In the final installment of the Utah Utes and USC Trojans in Pac-12 play, Bryson Barnes led Utah to an epic comeback victory that will be remembered for years to come.
Down and depleted, the Utes had every reason and every excuse to lose this game. However, Barnes, Sione Vaki, Ja’Quinden Jackson and Cole Becker weren’t about to let that happen.
After a shocking USC 61-yard punt return led to a Caleb Williams touchdown putting USC up 32-31 with under 2 minutes left in the game, Barnes went on a mad dash for 26 yards, putting Utah in chip shot field goal range with just seconds to play.
Game. Set. Match. Becker nailed it and sent the Trojans home with their fourth straight loss against the bullies of Utah.
Here are the takeaways from the victory:
Barnes proved he’s more than a game manager
Let’s be real, this USC defense isn’t great, but Barnes saved his best game of his Utah career for the game he was needed the most.
He finished the night 14-22 for 235 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he had 10 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. There was also the brief momentum shifting pick-6 that he threw, but he redeemed himself when it mattered most.
Faced with a 2nd down and 10 at the USC 40 with 16 seconds left, Barnes tucked the ball and broke loose. 26 yards later, Utah was set up for the game-deciding 38 yard field goal.
Barnes went from hero, to goat, to hero just like that. In the process, he proved that Utah can win the close games with him at the helm.
Defense loses Barton, but still comes through
The hits continue to come. The defense lost yet another player to injury in the win against the Trojans. This time the brutal blow was to standout linebacker Lander Barton. Before exiting with a lower leg injury, Barton was leading the team with nine total tackles, with four being solo. He was a menace all over the field, just like he’d been all season.
Barton was seen on the field after the game with crutches and wearing a boot, Whittingham verified during the postgame that he is out for the remainder of the season. The linebacker position depth is stacked, but it’s still a crushing loss to the defense. Through seven games Barton stacked up 11 solo tackles, 23 assisted, two interceptions — one for a pick-six — a forced fumble and 4.5 sacks. One of his biggest highlights from the season came from a quarterback pressure that set up a Cole Bishop interception against Baylor; flipping the tide back into Utah’s favor for the win.
Vaki and Jackson are a tantalizing duo
For the second game in a row, Jackson and Vaki dominated. Along with Barnes, they’ve given the Utah offense life when it seemed like they had no fight left.
After two solid runs by Jackson to open the game, Barnes connected with Vaki for a 53 yard touchdown. Vaki found the end zone again in the third with a 15 yard receiving touchdown from Barnes.
Jackson didn’t see the end zone, but he hammered the Trojans front seven from start to finish with 26 carries for 117 yards. Vaki led the team in receiving yards with five receptions for 149 yards and the aforementioned touchdowns. He also dazzled on the ground with nine carries for 68 yards.
With Jackson finally healthy, Vaki has delivered the added spark that Utah was expecting at the start of the season from the combo of Jackson and Micah Bernard.
After an impressive performance against Cal, the only question was is that success sustainable? Those two answered that tonight with an emphatic, “yes.”
Riley and Williams are 0-3 against Utah
Remember when this coach-quarterback tandem were going to change college football? Yeah, that was an amusing story. To be the best, you have to go through the best. On Saturday night, they were unable to pull it off against an injury ravaged Utah team.
Lincoln Riley and Williams might be off to the NFL next year, after both receiving well-deserved individual press. As for the Utes, they’ve proven themselves to be a model on how to build a consistent football powerhouse.
In the end, the Trojans had been reduced to “David,” but they couldn’t beat Utah, their “Goliath.”
