No. 3 Utah's unbeaten season over with 42-24 loss to USC

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Five years after Utah arrived at the Coliseum for its first game as a member of the Pac-12, the No. 3 Utes returned with a perfect record and the confidence it had the players to compete with any team in the conference.

Instead, Utah - and the rest of college football - was reminded just how talented the Trojans really are.

Cameron Smith returned the second of his three interceptions 54 yards for a touchdown, and USC knocked Utah from the unbeaten ranks with a 42-24 victory Saturday night.

Ronald Jones II, Justin Davis and fullback Soma Vainuku rushed for scores to help the Trojans (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) snap their two-game skid and earn a victory for interim coach Clay Helton in his debut game at the Coliseum.

"In my opinion that's the best team we have played all year long, for certain from a personnel standpoint," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Whittingham, who has been listed as a potential candidate to take over at USC on a permanent basis, had no explanation for the Trojans' previous struggles, but could see why they came away with a second home win over a Top 5 opponent under an interim coach in the last three seasons.

"Couldn't tell you," Whittingham said. "I don't know. That's not my job. I just know they are a very good football team and could easily win out. That's how talented they are."

The talent gap between the two programs was especially clear at quarterback and wide receiver. Cody Kessler passed for 264 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had eight catches for 143 yards and a fourth-quarter TD that wrapped up the win.

Travis Wilson threw four interceptions and struggled to feature receivers other than Britain Covey, who caught two touchdown passes as the Utes' (6-1, 3-1) eight-game winning streak ended. The diminutive freshman also became a whirling dervish as he raced all over the field on a 40-yard punt return to set up a short Bubba Poole touchdown run late in the first quarter, but was mostly a non-factor the rest of the way.

Smith, USC's dynamic freshman linebacker, led a fine defensive performance by picking off Wilson's throws and making three returns for a combined 122 yards, including his scoring romp down the USC sideline 1:07 before halftime.

Led by Smith-Schuster, Jones and Smith, USC youngsters gave Utah fits throughout the game. Whittingham spent the past week praising the caliber of athlete USC had as its disposal, but several Utah players said those warnings were not heeded.

"I got give it to SC, they came to play today. We didn't expect to get punched in the mouth like that," said linebacker Gionni Paul, who had a team-high 17 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. "I got punched in my mouth. It was a reality check."

"I think we came in too flat. We got big-headed in my opinion," defensive back Tevin Carter added.

Utah was second in the nation in turnover margin entering the game, forcing 19 turnovers and committing just seven. The Trojans erased that advantage thanks to Smith, the first USC player with three interceptions in a game since Jason Oliver in 1991 against Penn State.

"Tough to give them essentially three touchdowns on turnovers and hove to have a chance to win against a team of that caliber," Whittingham said.

While Wilson struggled during a rough night for the Orange County native, Utah also inexplicably failed to establish its running game against USC, which had been bullied up front this season. Star tailback Devontae Booker had just 14 carries for 62 yards.

The tumult-plagued Trojans entered the night as slight betting favorites against the powerful Utes, and USC proved Vegas' prescience with an excellent game plan that largely played to its strengths. Jones and Davis combined for 139 yards rushing, and Smith led an aggressive defensive effort that limited Utah to 213 yards in the first three quarters.

While its hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff were dealt a serious blow, Utah still controls its own destiny in the contentious Pac-12 South. A Nov. 21 home game against UCLA could now determine whether the Utes play for its first conference title since 2008, and Whittingham reminded his team of the bigger picture after the game.

"We are the only team in the South with one loss, so we got a lot going for us," Whittingham said. "The thing we can't do is let these guys beat us twice. We got to get over it, get it out of our system, come back to work and get ready to get a win next week."

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