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Trojans Go Bankrupt
Dameon Hunter had 94 yards as Utah controlled the ground game.
Snake-eyes can sometimes mean good luck in Vegas, but not for USC on Christmas Day. The Trojans were held to just one yard rushing in a 10-6 loss to Utah in Tuesday's Las Vegas Bowl. Thanks to some aggressive defense by the Utes, USC rushed for an inept minus-53 yards in the first half.
| INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS |
| |
UTAH |
YDS |
USC |
YDS |
| Passing |
Lance Rice |
2061 |
Carson Palmer |
2572 |
| Rushing |
Dameon Hunter |
1396 |
Sultan McCullough |
410 |
| Receiving |
Cliff Russell |
744 |
Kareem Kelly |
768 |
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| TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON |
| |
| Total Offense |
 | 
393 | | | 
301.9 |
Passing Yards |
| | 192.3 | | |
214.3 |
Passing completion % |
| |
54.9 | | |
58.6 |
Completions |
| |
180 | | |
207 |
Attempts |
| |
328 | | |
353 |
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| Scoring Offense |
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27.4 | | |
24.8 |
Scoring Defense |
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17.5 | | |
17.2 |
Rushing Yards |
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200.7 | | |
87.6 |
Rushing attempts |
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505 | | |
387 |
Key: |
| Utah | | USC |
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"We were under a lot of criticism for the Air Force and BYU games, but adversity is what I like. I was determined that we were going to come down here and win this game. We needed this. We played with the ultimate determination today."
-- Utah coach Ron McBride
Mountain West notebook
As the season draws to a close, it's time to look back at the highs and lows as well as salute the best coach and players in the Mountain West.
Pac-10 notebook
As the season draws to a close, it's time to look back at the highs and lows as well as salute the best coach and players in the Pac-10.
Looking back at the experts' preseason picks
Looking back at the experts' preseason picks
More News & Features
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WITH ROD GILMORE
I don't think people realized how good Utah's defense has been this season. Utah's D just destroyed USC's offensive line -- it was a great performance. The other key factor was Utah's ability, with RB Adam Tate, to run the ball in the fourth quarter and close out the game. The Utes picked up first downs when they needed them, keeping USC off the field.
USC fans were understandably disappointed in the inability of the Trojans' offense to score. Most observers expected USC and QB Carson Palmer to produce more than six points. Maybe the layoff hurt the Trojans, but I believe it was simply Utah's defense overwhelming USC's O-line.
Long-term, this is a tough loss for a name program like USC, which had won five straight. Conversely, it's a great win for Utah. Coach Ron McBride had been under pressure, and getting this kind of bowl victory to finish 8-4 gives him some security.
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| IT WAS OVER WHEN |
| Utah converted two long third downs in the final 3:30 of the game. Despite going scoreless in the second half, the Utes were able to keep the ball out of the Trojans' hands in the final minutes. |
| GAME BALL GOES TO |
| The entire Utah defense. Despite missing two starters, the Utes put on a clinic on run-stopping, holding the Trojans to an amazing minus-53 yards on the ground in the first half and one yard rushing overall. |
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UTAH CLUBHOUSE
On the eve of the Las Vegas Bowl game against USC on Christmas Day, the Utes still are not sure whether all-conference DT Doug Kaufusi will play in the game.
USC CLUBHOUSE
There might not be many fans in the seats for the Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day, but QB Carson Palmer says that's not important.
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UTAH VS. USC
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Smoking Utes
