Okay - took a hit of....something that was in an orange bottle with a white cap. Xanax? Estrogen? Cocaine?
Whatever, I feel cool enough now to assess the game semi-objectively.
They should have won, could have won, certainly played well enough to win, but fucked it up at the end to basically give it away. I just knew that despite Utah being backed up inside their own 5, with just over 5 minutes to go, they'd march down the field, score a TD with almost no time left, and win. And that's precisely what happened. Whittingham called the game the way Carroll used to - down three, facing a 4th and 1? Fuck it - let's go win that motherfucker right here! And that's exactly what they did. Of course, if USC somehow managed to stop that play, get the ball back and win the game, Whittingham would look like a dumbass, but personally I love that ballsy type of aggressive coaching. Not so much Helton's pussy-ass play calling that put them in this position.
On a positive note, holy crap Sam Darnold looks great. Yes, we lost, but I feel with a high degree of certainty that if Browne was still the starter, this would've been a 35-10 laugher for Utah. Sam, despite the fumble, played very well. The offense as a whole seemed like they'd been dormant the last three games and finally woke up. Is that how bad Browne was?
Defensively, the pass rush, or rather the lack of it, was very concerning. Troy Williams could have French Pressed a coffee, sipped it, and baked a croissant for as long as he has to throw back there. Our defensive backs helped Utah out with several timely PI calls. In the first quarter, the Utah ground game was running all over us, and Pendergast appeared to make the appropriate adjustments to stop it. Unfortunately, he couldn't adjust to Utah's passing game pitching and catching at will.
Overall, I'm obviously disappointed by the loss, but heartened by the manner in which the Trojans played. I hope they take this game, get all pissed off about it, and use it as fuel the rest of the season. Call me crazy, but even though they lost, and this loss puts them at 1-3, this could very well be the turning point of the season, in a positive manner.