Utah is headed to Los Angeles to face off against USC this Saturday afternoon. Although the Utes are ranked No. 3 in the most recent AP Poll, many people are betting the Trojans, who are 3-3, will win.
While the Utes like where they are currently sitting in the polls, people placing USC over them only motivates them to perform better. One unit hoping to improve from last weekend’s game is the offensive line.
Quarterback Travis Wilson was sacked five times in the matchup with ASU, and the offensive linemen are taking it personally. It’s their job to protect the quarterback, and they feel like they failed, even though they had only allowed two sacks previous to that game.
Junior Siaosi Aiono will be sure to correct this mistake.
“We’re not proud of five sacks — we just got to get back on it the next game,” Aiono said.
Aside from keeping USC’s defensive line in check, the Utes need to be aware of USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. He is currently second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards. Overall, head coach Kyle Whittingham knows his defense is going to have to be concerned with the entire Trojans receiving core.
“We’ve faced some really good receiving cores several times this season — is this the best? It may very well be the best,” Whittingham said. “JuJu Smith-Schuster — he’s a tough matchup. It will be a big challenge for our secondary.”
The Utes expect this to be their toughest match, despite the unexpectedly disappointing season USC has been having. Adding to the Trojans’ troubles, USC’s head coach Steve Sarkisian was recently relieved of his coaching duties, and athletic director Pat Haden collapsed on the sideline before the game against Notre Dame kicked off.
Even with all of this going on, Utah expects to see a focused USC team. Whittingham and the team don’t expect the Trojans to switch up their game plan in the middle of the season and will prepare for what it has seen from them all year long.
“Year in and year out they’re the most talented team in the Pac-12,” Whittingham said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons, so we got to be at our absolute best this week to have a chance.”
While the Utes must dedicate a certain amount of time to preparing for what USC will bring to the field, they must spend even more time focusing on what they can bring.
Utah’s offense will look to continue throwing the ball with accuracy, but it also knows it will need to get the run game going earlier than it did last week. Wilson is more confident in his throwing game than in previous years and is holding himself to higher expectations now.
“Last year, I was a little too antsy … trying to get out of the pocket and not trusting the guys around me,” Wilson said. “Now I have faith in the offense and the players we have. Our players have just really stepped up and made big plays.”
Another aspect of Utah’s game that will need improvement is special teams. After a few potentially costly mistakes, Whittingham is confident the unit he coaches will be able to push past this.
“These guys are very mentally tough,” Whittingham said. “They’re driven, and that stems from leadership. The seniors on this team have done an outstanding job. They got a great approach to the game.”
Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MT.
@kbrenneisen