The lowdown: USC turned in their worst first-half performance in a long, long time against the Utes, scoring just seven points and needlessly fumbling the ball away three times. Two unforced Sam Darnold fumbles and a Ronald Jones drop on a backwards pass completely derailed drives.
Utah picked up the second Darnold fumble and returned it for a score, before quarterback Troy Williams led the Utes on a nine-play, 79-yard drive to take a commanding 21-7 lead before the half.
But the 14-point deficit was familiar territory. It matched the deficit USC overcame to Penn State in the 2017 Rose Bowl.