Utah piles up the penalties in loss with third-most in history
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is tackled by Southern California linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV, back, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
LOS ANGELES — The first two weeks of the season, the Utah football team was one of the least-penalized teams in the country with eight total in its first two games.
Then in their third game against Idaho State, the Utes started piling up the penalties with 11 against the Bengals and the avalanche continued Friday night against USC when they were whistled for 16 penalties.
That tied the mark for the third-most in Utah history, matching a game back in 1980 against UNLV. The only two more penalized games came against Utah State in 1983 (21) and Colorado State in 1978 (18).
“We just had too many penalties. We have to play cleaner than that.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
Before the game, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham had talked about his team needing to play a “clean” game in order to beat the Trojans. He was mostly referring to turnovers, but penalties certainly fall into the “unclean” category.
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“We just had too many penalties,” he said. “We have to play cleaner than that.”
The Utes couldn’t complain about the officials ganging up on them. They were whistle-happy all night long as USC was flagged for 11 penalties totaling 117 yards, just three yards less than Utah’s total penalty yards. Trojan fans lustily booed several of the penalty calls as well as non-penalty calls they thought the Utes deserved. Even in the joy of their victory, USC fans booed the officials as they left the field.
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Southern California wide receiver Tyler Vaughns (21) makes a touchdown catch over Utah defensive back Jaylon Johnson (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California quarterback Matt Fink (19) pitches to running back Vavae Malepeai (29) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California wide receiver Tyler Vaughns (21) makes a touchdown catch over Utah defensive back Jaylon Johnson (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (8) makes a touchdown catch between Utah defensive backs Javelin Guidry, left, and Julian Blackmon during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley calls out to teammates at the line of scrimmage, against Southern California during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley (1) throws a pass against Southern California during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) is hit by by Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah running back Zack Moss carries against Southern California during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California quarterback Matt Fink throws a pass against Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley, center, lunges for yardage next to Southern California cornerback Chris Steele (8) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole (7) runs in for a touchdown against Southern California during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole (7) runs in for a touchdown against Southern California during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California cornerback Greg Johnson (9) picks up a Utah fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah running back Devonta'e Henry-Cole (7) runs past Southern California linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is tackled by Southern California linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV, back, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley (1) is tackled in the end zone by Southern California defensive lineman Drake Jackson (99) for a safety during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (6) makes a catch against Utah during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (6) makes a catch in front of Utah defensive back Julian Blackmon (23) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
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Southern California running back Markese Stepp, second from left, points after rushing for a touchdown against Utah during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | AP
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Southern California coach Clay Helton, left, hugs quarterback Matt Fink after the team's 30-23 win over Utah in an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | AP
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Southern California coach Clay Helton, center, runs onto the field with his team for an NCAA college football game against Utah on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
“Both teams had bad penalties and it almost cancelled each other out,” said Whittingham.
In all, the Utes had seven holding penalties and one that was declined and also were called for five false start penalties. They also had an intentional grounding, an offsides, a pass interference and two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, including one against Whittingham, who was complaining about — what else — a penalty.
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