Trojans get 1st win under interim coach

“It was cool to see RoJo go out there and put on a show”, Kessler said. Arizona State fumbled three times.

For those keeping track of how many plays Jackson had on offense and defense, Helton said he took part in over 50 plays in the Utah games, with only two at cornerback.

Ignore for a moment the fact that Las Vegas bookmakers have installed USC as 4.5-point favorites: This is not the setting for this game anyone imagined a couple of months ago, when USC was the Pac-12 favorite and top-10 team. Even the Trojans acknowledged their reputation sometimes overshadows their performances.

“I wouldn’t say it saved our season but it was a turning point”, linebacker Su’a Cravens said.

That cancels out your offensive productivity, no matter who you are.

Both of Utah quarterback Travis Wilson’s personalities showed up Saturday. “We know we should have won more games than we have”. The total has also gone UNDER in six of Utah’s last nine road games.

“You can lose at any point in this conference”, he said.

Perhaps the real difference is when USC plays relaxed. The parallels to 2015 are unavoidable: USC picked up two early losses, parted ways with Steve Sarkisian after Week 6 and now look re-energized under interim coach Clay Helton. Owusu’s week since his no-look, pin the ball on the defender’s back touchdown catch against UCLA has been a whirlwind. “I’d be lying if I didn’t”.

Ironically, USC interim coaches have more victories over top-five teams than the coaches they replaced. Four teams from the Pac-12 received votes this week, including Cal, USC, Oregon and Washington State.

A fascinating question for USC athletic director Pat Haden would be to ask Helton what assistant coaches he would keep if he got the job.

While Wilson struggled during a rough night for the Orange County native, Utah also inexplicably failed to establish its running game against USC, which had been bullied up front this season. Lobendahn started at center, guard and tackle depending on where he was needed. And given that undefeated, No. 3 Utah is coming to Los Angeles, that certainly is a real danger.

Though he is a true freshman, his talent has helped him break into the starting defensive rotation and make an immediate impact.

Safety Marvell Tell broke his clavicle and will be out 6 to 8 weeks, which means he probably will not return unless USC plays a bowl game. Helton said defensive lineman Rasheem Green injured his knee but would play if he can tolerate the pain. But Utah will surely have plenty of motivation against the Beavers, an opponent that is quickly becoming a rival of sorts because of all the connections between the two teams. However, slips against Stanford, Washington and Notre Dame derailed the Trojans’ dream season pretty quickly.

Utah moved up to No. 3 this week and California is holding steady at No. 20, but the rest of the conference’s supposedly top teams have failed to live up to expectations in one way or another.