This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The moment the play was called, Troy Williams said he knew it was a touchdown.
The Utes let the clock run, down, down down — to the point where coach Kyle Whittingham was telling them hurry up — but it wasn't the time that mattered.
It was the right play. With 16 seconds left, Williams zipped a pass over USC's star corner Adoree Jackson to senior Tim Patrick in the right front corner of the end zone, an 18-yard pass that clinched a 31-27 win over the Trojans after Utah had trailed by two touchdowns early in the second half.
"We're not intimidated by anybody," Williams said. "I liked my matchup. I was going to take it."
It was that poise that stood out to Whittingham: the poise of Williams, who led three second-half touchdown drives; the poise of an offensive line that did not allow a sacks; the poise of a maligned receiving corps that proved its worth; the poise of a battered defense that made one final stop.
It came together to continue No. 24 Utah's undefeated season with a league-opening win in rainy Rice-Eccles Stadium — the program's second win in three years over the Trojans to have featured a fourth-quarter, game-winning drive.
With 270 yards and two touchdowns, Williams proved himself the leader of a dangerous passing offense. With the win, Utah (4-0) proved it could grind arguably the conference's most talented team, even when trailing.
"Nobody panicked," Whittingham said. "We stayed within the game plan, and had enough to win."
The game-winning drive spanned 93 yards in 15 plays, including two fourth-down conversions (Utah was 4-for-4 on fourth down overall in the game).
Both fourth downs came within kicker Andy Phillips' range for a potential game-tying field goal. Whittingham said he thought about kicking, but the running game (186 yards) and the offensive line projected a confidence that he decided to ride with.
"Our offensive line was so physical, and USC was not getting in our backfield," he said. "We were making plays, and our guys were believing."
It was surprising to see Utah's offense needing to lift the team, but USC gashed Utah's defense to the tune of 466 yards.
But even the defense found a much-needed stop with five minutes remaining. Junior safety Marcus Williams tackled JuJu Smith-Schuster short of the first-down marker at the Utah 38. USC coach Clay Helton elected to punt.
He might've been justified in a way, given how the Utes seemed stumped to open the third quarter. After a 3-and-out on offense, Utah's defense was skewered on a 91-yard drive by Justin Davis on the ground (126 yards rushing overall), and freshman Sam Darnold's crisp passing. Darnold ran it in himself from 8 yards out, giving USC a 23-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
A year ago, that may have seemed unconquerable with a sluggish passing game. But Williams caught fire.
The junior led back-to-back touchdown drives of 85 and 75 yards, respectively — the first completed by a wild fumble recovery for a touchdown at the goal line by lineman Isaac Asiata, the second a corner fade thrown by Williams to Raelon Singleton.
On the drives, Williams was cool and collected, thanks to time from his offensive line. He was 16 for 25 with 202 yards in the second half.
"Troy Williams, with the composure he showed, never flinched," Whittingham said.
USC was left without much time at the end, with Darnold scrambling before a midfield completion far short of the end zone.
Utah's start was promising, to say the least.
After Davis fumbled on USC's initial drive, the Utes offense took the field for a 59-yard drive of 12 straight runs. Williams capped the opening campaign with a 10-yard rushing touchdown, bursting through plenty of daylight opened by Evan Moaei and Garett Bolles.
But the air was immediately sucked out of the stadium on the ensuing kickoff: Junior Adoree Jackson got a returnable ball, and went 105 yards, slicing through Utah's coverage effortlessly and erasing the lead almost as soon as it had been created.
The Trojans struggled through their first four drives, losing three fumbles. But the Utes couldn't capitalize, getting only a 36-yard Andy Phillips field goal out of the miscues. The Utes only threw nine times in the first half, and gradually the effectiveness of Zack Moss and Armand Shyne in the run game began to wane as USC was warming up.
Davis ran up the middle for a 50-yard run on Utah's vaunted defense, before scoring from 14 yards out as Utah's star tackle, Lowell Lotulelei, headed to the bench with a shoulder injury. After a field goal with 35 seconds left in the half, USC took a 17-10 lead, and all the momentum, into the locker room.
But Utah's league-opening win establishes Utah as potentially a Pac-12 South contender. It was Utah's second win over USC in three years, the last coming in 2014 also in a blackout game.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
O The Utes overcome USC's 466-yard offensive effort by recovering three fumbles and forcing two field-goal attempts.
• Utah quarterback Troy Williams passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns to outduel USC's Sam Darnold.