The third time was not the charm for USC against Utah, as the Trojans are now 0 – 3 against the Utah Utes in the Head Coach Riley and junior quarterback Caleb Williams era.

Last season, a spot in the College Football Playoff was all but secured for USC (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) if it had been able to beat Utah (6-1, 3-1) in the Pac-12 championship game. With the Trojans desperately needing a win against the Utes Saturday, Utah may have put the nail in the coffin for the Trojans’ playoff hopes for the second consecutive season.

Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.

“This is as gut wrenching a defeat as I can remember in my career,” Riley said in a post-game press conference. “I hate it for the guys in there because we fought our tails off and fought so hard.”

A bounce back performance for the No. 24 USC offense and specifically for Williams would’ve been the key to having a chance to knock off No. 13 Utah . Coming off arguably his worst game of his collegiate career, Williams threw for 256 yards and only managed to score one touchdown — a rush to give USC a 32-31 lead with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Saturday’s loss against the Utes was the first game Williams played as a Trojan in which he failed to record a passing touchdown. While Williams did not commit any turnovers and was only sacked four times, his performance proved to not be enough to lift USC over the top.

As a collective unit, the Trojan offense got off to a much better start against Utah compared to last week against Notre Dame. On USC’s opening drive, redshirt junior running back Marshawn Lloyd scored a 45-yard touchdown to answer Utah’s opening touchdown drive.

For the game, Lloyd only ran the ball seven times for 86 yards and also had USC’s lone turnover, a fumble that occurred in the third quarter when the Trojans trailed 21-14. Out of three Trojan fumbles throughout the game, Lloyd’s fumble was the only one to end in a change of possession.

On the outside, redshirt senior wide receiver Tahj Washington led the Trojans with 112 receiving yards on five catches. No other Trojan receiver exceeded 40 receiving yards. On a day where USC’s passing attack was not playing to its potential, the running game was not featured heavily, as USC running backs got a total of 12 carries for 117 yards on the night.

“I wish we would have played a little bit cleaner,” Riley said. “We had some opportunities to separate a little bit, especially in the first half, and didn’t get it done.”

The USC defense has received the most scrutiny from fans both last season and this year. It had its moments that made the game winnable for USC, but also some that will likely still have fans complaining about the unit.

The first of those not so good moments was on the very first offensive drive for Utah, in which sophomore safety Sione Vaki scored on a 53-yard touchdown reception thrown by junior quarterback Bryson Barnes.

The biggest highlight from the Trojan defense was junior safety Calen Bullock’s pick six that cut Utah’s 11-point lead down to five. However, as the Utes were driving down the field to try and win the game, the Trojan defense had another lapse in judgment as sophomore defensive lineman Bear Alexander committed a costly roughing the passer penalty. Along with the 15-yard penalty, the play was deemed a targeting foul, ejecting Alexander from the game.

“Bear has been an awesome player for us and he was really broken-up about the penalty,” Riley said. “That was the one that really gave them some life.”

Even with encouraging flashes on defense, the Trojans still surrendered 34 points and 482 total yards to a Utah team that ranks last in the Pac-12 in yards per game and second to last in points per game. The USC defense has always had its struggles, but now that the Trojan offense has been in a slump the last few weeks, there is even more pressure on USC to tighten up both sides of the ball with four games remaining in the regular season.

“For the first time in a while, there are championship expectations here and those aren’t going anywhere,” Riley said. “I’m heartbroken for the team right now, but in the picture this program will get more ready to be back on the stage it was at for a long time.”

As the Trojans look ahead and try to save what remains of their season, USC will once again hit the road. The Trojans face Cal (3-4, 1-3) Saturday at 1 p.m. at California Memorial Stadium.