by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Tuesday, Oct 05, 2021
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 9, 2021
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Where to Watch: Fox
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Utah +3, USC -3; Over/Under: 52.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Utah +3, USC -3; Over/Under: 52.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Utah +3, USC -3; Over/Under: 52.5 points
Season Record
Utah Utes: 2-2 (2nd place, Pac-12 South)
USC Trojans: 3-2 (3rd place, Pac-12 South)
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Utah Utes vs USC Trojans Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Utah Utes: won at home on Sep. 25 against the Washington State Cougars 24-13.
USC Trojans: won on the road on Oct. 2 against the Colorado Buffaloes 37-14.
Utah Utes Analysis
Utah is coming into this game with a 2-2 record overall and they are 0-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the regular season and they are already off to a good start with a 1-0 record in their conference games this year. Their 2 losses came against the BYU Cougars and the San Diego State Aztecs by 2 points in OT while their 2 wins came against the Weber State Wildcats and against WSU in their last game. Cameron Rising did not really have a good game in their last one as he completed 13/23 passes for 137 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. TJ Pledger led the team in rushing with 117 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries but he was basically their entire running game in that one. Cole Fotheringham led the team in receiving with 33 yards on 3 receptions in what was a very quiet day for the receiving corps and the offense as a whole. Karene Reid led the defense with 7 solo tackles and 8 assisted ones, also coming away with 1 sack and interception in that one. Van Fillinger led the defense in sacks with 3 in that game alone while Devin Lloyd, Mika Tafua, Junior Tafuna, and Aliki Vimahi all had 1 sack each as well. Devin Lloyd and Clark Phillips III both had 1 interception each as well. They have scored 112 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 89 points against them. Their offense is averaging 367.3 YPG while Utah’s defense is allowing 302.3 YPG.
USC Trojans Analysis
USC is coming into this college football game with a 3-2 record overall and they are 1-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup on their schedule and they need to make up some ground quickly as they are already 2-2 in their conference games this season. Their 2 losses came against the Stanford Cardinal and the Oregon State Beavers while their 3 wins came against the San Jose State Spartans, the Washington State Cougars, and against Colorado in their last game. Kedon Slovis was back from injury in their last game and he played very well completing 19/29 passes for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns. Keaontay Ingram led the team in rushing yards with 124 yards on 14 carries while Darwin Barlow had 61 yards on 10 carries. Drake London also had a very nice day in this offense as he led the receivers with 130 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 receptions. Kana'i Mauga led the defense with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted one in that game. Drake Jackson and Jacob Lichtenstein both led the defense in sacks with 2 each while Tuli Tuipulotu also had 1 sack. It was Joshua Jackson Jr. who came away with the only interception for the defense in that game though. They have scored 167 points in their first 5 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 122 points against them. Their offense is averaging 439.2 YPG while their defense is allowing 361.4 YPG.
Utah vs USC Prediction
USC has not looked good at all this year. They have been upset in conference games that they were favored to win in, like their loss to Stanford and to Oregon State. Their 2 conference wins came against WSU and Colorado who are both basically the low hanging fruit in this conference. Utah has played well this year and they have kept their losses very close games. They will be able to keep this game close as well as they will find ways to grind it out. The best bet to place in this game is on Utah to cover the spread here and upset USC with a win on the moneyline as USC has already shown they cannot be trusted at home or as a favorite this year.
Utah USC Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 9, 2021 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Utah 27 USC 23.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Utah Utes: 187-154 ATS in all games. 67-39 ATS as an underdog. 87-71 ATS in road games.
USC Trojans: 156-177 O/U in all games. 63-79 O/U as a home favorite. 71-87 O/U in home games.
Key Injuries
Utah Utes: M. Bernard (RB) Ques Sat - Shoulder injury. C. Bishop (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. B. McKinney (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury.
USC Trojans: J. Falo (TE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. K. Christon (RB) Ques Sat - Personal. S. Tuliaupupu (LB) Ques Sat - Knee injury.
Players to Watch
Utah Utes: TJ Pledger is one player to watch here. He is coming off of a big game where he rushed for over 100 yards and he will be looking to carry that over into this game. Their offense did not do much in their last game but he was the one piece that played well so look for them to lean on him in this game.
USC Trojans: Drake London is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in receiving yards and in touchdowns scored this season. He is coming off of a game where he had over 100 yards receiving and he will be looking to carry that over into this game. He is a big target so look for him to make some big catches in the end zone and help his team score.
Notable Quotes
"The defense played unreal. They did their job and then it was just up to offense to hold up their end of the bargain." - Cameron Rising on his team’s performance in their win against Washington State.
"I expect him to do that. So when the ball's in the air and if he's around with 10 other people we expect him to come down with the ball." - Donte Williams on Drake London’s one-handed catch for a touchdown in their win over Colorado.
Starting Lineups
Utah Utes
WR Howard, Theo
WR Solomon Enis
WR Covey, Britain
TE Fotheringham, Cole
TE Brant Kuithe
QB Rising, Cameron
RB Micah Bernard
FB Niumatalolo, Ali'i
USC Trojans
WR London, Drake
WR Tahj Washington
WR Trigg, Michael
WR Gary Bryant Jr.
TE Krommenhoek, Erik
QB Slovis, Kedon
RB Ingram, Keaontay
Statistical Leaders
Utah Utes
Passing: C. Brewer (484)
Rushing: M. Bernard (247)
Receiving: B. Kuithe (163)
Touchdowns: T. Thomas (2)
Sacks: V. Fillinger (3)
Tackles: D. Lloyd (20)
USC Trojans
Passing: K. Slovis (1118)
Rushing: K. Ingram (349)
Receiving: D. London (670)
Touchdowns: D. London (4)
Sacks: D. Jackson (3)
Tackles: C. Williams (17)
Coaches:
Utah Utes: Kyle Whittingham (18th season)
USC Trojans: Donte Williams (Interim)
Weather Forecast
72 degrees F sunny, 69% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 6 mph wind speeds SW.
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
