Devontae Booker — C+
The workhorse of the Utah offense cracked the 100-yard plateau for the fourth straight game against USC, but Booker dodged a bullet in this one. If it wasn’t for some great play down the stretch and a few Trojan mistakes, the Utes may have lost this game, and some of the blame would have been put on the running back. Booker had two fumbles, including one on the opposing team’s one-yard line that could have proved costly. In the end, his numbers look good, but Booker is counting his blessings after that one.
Defense — B
Early on in the game, it seemed as if it would be a long night for the Utah defense. USC quarterback Cody Kessler was finding his receivers at will, and it looked like the secondary was worried about getting beat deep. However, after some necessary adjustments, those windows for Kessler became smaller and the Utes started to get some pressure in the second half. Utah held the Trojans to just 153 second half offensive yardage. They didn’t completely shut down USC by any means, but the Ute defense did just enough to hang on for the win.
Travis Wilson — A-
From a numbers and quarterbacking standpoint, nothing T-Willy did was eye-popping. Throwing for under 200 yards and a touchdown typically doesn’t warrant being carried off the field on the shoulders of fans, but what this quarterback did on Saturday night was deserving of a high grade. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Wilson led his team down the field and, with the help from some of the officiating, was able to secure the victory for the Utes. He wasn’t perfect, but Wilson provided, yet again, another magical moment in Utah history.
Kaelin Clay — A+
Clay hasn’t returned a kick back for a touchdown since Washington State, but boy, oh boy, what a game for the Long Beach native. Growing up as a USC fan, could you imagine a more suiting finish for the return man? Clay caught the game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left in the game to put his Utes up for good. That alone is deserving of a high grade, but throw in a 51-yard punt return that would have led to a touchdown if it wasn’t for a Tim Patrick fumble on the one-yard line, and Clay has a nice report card to put on the fridge.
Kyle Whittingham — A++
Before this season, head coach Kyle Whittingham was in somewhat of a do-or-die situation. After two straight losing seasons and no postseason berths, Whittingham’s job could have been at stake if the Utes repeated their performances of the last two years. After the win over USC, though, Whittingham’s hot seat got a bit cooler, as the team is bowl eligible for the first time in three years. And, of course, Utah is now a ranked program with two wins over ranked opponents. Not too shabby for the old head honcho.
@GriffDoug