USC's Matt Kalil blocked the Utah Utes' 41-yard field goal attempt that would've sent the inaugural Pac-12 conference game into OT. USC won, 23-14.
The crowd that showed up for the first Pac-12 conference game at the L.A. Coliseum got its money’s worth Saturday night, in a game between USC and Utah that went down to the final seconds.
For the second straight week, the USC Trojans came out strong but barely scraped by with the win, thanks to a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown and a USC victory.
The game was 17-14, USC, headed into the fourth quarter, but neither team could manufacture a scoring drive. With just 20 seconds left on the clock, Utah got within long field goal range thanks to a pass interference call on Trojans cornerback Tony Burnett. The 41-yard attempt by Utah kicker Coleman Petersen would’ve sent the game into overtime, but it was blocked thanks to a well-timed leap by Matt Kalil (the 6’8″ left tackle reportedly sported a purple welt after the game). Corner Torin Harris grabbed the ball and ran it back for a touchdown, running the clock out and keeping the Trojans undefeated for another week.
“Our defense was the story of the day,” USC head coach Lane Kiffin said immediately after the game. “Give a lot of credit to Utah. They were playing great,” he said.
The stories of the day, before Kalil’s clutch block, were the return of senior tailback Marc Tyler and the red zone turnovers that came too close to costing USC the game.
The Trojans got on the board with their second possession with a 47-yard field goal from freshman Andre Heidari, and quickly recovered a Utah fumble for an eventual Tyler touchdown to make it a 10-0 game in the first quarter, but a red zone interception shifted momentum and stalled the offense for the remainder of the game.
The interception, quarterback Matt Barkley’s first of 2011, was intended for former-tight end-turned-fullback Rhett Ellison. His two previous passes to Ellison were incomplete and nearly intercepted, before the third fell into the hands of Utah’s Ryan Lacy. The Utes weren’t able to use the Trojans’ conference-warming gift to their advantage though, and were forced to punt.
Just a few plays later, after 14 and 15 yard passes to Robert Woods and a 23-yard shot to Marqise Lee, starting running back D.J. Morgan fumbled the ball four yards behind the line of scrimmage, where it was covered up by Utah’s Boo Anderson. Unlike the first red zone turnover, this one did some damage on the scoreboard (and earned Morgan a spot on the bench for the remainder of the game). Utah’s leading rusher John White IV carried five times and DeVonte Christopher caught two passes for 40 yards to cap an 84-yard scoring drive with a touchdown just before halftime.
The Trojans came out of the break strong though, with a quick scoring drive to make it a 17-7 ballgame. After Utah went 3 and out to open the third quarter, Barkley fired off passes to tight end Xavier Grimble, the rarely-seen Dillon Baxter, and Woods. Utah’s Ryan Lacy tackled Woods hard, drawing a defensive pass interference flag and an additional penalty for the unnecessary roughness after the play that led to a minor scuffle between the two. Fired up, Barkley threw his first and only TD pass of the night to Grimble to extend the lead.
Utah didn’t seem phased, though, coming back out with two strong runs and an 18-yard pass to Christopher. The drive stalled thanks to two consecutive pass breakups by Trojan’s LB Chris Galippo and two false start penalties, but the Utes called a fake punt reverse on fourth down – and failed, as Lacy was bottled up by Dion Bailey.
But the Trojans’ couldn’t capitalize on Utah’s misfortunes, as Grimble fumbled in the red zone and Utah recovered to quickly score another touchdown and make it a 17-14 game.
The score held at 17-14 until after the game ended, much to the consternation of those who’d put money on USC to cover the spread. After the Trojans blocked Utah’s field goal attempt, the USC sidelines exploded, resulting in a sideline violation after the play. The penalty did not wipe the points from the board, but it took several hours for the Pac-12 to clarify that and announce the official score as 23-14, USC.
Tyler had 113 yards and a touchdown in his return from suspension. After the game, he said, “It feels good. I wanted to come back and prove I still had it; I hadn’t been in live action for a long time but I kept running hard.”
He was a welcome addition to a running game still searching for its stride, bringing more balance to the Trojans’ offense. Two games in, last year’s much-maligned defense seems much stronger, while the offense continues to come out with a bang before slinking away with a win.
Neither Kiffin nor Barkley cracked a smile after the game, both looking disappointed with the outcome despite the win.
“We learned a lot about our defense,” Barkley said. “They played lights out, and they won that game for us, but another scoreless fourth quarter is not okay.”
