No. 7 USC will try to strengthen its College Football Playoff resume when it travels to No. 20 Utah on Saturday night. The Trojans have won their first six games of the season, including a 30-14 win over Washington State last week. Utah had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 42-32 loss at then-No. 18 UCLA in its most recent contest.
USC has been lighting up the scoreboard this season, leading to a 6-0 record through the first six weeks. The Trojans have won five of those six games by double digits, including a 30-14 win over Washington State last week. They have scored 40-plus points on three occasions, reaching that mark in conference wins against Stanford and Arizona State. Their defense stepped up in the second half last week, shutting out Washington State. They lead the nation in turnover margin at plus-2.33 per game, which is 0.73 better than the next-best mark. USC also ranks second in overall takeaways with 15.
.@ChrisNTrevino breaks down where USC stands statistically following their win over Washington State.https://t.co/Q1imVf2Lm7
— USC Trojans Football (@uscfootball) October 12, 2022
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was intercepted once and lost a fumble last week, so turnovers could play a pivotal role in this game. USC’s Tuli Tuipulota leads the country with seven sacks, three of which came last week. Max Williams, Calen Bullock and Mekhi Blackmon each have two interceptions. As good as USC has been at creating turnovers, its offense has been the key to its success. Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams leads an offense that ranks No. 15 in scoring (40.2 ppg) and No. 25 in total offense (461.8 ypg). Williams has completed 64.9% of his passes for 1,590 yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior running back Travis Dye has provided balance, rushing for 571 yards and six scores on 90 carries.