. Win and they've got nothing to worry about, but now it's getting a little tighter with Arizona State, UCLA and USC on Utah's heels in the battle for the South lead.
Utah needs to forget about the USC game and simply focus on the remaining five games on its schedule. While it will be harder to obtain the College Football Playoffs, Utah is not out of the mix. First focus on winning the Pac-12 and obtaining that goal before worrying about postseason bowl appearances.
Many of the elite teams use a loss as a teaching experience and a way to get better. How Utah responds next week against Oregon State will be a big indicator of how the remainder of the season will shake out.
