Down goes the Utes! USC upsets #10 Utah at the Coliseum
Los Angeles--Matt Fink, have a day.
Can you tell me what we witnessed last night? I can't wrap my head around such an amazing and beautiful moment.
Third-string USC quarterback Matt Fink entered the transfer portal before the season, after he was beaten out in the spring by sophomore JT Daniels and freshman Kedon Slovis.
Can you blame a young college athlete for wanting to transfer after sitting the bench for two or three years?
It's extremely frustrating to not be playing, and mentally demoralizing when you lose the starting competition to someone younger than you, especially a freshman.
Fink nearly transferred to the University of Illinois as a graduate transfer last spring. The Los Angeles-area native instead decided to stay home and wait for a chance, however remote.
He stuck with it because he has a special bond with the players, which is rare to see nowadays.
Fast forward a few weeks later, Fink found himself shredding the #10 ranked Utah Utes, passing for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
I mean, how do you put that into words? That's a once in a lifetime feeling.
Another stud on the field was star receiver Michael Pittman Jr, who caught ten passes for a career-high 232 yards and a touchdown.
Video game numbers out there.
It was a matchup nightmare for the Runnin' Utes' secondary.
Fink went 21-30 for USC (3-1, 2-0 Pac 12 South) after taking over when freshman Kedon Slovis left with a concussion on the second play of scrimmage.
All I have to say is, it would be wise to play Matt Fink in Seattle next weekend since he is the hot hand.
"I don't think this moment was too big for me," Fink said. "I've been in the era of Sam Darnold, and I've seen things that are much crazier. Getting in today and showing what I can do is what I really wanted to do by staying here."
It does not get much better than that. He stuck with it, and luckily, he got his chance.
Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Pittman all caught TD passes from Fink, while Pittman had the fifth-highest receiving yardage game in USC history.
A 4-yard TD run by true freshman Markese Stepp, who tried to celebrate with USC great Reggie Bush before the referee intervened.
The Runnin' Utes (3-1, 0-1) struggled mightily in many phases of the game which are the recipe for winning football games.
After star running back Zack Moss left in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury, the Utes offense struggled to finish drives.
Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley passed for 210 yards and ran for 60, but Utah committed 16 penalties for 120 yards.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was not too happy with how the secondary performed and vowed to make changes on the defense.
"Mostly we had no answer for their receiving corps," Whittingham said. "Michael Pittman did a number on us. We just didn't do a good enough job on him. We've got to rethink some things coaching wise."
Utah: A visit from Washington State and its Air Raid offense next Saturday, Sept. 28.
USC: The brutal early schedule continues at defending Pac-12 champion Washington next Saturday, Sept. 28.