USC Football: 3 takeaways from thrilling upset over Utah in Week 4

Matt Fink saved the day for USC football with a 351-yard three-touchdown performance. Here are three takeaways from the Trojans’ upset of Utah.

It must have been opposite day at the Coliseum tonight in USC’s 30-23 win against the Utah Utes in a key Pac-12 matchup. It was the Trojans who looked like the more physical team in the trenches all night, not the Utes.

The Utes played undisciplined football with 16 penalties many of which killed drives, not the Trojans. USC’s defensive line looked unblockable, and the Utes had no answers not the other way around.

USC, not Utah played like the team looking for respect on Friday evening in Los Angeles.

What did we learn?

3. Penalties killed the Utes

Utah should have pulled away from this game early, but the Utes had so many drive-stalling and drive-killing penalties. At the same time, the Trojans tried to keep the Utes drive alive with several 15-yard and automatic first down penalties in this game. The Utes had 16 penalties for 120 yards while the Trojans had 11 for 117.

The Utes’ offense is designed to be on time. They need to be second or third-and-short. All night long, it was a 6-yard gain leading to second-and-4, then a false start — now its second-and-9. Or they get a first down, then have a false start penalties and it’s first-and-15.

One of the reasons the Utes only scored two touchdowns inside the 30 was because they had drive-stalling penalties in key moments.

Kyle Whittingham is going to turn on the tape tomorrow and say, “Man we gain a lot of yards, but look at that hold, look at that false start. We really shot ourselves in the foot.”