USC
3-1 , 2-0
Utah
3-1 , 0-1
Team Stats
UTAH 0, USC 7
USC - Vaughns, Tyler 29 yd pass from Fink, Matt (McGrath, Chase kick) 7 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:03
UTAH 7, USC 7
UTAH - Henry-Cole, D. 17 yd run (Redding, Jadon kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:18
UTAH 7, USC 14
USC - St. Brown, Amon 31 yd pass from Fink, Matt (McGrath, Chase kick) 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:21
UTAH 10, USC 14
UTAH - Redding, Jadon 38 yd field goal 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 3:59
UTAH 10, USC 21
USC - Pittman, Michae 77 yd pass from Fink, Matt (McGrath, Chase kick) 6 plays, 90 yards, TOP 2:01
UTAH 17, USC 21
UTAH - Fotheringham, C 2 yd pass from Huntley, Tyler (Redding, Jadon kick) 3 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:25
UTAH 20, USC 21
UTAH - Redding, Jadon 24 yd field goal 10 plays, 62 yards, TOP 5:09
UTAH 20, USC 23
USC - Jackson, Drake 0 yd safety
UTAH 20, USC 30
USC - Stepp, Markese 4 yd run (McGrath, Chase kick), 5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:53
UTAH 23, USC 30
UTAH - Redding, Jadon 38 yd field goal 9 plays, 51 yards, TOP 2:51
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Backup QB Matt Fink Leads USC Football's 30-23 Upset Over No. 10 Utah
September 20, 2019 | Football, Features
A few weeks later, Fink found himself passing for 351 yards, leading a victory over No. 10 Utah at the roaring Coliseum. Fink didn't give up on his USC dream, and the Trojans are grateful they had such a talented backup to their backup.
Michael Pittman Jr. caught 10 passes for a career-high 232 yards and a touchdown from Fink in USC's 30-23 victory over the Utes on Friday night.
Fink went 21 of 30 with three touchdown passes for USC (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12) after taking over when freshman Kedon Slovis left with a possible concussion on the second play of the game. Fink mostly looked sharp as the third quarterback to play important snaps in four games for the Trojans, who lost starter JT Daniels to a season-ending knee injury in their opener.
"I don't think this moment was too big for me," Fink said. "I've been in the era of Sam Darnold, and I've seen things that are much crazier. Getting in today and showing what I can do is what I really wanted to do by staying here."USC 14, Utah 7@FinkMattFink evades the sack and hits @amonra_stbrown to put the Trojans back on top!
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 21, 2019
📺: FS1#FightOn | #BeatTheUtes pic.twitter.com/Cnwnmb8JBK
After barely playing the past two seasons, Fink nearly went to Illinois as a graduate transfer last spring. The Los Angeles-area native instead decided to stay home and wait for a chance, however remote.
"In a world where everybody goes different places, this one stayed for his family, waiting for his moment, waiting for his memory," USC coach Clay Helton said. "And what a memory it was tonight. When his number was called, he made the most of it tonight."
Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Pittman all caught TD passes from Fink, while Pittman had the fifth-biggest receiving yardage game in USC history. His remarkable 42-yard catch in the fourth quarter eventually led to a 4-yard TD run by Markese Stepp.
Devontae Henry-Cole rushed for an early touchdown and Cole Fotheringham caught a TD pass for the Utes (3-1, 0-1), who struggled after star running back Zack Moss left in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury. Utah still has never won at the 96-year-old Coliseum.USC 30, Utah 20
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 21, 2019
Trojans extend their lead on @markese_stepp's TD!
📺: FS1#FightOn | #BeatTheUtes pic.twitter.com/0JRDXq1Wrh
Tyler Huntley passed for 210 yards and ran for 60 more, but the Utes committed 16 penalties for 120 yards and struggled to get key defensive stops against a green Trojans quarterback and his stellar receivers.
"Mostly we had no answer for their receiving corps," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Michael Pittman did a number on us. We just didn't do a good enough job on him. We've got to rethink some things coaching-wise."
Slovis had played two encouraging games as the starter after replacing Daniels, but he couldn't continue after 335-pound Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu landed on him. Helton said Slovis "got dinged," and the USC medical staff held him out.
Fink jumped into USC's Air Raid offense and completed eight of his first nine throws during two game-opening touchdown drives in which he relied heavily on his receivers' playmaking abilities.
Pittman then scored on a brilliant 77-yard catch early in the third quarter, snatching a long pass away from defenders and fending them off on his run.
USC 21, Utah 10@MikePitt_Jr hauls in a 💣 from @FinkMattFink to extend USC's lead!
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 21, 2019
📺: FS1#FightOn | #BeatTheUtes pic.twitter.com/n81Vsij6yY
UTES UPSET
Utah's mistakes weren't limited to penalties. USC blocked a field goal attempt, and the Utes also fumbled near the USC goal line 16 seconds before halftime, when they trailed 14-10 despite racking up 284 yards and controlling the ball for more than 20 minutes."We were supposed to take advantage of our chances in the red zone," said Huntley, who took his first two sacks of the season. "We all know the plays were there. We just had to make them."
BIG D
USC's defense came up big in the second half. Isaiah Pola-Mao's third-down sack from the USC 1-yard line forced Utah to kick a field goal, and Trojans freshman sensation Drake Jackson then got hold of Huntley in the end zone and forced intentional grounding for a safety with 8:51 to play.First safety for the Trojans since 2016!#FightOn | #BeatTheUtes pic.twitter.com/Ugh86A34Gi
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 21, 2019
THE TAKEAWAY
USC: Another quarterback injury wasn't enough to slow down the Trojans, even against a solid Utah defense that essentially wiped out their running game. Fink did enough to win, and USC's defense made several big plays. USC is somehow 3-1 after four games of an extremely difficult six-game start to the season.UP NEXT
USC: The brutal early schedule continues at defending Pac-12 champion Washington next Saturday, Sept. 28.The Trojans' next game at United Airlines Field at L.A. Memorial Coliseum is on Oct. 19 against Arizona.
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