Los Angeles • USC put itself firmly at the head of the pack in the Pac-12 South Division with 21 second-half points to rally for a 28-27 victory in a thriller over Utah on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 72,382 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Trojans, led by the duo of quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Ronald Jones II, rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit in a showdown of the teams picked to finish first and second in the South in the conference’s preseason coaches poll.
The Utes drove 75 yards and scored on a Troy Williams touchdown with 42 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game, but Williams got stopped short of the goal line on a 2-point conversion try as the No. 13 Trojans held on to improve to 6-1 (4-1 Pac-12).
Williams finished with 262 yards passing and one touchdown pass to go with a touchdown run and a touchdown catch. Utes running back Zack Moss rushed for a career-high 141 yards.
Darnold passed for 358 yards and three touchdowns, while Jones rushed for 111 and one touchdown on the ground.
The Utes dropped to 4-2 (1-2 Pac-12) and have lost back-to-back games.
This story will be updated.