Utah beats USC 43-42 in thriller: Live updates recap, game highlights from Pac-12 showdown in Salt Lake City

All eyes were on Salt Lake City Saturday night as the unbeaten USC Trojans took on the Utah Utes in a Pac-12 football showdown.

And the game lived up to the billing.

Utah quarterback Cam Rising scored on a one-yard run with 48 seconds left, then converted the two-point try to lift Utah to a 43-42 victory over the Trojans. The final lead was the only lead Utah had all game.

USC’s defense could not contain Rising. He finished with 415 yards passing and two TD passes, while racking up 60 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Caleb Williams had an incredible game for USC, throwing for 381 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 57 yards.

But ultimately, USC’s defense could not come up with a stop when it needed it.

Here’s a live updates recap with scoring highlights and more from USC’s loss at Rice-Eccles Stadium:

4TH QUARTER UPDATES

FINAL: Utah 43, USC 42

The Trojans tried to mount a drive in the final 48 seconds, but they ran out of time. Caleb Williams threw a deep incompletion as the clock expired.

TOUCH DOWN UTAH: Cam Rising scores on 4th and goal from the one-yard line, then converts the two-point try to give Utah a 43-42 lead with 48 seconds left in the game. It’s Utah’s first lead of the game. Rising has 415 yards passing and 60 yards rushing.

TOUCHDOWN USC! Caleb Williams catches Utah in a blitz and hits Michael Jackson III on a quick screen for a 20-yard touchdown to give USC a 42-35 lead with 6:15 to play.

TOUCH DOWN UTAH: This game is tied at 35-35 with 10:55 to play.

JORDAN ADDISON HURT: Addison went down awkwardly on a tackle midway through the third quarter and has not returned to the game. He has seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.

ERIC GENTRY HURT: Genry went down with a leg injury. And he is fired up.

CONTROVERSIAL CALL: Another really bad roughing the passer call goes against USC and extends another Utah drive. This is getting ridiculous. It’s really hard to fathom how Pac-12 officiating can continue to be this bad.

3RD QUARTER UPDATES

FUMBLE! Eric Gentry forces a Utah fumble inside the five-yard line and USC recovers. Huge momentum swing for the Trojans.

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TOUCHDOWN USC! This is going to be a track meet. After a 42-yard kickoff return by Tahj Washington, USC needs just three plays to score, capped by Caleb Williams’ 11-yard TD pass to Josh Falo. USC leads 35-28, Williams has four touchdown passes and the second half just started.

TOUCH DOWN UTAH: Just like that, this game is tied. The Utes take the second-half kickoff and tear apart the Trojans’ defense again, needing just seven plays to go 75 yards. Cam Rising hit a wide-open Dalton Kincaid on a 4-yard TD pass to cap the drive. It’s USC 28, Utah 28 with 12:02 left in the third quarter.

HALF-TIME STATS

Caleb Williams passed for 249 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 53 yards.

Travis Dye has 43 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Mario Williams has three catches for 119 yards and Jordan Addison has five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

2ND QUARTER UPDATES

HALFTIME: USC 28, Utah 21

TOUCH DOWN UTAH: The Utes just gashed USC’s defense, marching 70 yards in only five plays, capped by a 16-yard TD pass from Cam Rising to Devaughn Vele. The drive only took 45 seconds. USC leads 28-21 with 30 seconds left in the half.

TOUCHDOWN USC! Caleb Williams throws his third touchdown pass of the first half, a three-yard strike to Josh Falo, to give USC a 28-14 lead over Utah with 1:15 left in the half.

TOUCH DOWN UTAH: Cam Rising scores on a two-yard run to cut USC’s lead to 21-14 with 4:01 left in the first half. Rising’s TD came one play after he connected with Money Parks on a 45-yard go route.

TOUCHDOWN USC! Caleb Williams spins out of trouble and fires a dart to Kyron Hudson for a two-yard TD pass to give USC a 21-7 lead with 14:20 left in the first half. Three possessions, three touchdowns for Lincoln Riley’s offense.

1ST QUARTER UPDATES

TOUCHDOWN UTAH: One play after the controversial roughing the passer call, Utah’s Micah Bernard scores on a 12-yard run to cut USC’s lead to 14-7 with 1:08 left in the first quarter.

CONTROVERSIAL CALL: The officials take a USC interception away on a very controversial roughing the passer call. That call could have a significant impact on the game. The call gave Utah a first down on the 12-yard line, instead of USC having the ball on their own 20.

TOUCHDOWN USC! The Trojans have come out firing on all cylinders on offense. Their second drive – which covered 80 yards in nine plays – ends with a two-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Jordan Addison to extend USC’s lead to 14-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.

UTAH MISSED FG: Utah’s first drive ends in a missed 34-yard field goal. USC’s defense gave up several big pass plays, but stiffened in the red zone. The definition of bend, but don’t break. Still 7-0 USC with 8:57 left in the first quarter.

TOUCHDOWN USC! The Trojans receive the opening kickoff … and here comes Caleb Williams! On 3rd and long, Williams takes off on a 55-yard run that he almost turned into a touchdown. Two plays later, Travis Dye punches it in from eight yards out to give USC an early 7-0 lead with 13:16 left in the first quarter.

PRE-GAME UPDATES

Kickoff is scheduled for 5:07 pm PT on FOX. The weather is perfect in Salt Lake City – 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.