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

By Dante Pryor

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Wide receiver John Jackson III #80 of the USC Trojans celebrates the touchdown of running back Markese Stepp #30 against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Wide receiver John Jackson III #80 of the USC Trojans celebrates the touchdown of running back Markese Stepp #30 against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Matt Fink #19 of the USC Trojans throws a pass against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Matt Fink #19 of the USC Trojans throws a pass against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

2. USC plugged and played to perfection

The beauty of the Air-Raid is its simplicity. You don’t need a rocket arm to run the offense, and the playbook is fairly thin. That was so important in this game. Trojans quarterback Matt Fink came in and had a fantastic game against the Utes after Kedon Slovis went down. He went 21-for-30 for 351 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Fink was on his way to Illinois and decided not to transfer, and stayed at USC. It was a good thing he did, the Trojans needed him tonight. He came in after Slovis was injured on the second play of the game and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell put the ball in his hands.

One thing the Trojans couldn’t do tonight was run the football, accounting for only 13 yards on the ground. So, it was on Fink tonight, and he came through big time for the Trojans.

When the Utes lost Zack Moss, they threw the kitchen sink of running plays against the Trojans. Tyler Huntley led the team in carries, and seldom-used Devin Brumfield led the team in rushing, and they found a way to run for over 200 yards tonight in a losing effort.

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