The USC Trojans prepare for a rumble in Utah when they face the undefeated Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Friday, September 24 at 9 PM ET. Utah enters the game 3 – 0, while the Trojans look to rebound from their second loss of the season last weekend to Stanford.
The early line reads Utah being favored by -3 at home, with the over/under set at 47.
USC Trojans:
The Men of Troy have gotten off to a rough start this year, already facing two losses through the first three games of the season. After an opening weekend trouncing by Alabama 52 – 6, USC rebounded with a 45 – 7 win over Utah State from the Mountain West Conference on week two.
Last weekend, USC faced Stanford for the third time in a calendar year, and indeed for the third time USC was handed a loss to the Cardinal. The two teams met twice last year, which included a meeting in the Pac-12 title game that earned Stanford a trip to the Rose Bowl.
USC can be found in the Pac-12 South cellar alone, with a 1 – 2 record, already facing a loss in conference play at 0 – 1. The Trojans have been outscored 61 – 86.
Trojan QB Max Browne entered the season as the starter, although he has not been able to get in sync with the entire offense as of yet. The offensive line was called for five false starts in the Stanford outing last weekend, and penalties have slowed down the offense all too often in the early season.
Browne has only accumulated 474 passing yards through three games, and has two touchdowns to go with two picks. Browne’s mobility, or lack thereof, could be a concern all season in a difficult Pac-12.
Browne has been benched this week, and USC has announced that Sam Darnold will be getting his first start of the year this weekend. Darnold has, however, played in all three games this season.
One solid aspect of the USC dynamic this season has been the kick returning of Adoree’ Jackson. Jackson has a 77-yard punt return for a score this season, and has returned six kickoffs for 149 yards, averaging nearly 25 yards per return.
Utah:
The Utes have jumped out to a 3 – 0 start, and find themselves tied at the top of the Pac-12 South standings with Arizona State.
Utah started the season with two home games with teams from the State of Utah. Southern Utah was the first victim by a 24 – 0 score, and BYU became the second, as the Utes escaped the Cougars by a narrow 20 – 19 finish.
Last weekend Utah were -13.5 favorites over San Jose State, and the Utes covered that line with a 34 – 17 win at San Jose. After a slow start and a 6 – 3 first quarter score, the Utes found themselves down 10 – 6 early in the second quarter to the Spartans. The Utes scored four unanswered times, and limited San Jose to one fourth quarter touchdown to finish the game with a 17 point win.
Utah QB Troy Williams hasn’t exactly been all that convincing under center so far this season. With 4 TD passes and 4 INTs, those numbers will need to change if the Utes plan on running through conference play in search of a bowl appearance this season.
Utes WR Tim Patrick has been the biggest target for Williams thus far, having 285 receiving yards to go along with all four TD passes for the team.
Notes:
Utah has not beaten USC in back-to-back seasons since 1915/16.
The two teams have met 14 times, showing USC with a 10 – 4 record in the series. (2 Bowl meetings)
USC is 1 – 5 ATS in their last 6 conference games.
The Under is 9 – 3 in the Trojans last 12 road games.
Utah is 0 – 4 ATS in their last 4 Friday games.
The Under is 5 – 1 in Utes last 6 home games.
Fun Facts:
The average score in the 14 all-time meetings between the two teams is Utah 12.9 – USC 26.5.
The Pac-12 South has seen a different champion in each of the last four seasons.
Game Prediction:
The Home team is 5 – 0 ATS in the last 5 meetings, and that will lead us right into the -3 offer from the line setters on the Utes at home on Friday night.
Utah has certainly struggled with USC in their history, but that is likely to change this weekend.
At -3, we suggest a play on the Utes to continue their upward trend and come away with the win in from of the crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Expect a big win for the Utes, and a nice cover to cash your tickets headed to the massive Saturday slate on deck.
