While the failed 2-point conversion try at the end will stick out and sting the most, the simple fact remains the Utes didn’t make enough of the plays they had to have on either side of the ball in the second half to upset No. 13 USC on the road on Saturday night.
The Utes took a 14-point lead into halftime, but came away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a 28-27 loss after they scored their only touchdown of the second half in the final minute of play and decided to go for two.
“As an offense, we love the call,” sophomore running back Zack Moss said. “We just weren’t able to execute as we wanted, but you want to see your coach have that much faith in you.”
Understandably, Utes senior quarterback Troy Williams fixated on the 2-point conversion as the difference in the final score. Had Williams been able to get the ball to tight end Harrison Handley as was the design of that play, the Utes might still be basking in the win. If Williams had been able to slip by one more defender and leap toward the pylon or if he’d seen Darren Carrington II sneak behind the defense in the end zone, maybe he’d have been celebrating.
“We still made a lot of plays, but just it came down to one play,” Williams said. “If we make that play, it’s a whole different conversation.”
The nature of a narrow loss like the one Utah suffered at the hands of the Trojans is that there’s often a play everyone can point to, but there are also numerous others leading up to that which held the potential to change the outcome.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham: "I'm proud of every kid in that locker room, love them. They're a bunch of warriors. They never quit." pic.twitter.com/lvqXcsdppA
— Lynn Worthy (@LWorthySports) October 15, 2017
The reality is that the “one play” could’ve come in the form of the offense converting another third down (the Utes were four of 14) to keep a drive alive and potentially score more points. The one more play could’ve been the defense having forced one more turnover – all three came in the first half – or having made one more stop on third down (USC punted once in the second half).
“In the second half we couldn’t get out of third downs, missed some key tackles,” Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We kept fighting, and we feel we can play with anyone in this league without a doubt. To come to the Coliseum and stand toe-to-toe and have a great shot to win at the end, something to be said for that. But like I said, there are no moral victories.”
The Trojans’ offense leaned on its quarterback, Sam Darnold, when it needed a key throw to extend a pivotal drive or convert a must-have third down as a 14-point halftime deficit disappeared. Darnold, who threw for 358 yards, tossed two of his three touchdown passes in the second half.
He also kept plays alive with his feet, and he and his receivers showed great improvisational skills. The Trojans converted six of nine third downs in the second half.
On their first scoring drive in the second half after the Utes pinned them at their own 2-yard line, the Trojans marched 98 yards on 16 plays seemingly building momentum with each play.
Along the way to that touchdown, the Trojans converted three third downs, including Darnold’s scramble on third-and-10 which led to a 17-yard touchdown to tight end Tyler Petite. That came three plays after Darnold eluded the pass rush long enough to throw a 10-yard pass to Tyler Vaughns on fourth-and-9.
Darnold made several of those must-have plays in the second half.
The Utes feel like they have a dynamic play-making quarterback in injured sophomore Tyler Huntley, though his track record is very short. Whittingham hinted after the game that Huntley’s return could be nearing.
“It’s still day-to-day with Tyler Huntey,” Whittingham said. “He was ruled out on Friday, so he didn’t make the trip. One more week, we’ll see where he’s at, but it was good to see Troy have a much better game tonight than last week.”