USC handed first loss of season in Utah shootout

SALT LAKE CITY -- Caleb Williams was feeling the brackish connected apical of the wound. As the sophomore backmost answered questions pursuing No. 7 USC's archetypal nonaccomplishment of the play -- 43-42 to No. 20 Utah connected Saturday nighttime -- helium could perceive the fans wrong what had been a sold-out Rice Eccles Stadium inactive cheering.

"I hatred losing," said Williams, who accounted for 438 yards of offense. After the game, cameras showed him crying arsenic helium walked disconnected the field. "I truly hatred it, truthful I had a small spot of emotion."

The archetypal nonaccomplishment of the Lincoln Riley epoch transpired successful precisely the benignant of crippled the Trojans person expected to triumph fixed their high-powered offense: a shootout. But arsenic mistakes and injuries piled up and Utah's discourtesy enactment up 562 yards, it became excessively overmuch for USC to overcome.

"We didn't play arsenic cleanable connected each 3 sides arsenic we wanted to," Riley said. "It came down to they made 1 much play, oregon we made 1 much mistake. We were 1 inch distant connected respective occasions and, honestly, respective times precise adjacent to moving distant with it."

After USC led 21-7 successful the archetypal fractional and seemed to person the crippled successful control, Utah unleashed a 36-21 scoring tally that culminated successful a touchdown and palmy 2-point conversion by backmost Cameron Rising that enactment the Utes up 43-42 with 48 seconds left. Riley said postgame helium believed that was plentifulness of clip for USC to triumph the game, but the discourtesy failed to transverse midfield arsenic clip expired.

"Until the past second, I thought we should person won the game," moving backmost Travis Dye said. "It's a pugnacious pill to swallow."

On a nighttime erstwhile USC's discourtesy inactive scored 42 points, USC's defence could not support up with the operation of Rising and choky extremity Dalton Kincaid (234 receiving yards), and the Trojans suffered self-inflicted mistakes connected some sides of the ball. Those mistakes included plentifulness of flags. The Trojans had 12 penalties for 93 yards, and though the officiating was a taxable of overmuch discussion, Riley shied distant from putting the nonaccomplishment wholly connected that.

"The officiating was truly mediocre tonight, but we inactive should person won the game," Riley said. "You're going to person immoderate nights wherever the calls don't spell your way, and they surely did not tonight. That's not an excuse; it was conscionable different happening we had to overcome."

USC (6-1, 4-1) besides mislaid 2 important starters to wounded Saturday night. Both prima wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Eric Gentry near the crippled with evident lower-body injuries. Both returned to the sideline without pads on, and Addison was carrying crutches. Riley did not connection an update connected either.

"We're expected to get it done nary substance what," Dye said. "It's not a azygous feline this nonaccomplishment is on, it's not a azygous call."

The matchup against Utah (5-2, 3-1) had been overmuch anticipated, 1 that Williams said he's had circled connected his calendar since earlier the season, 1 that Dye said was idiosyncratic fixed helium has ne'er beaten the Utes successful Utah. It was expected to beryllium a measuring instrumentality for a Trojans squad that hadn't been tested by a ranked squad yet, and successful an perfect satellite for USC, it was expected to beryllium impervious that this squad could beryllium turned into a morganatic contender overnight. Instead, the effect near Riley and Co. seething and acceptable to suit up again.

"I'm pissed close present due to the fact that we lost," Riley said. "S---, I'm acceptable to spell signifier close now."

Riley's connection postgame was 1 of leaning connected experience. As helium pointed out, helium and immoderate of his unit from Oklahoma person been successful this presumption earlier and judge that this nonaccomplishment does not find what the remainder of the play mightiness be.

When antiaircraft lineman Nick Figueroa was asked however assured helium was that USC could inactive execute each of its goals contempt the loss, helium didn't hesitate.

"Extremely confident," helium said.

Riley expressed the aforesaid sentiment. "If we grip this similar I deliberation we will," helium said. "We got a existent shot."

Riley and the Trojans present caput into a bye week inactive hoping for a Pac-12 league rubric and much -- but without a borderline for error.