LAS VEGAS — Every seemingly impossible step in USC’s extraordinary yearlong turnaround, from the stunning hire of Lincoln Riley last November to the magical moments constantly conjured by its star quarterback, had for the past year defied any sane expectation, its stunning run all but daring destiny to intervene.
The Trojans had climbed out of the Pac-12 cellar, scratching and clawing their way back from a 4-8 season to the brink of the College Football Playoff. They’d climbed back in the last minute in Corvallis, held tight in Tucson, roared past their rivals at the Rose Bowl. But by Friday night, a yearlong journey few ever expected had reached its abrupt, unceremonious end right on the doorstep of a dream season in a devastating, 47-24 defeat to Utah.
It ended with Caleb Williams limping, unable to evade a ferocious Utah pass rush, and USC’s defense leaking, unable to tackle. It ended in the cruelest of fashions, with Utah piling on and USC helpless, for the first time all season, to change its fate.
