This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The mission from the beginning of the season has been simple: Get to a bowl game.
Inside and outside the program, six was the magic number.
Well, Utah is poised to cross that bar this Saturday, if it can get a win over a USC team that's been one of the Utes' banes for years. But who is thinking about six wins when the Utes are ranked No. 19 and one of four one-loss teams in the Pac-12?
It's true that Thursday's 29-23 double-overtime victory over Oregon State was an exercise in survival, an ugly game that won't convince anyone that Utah is one of the best teams in the country. But the means by which the Utes arrived at 5-1 (2-1 Pac-12) doesn't change the fact that they're here.
And now, starting with USC, this is the real season. Utah's murderers' row of a finish which includes No. 6 Oregon, No. 14 Arizona State, No. 15 Arizona and the No. 20 Trojans will be the true judge of how good the program really is and how far it has come.
Even though Utah's passing game has sputtered (to say the least) recently, Utah's close wins this year show it can pull out the tight ones, something it couldn't say last year.
"[It helps a team] anytime you fight through adversity and hang in there and just through pure guts win a football game," Kyle Whittingham said. "This team is tough. This team is physical. And we really have got good chemistry."
The Utes possess something that has been tough to come by in the Pac-12: a competent defense. Utah remains the top unit nationally in sacks and tackles for a loss this week while playing solid defense against the run (114.2 ypg, No. 20). It's true Utah has given up plenty of passing yards, but ask Brett Hundley or Sean Mannion how their bodies felt a day after going against the sack-happy Utes.
That defense makes games close, and it has for a few seasons. But Utah also has something they didn't have before: Devontae Booker.
The junior running back has 563 yards and five touchdowns in his last three games, asserting himself as the unquestioned star of the offense. His apparent contempt for defenders in his path has helped bring life to Utah's offense that lacks passing punch.
Booker's runs, combined with robust special teams play and not giving out turnovers, have been key to Utah's success this year. They've also won all three road games so far, which is an uncharacteristic but welcome change for fans.
Can it continue? USC will test the tenuous formula of Utah's success when it comes to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night for a blackout game.
Aside from an all-time letdown by Boston College, USC has one of the best run defenses in the league led by Leonard Williams. It has the only Pac-12 running back, Buck Allen, who has been more prolific than Booker. Quarterback Cody Kessler just threw for seven touchdowns in a game, setting a school record.
Utah will try to make it close and maybe just a little ugly. Then at the end, they'll hope to show they have a little more in the tank than the Trojans.
That's how this team will win, if there's more wins to be had.
"We did need a game like this," lineman Jeremiah Poutasi said after Oregon State. "We know we're not going to blow everybody out. This game shows how hard it was to win a game. We'll fight for every inch, every yard. We'll work for it."
Twitter: @kylegoon
Utah in the rankings
These Utes are among the nation's leaders in a few statistical categories:
RB Devontae Booker • Jr, No. 14 in rushing (123.7 ypg); No. 17 in all-purpose yards (146.2 ypg); No. 22 in yards per rush (6.18 ypr)
DE Nate Orchard • Sr., No. 2 in sacks (1.75 spg); No. 2 in TFL (2.2 per game)
LB Jared Norris • Jr., No. 8 in TFL (1.6 per game); No. 28 in solo tackles (5.7 tpg)
P Tom Hackett • Jr., No. 3 in punting (47.1 ypp)
K Andy Phillips • Soph., No. 4 in FG per game (2.17), No. 6 in scoring (10.8 ppg); No. 18 in FG percentage (86.7)
No. 20 USC at No. 19 Utah
O Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV • FS1