As we left Pullman a week ago, it was with tears in the eyes of the Odyssey as we were saying goodbye to the last Pac-12 game we would ever attend. Or so we thought. However, when legendary USC super fan, John Jones, said he had an extra ticket for last night’s Utah game, the Odyssey quickly found itself on the I-5, 405 and the Harbor Freeway.
What a finale on a hot, picture-perfect Los Angeles day!! Utah sent USC off to the Big 10 with a pulsating 34-32 win result of a 39-yard walk off field goal by Cole Becker. Utah’s 4th straight win over the Trojans announced to the Big 12 that the Utes might be their daddy in coming years. Would such eventuality be a catalyst for Mormon missions in Ames and Waco? Meanwhile, the fickle LA sporting public will be spurred on by muckrakers like the LA Times, Bill Plaschke, who dubbed the Trojans as “rapidly and reprehensibly regressing.” Memo to Hyperbole Bill: the Trojans can still compete for the Pac-12 title if USC wins out, given that the Trojans can personally pin a loss on Washington, Oregon and UCLA.
USC gamely fought back from a 28-17 in the 4th quarter deficit thanks to a Pick-6 by Calen Bullock and a 61-yard punt return by the electrifying Zachariah Branch. The Trojans needed stellar plays from their special teams because the Utes’ salty defense had done a creditable job containing Caleb Williams. When Williams sauntered into the end zone on the first play following the Branch gallop, USC fatally proved too efficient. With almost 2 minutes left on the clock, Utah posessed too much time.
The eternal wart on any Lincoln Riley squad was everpresent at Figueroa: the defense. Behind a walkon QB, Bryson Barnes, a crippled Ute offense amassed a season-high 485 yards. While Barnes threw for 235 yards, his two successful scrambles were essential on Utah’s last-ditch drive for the game winner. Utah’s drive was significantly aided by a personal foul on Bear Alexander on 3rd and 9.
In 2022, some of USC’s defensive deficiencies were masked by an amazing +22 in turnover margin. No such luck in 2023 as the Trojans currently sit at -1, thanks in large part to the turnover fest in South Bend.
Necessity IS the mother of invention. Since Utah needed more offense, enter Safety Sione Vaki. After doing double duty with 158 rushing yards versus Cal, Vaki proved himself a do-it-all wizard with 2 TD catches, 149 receiving yards and 1 amazing juke. If Chuck Berry had watched this thriller, he might have crooned, “Roll Over Travis Hunter and tell Charles Woodson the news!”
We suspect that some of Plaschke’s post-game vitriol may have been aided by Lincoln Riley’s ongoing angst with the media. A month after Riley banned a young journalist for asking one too many questions, Riley petulantly refused to have any players available for post-game questions. Come on, Mr. Riley, if your mercenaries are going to take gobs of NIL money, they should be able to man up after a tough loss. Lincoln, don’t you realize that the press will always have the last word?