No. 7 USC (6-0, 3-0) at No. 20 Utah (4-2, 2-1)
Kickoff: 6 p.m. MDT
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: Fox
Livestream: https://www.foxsports.com
Radio: KALL 700 AM
Series: USC leads, 13-7
Weather: Partly cloudy skies with temperatures in low 70s at kickoff
The Trends
For Utah: The Utes beat USC in the L.A. Coliseum for the first time in 105 years last season. Utah is riding an 11-game winning streak at home.
For USC: The Trojans are off to their first 6-0 start since 2006. USC is the last team to beat Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium, in 2020.
What to watch for
This is a much-anticipated matchup between two top-20 teams at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The outcome could go a long way in determining the Pac-12 championship.
The two teams are very similar statistically. USC is scoring 40.3 points per game, while Utah is averaging 40.2. The Trojans are giving up 18.7 points and the Utes are surrendering 19.0. Utah’s offense averages 461.8 yards per game, while USC averages 457.8 yards. Defensively, the Utes are yielding 315.8 yards per game and the Trojans are allowing 351.5.
As a team, USC leads the country in sacks. Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu is No. 1 individually with 1.17 per game and is tied for No. 1 in the nation in tackles-for-loss with 2.1 per game.
Key player
USC quarterback Caleb Williams gets set to pass during a game against Arizona State Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Los Angeles. The Utes will their hands full containing the talented Trojan QB.
Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
Caleb Williams, quarterback USC: The Oklahoma transfer has completed 122 of 188 passes for 1,590 yards with 14 touchdowns and thrown one interception this season. Williams has a host of athletic, talented wide receivers at his disposal, including the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, Jordan Addison.
Quotable
“They’ve got an outstanding group of receivers. They’re talented. They’re dangerous. They spread the ball around so you can’t focus on just one guy. You’ve got to be able to cover the whole batch of them. That will be a great challenge for our secondary as well as a big challenge for our front to speed up the quarterback so he doesn’t have all day to throw.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
“There will be several 6-0 teams that will finish really well, some that finish OK and some that don’t finish very good. But it’s just a start. It’s not a guarantee to anything. It will be a challenging second half of the season. But this is when it gets the most fun. This is what you do it for. You put yourself in a great position. Now it’s time to go accelerate and do your best.” — USC coach Lincoln Riley
Next up
Utah has a bye next week.
USC has a bye next week.
Utah schedule
Sept. 3 — Florida 29, Utah 26
Sept. 10 — Utah 73, Southern Utah 7
Sept. 17 — Utah 35, San Diego State 7
Sept. 24 — Utah 34, Arizona State 13
Oct. 1 — Utah 42, Oregon State 16
Oct. 8 — UCLA 42, Utah 32
Oct. 15 — vs. USC (6 p.m., MDT, Fox)
Oct. 27 — at Washington State (8 p.m., MDT, FS1)
Nov. 5 — vs. Arizona (TBD)
Nov. 12 — vs. Stanford (TBD)
Nov. 19 — at Oregon (TBD)
Nov. 26 — at Colorado (TBD)
All times MT