USC really, really blew it when it lost to Bryson Barnes and Utah. The Utes scored 34 against the Trojans. They scored only six points against Oregon. The limitations of the Utah offense were laid bare against the Ducks, but Alex Grinch’s USC defense could not expose those limitations when the Trojans hosted the Utes. It was and is a real missed opportunity for Lincoln Riley’s team.
We asked our Pac-12 panel: “How much did the Utah-Oregon game change your impressions of Utah?”
Matt Zemek: Not much. The Utes are a try-hard team which has overachieved this year without Cam Rising. A good opponent was bound to give them a hard time.
Zachary Neel: It changed my impression of Utah’s defense, for sure. I think that the injuries are starting to finally catch up to them on that side of the ball and Oregon exposed that a bit. The offense was held together by paper mache going into that game, so I didn’t expect them to be able to do very much versus the Ducks. Utah is a top-five Pac-12 team, but I don’t think anyone should expect to see them in Las Vegas.
Matt Wadleigh: Not much. Utah’s offense looked so good against USC, it was bound to regress. Utah’s season has still been fascinating with no Cam Rising. You have to tip your hat to Kyle Whittingham.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.