Matt Barkley passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns, including an 83-yarder to Marqise Lee in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 Southern California came back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Utah, 38-28, Thursday night.
Utah (2-3 overall, 0-2 Pacific-12 Conference) forced turnovers 1:16 apart to open the game, including a play by Nate Fakahafua to score from 8 yards out after stripping the ball from Barkley after a bad snap.
But the Trojans (4-1, 2-1) turned the tables in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in a span of less than 3 minutes to turn a 3-point game into victory in their first trip to Salt Lake City in 95 years.
Barkley connected with Lee with 12:10 remaining, then cornerback Nickell Robey intercepted a pass by Jon Hays and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.
Lee finished with 12 catches for 192 yards. The teams combined for 736 yards of offense and 222 penalty yards.
Utah led 14-0 less than 3 minutes in, and was up 21-10 with 8:54 to go in the half after Hays passed 18 yards to DeVonte Christopher, electrifying the fourth-largest crowd in stadium history (46,037).
But Barkley answered with scoring passes to Randall Telfer and Robert Woods as USC took a 24-21 lead into the break.
The Trojans scored 28 straight before Utah put together a late drive.
Hays finished 19 of 32 for 160 yards with a pair of touchdowns, but the interception proved costly
Utah also hurt itself with penalties, with eight for 82 yards in the first half alone and 13 for 122 overall.
TCU QB SUSPENDED
Two-year starting TCU quarterback Casey Pachall was suspended indefinitely Thursday, hours after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated – his second brush with trouble this year. Eight months ago he admitted to police that he smoked marijuana and failed a drug test just two weeks before his roommate was arrested in a drug sting operation.
The last of the former TCU players arrested in that sting – Devin Johnson – pleaded guilty to marijuana delivery charges Thursday and received probation.
SMITH OWES $40.7M
Arkansas coach John L. Smith has amended his bankruptcy filing, listing $40.7 million in debts – up from $25.7 million just last month, resulting from $15 million owed to Branch Banking & Trust in Louisville, Ky., that was listed as unknown in the first filing.
EXTRA POINTS
Missouri freshman wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, one of the nation’s top high school recruits last year, and two teammates were suspended for Saturday’s home game against Vanderbilt after they were arrested by campus police for allegedly smoking marijuana near the school’s football stadium. … The Big Ten determined that Michigan State offensive lineman Jack Allen did not violate the conference’s conduct policy after Ohio State sent in film that appeared to show him trying to gouge the eyes of Buckeyes defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins. … The NFL Players Association said the second NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be played Jan. 19 in Carson, Calif.
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