LOS ANGELES — The sights and sounds were all too familiar for USC. A slumping Caleb Williams mustered a slight wave to the Coliseum fans who couldn't hide their disappointment.
A throng of Utah players jeered the home crowd as they ran off the field in victory. And Trojans coach Lincoln Riley sat alone at the podium trying to explain how, for the third time in three games, Utah had once again beaten USC — this time on a field goal in the final seconds that gave the Utes a 34-32 win. «Two tough losses in a row and obviously not how any of us scripted this, but you can't script it.
It's college football,» Riley said. «It comes down to little things here and there, and we haven't quite played clean enough here in the last couple of weeks to take advantage of it.» Much like he did after the Trojans fell to Notre Dame last week, Riley defended his team's fight and chalked up the loss to Utah to a combination of mistakes and shortcomings by every USC unit against a tough opponent.
But the Utes have proved to be more than just a tough matchup. They have become a particularly impossible riddle for Riley & Co.