USC handed first loss of season in Utah shootout
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Paolo UggettiESPN
SALT LAKE CITY — Caleb Williams was feeling the salt on top of the wound. As the sophomore quarterback answered questions following No. 7 USC‘s first loss of the season — 43-42 to No. 20 Utah on Saturday night — he could hear the fans inside what had been a sold-out Rice Eccles Stadium still cheering.
“I hate losing,” said Williams, who accounted for 438 yards of offense. After the game, cameras showed him crying as he walked off the field. “I really hate it, so I had a little bit of emotion.”
The first loss of the Lincoln Riley era transpired in exactly the type of game the Trojans have expected to win given their high-powered offense: a shootout. But as mistakes and injuries piled up and Utah’s offense put up 562 yards, it became too much for USC to overcome.
“We didn’t play as clean on all three sides as we wanted to,” Riley said. “It came down to they made one more play, or we made one more mistake. We were one inch away on several occasions and, honestly, several times very close to running away with it.”
After USC led 21-7 in the first half and seemed to have the game in control, Utah unleashed a 36-21 scoring run that culminated in a touchdown and successful 2-point conversion by quarterback Cameron Rising that put the Utes up 43-42 with 48 seconds left. Riley said postgame he believed that was plenty of time for USC to win the game, but the offense failed to cross midfield as time expired.
“Until the last second, I thought we should have won the game,” running back Travis Dye said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
On a night when USC’s offense still scored 42 points, USC’s defense could not keep up with the combination of Rising and tight end Dalton Kincaid (234 receiving yards), and the Trojans suffered self-inflicted mistakes on both sides of the ball. Those mistakes included plenty of flags. The Trojans had 12 penalties for 93 yards, and though the officiating was a topic of much discussion, Riley shied away from putting the loss entirely on that.
“The officiating was really poor tonight, but we still should have won the game,” Riley said. “You’re going to have some nights where the calls don’t go your way, and they certainly did not tonight. That’s not an excuse; it was just another thing we had to overcome.”
USC (6-1, 4-1) also lost two important starters to injury Saturday night. Both star wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Eric Gentry left the game with apparent lower-body injuries. Both returned to the sideline without pads on, and Addison was carrying crutches. Riley did not offer an update on either.
“We’re supposed to get it done no matter what,” Dye said. “It’s not a single guy this loss is on, it’s not a single call.”
The matchup against Utah (5-2, 3-1) had been much anticipated, one that Williams said he’s had circled on his calendar since before the season, one that Dye said was personal given he has never beaten the Utes in Utah. It was supposed to be a measuring stick for a Trojans team that hadn’t been tested by a ranked team yet, and in an ideal world for USC, it was supposed to be proof that this team could be turned into a legitimate contender overnight. Instead, the result left Riley and Co. seething and ready to suit up again.
“I’m pissed right now because we lost,” Riley said. “S—, I’m ready to go practice right now.”
Riley’s message postgame was one of leaning on experience. As he pointed out, he and some of his staff from Oklahoma have been in this position before and believe that this loss does not determine what the rest of the season might be.
When defensive lineman Nick Figueroa was asked how confident he was that USC could still accomplish all of its goals despite the loss, he didn’t hesitate.
“Extremely confident,” he said.
Riley expressed the same sentiment. “If we handle this like I think we will,” he said. “We got a real shot.”
Riley and the Trojans now head into a bye week still hoping for a Pac-12 conference title and more — but without a margin for error.
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Dan Wetzel
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Dan Wetzel
ESPN
- Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Sherrone Moore was in custody in the Washtenaw (Michigan) County Jail on Wednesday night as a suspect in an alleged assault, just hours after he was fired as Michigan’s football coach for having what the school said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore was initially detained by police in Saline, Michigan, on Wednesday and turned over to authorities in Pittsfield Township “for investigation into potential charges.”
Pittsfield police released a statement Wednesday night saying they responded at 4:10 p.m. to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road “for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault. … A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.
“The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor,” the statement continued. “At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details.”
Pittsfield police did not name the suspect in its statement.
Earlier, Saline police stated they “assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore. Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.”
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday following an investigation into his conduct with a staff member.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school said in a statement. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore, 39, spent two seasons as Michigan’s coach, after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal Wednesday that includes a club option for 2028.
The 35-year-old Yastrzemski hit .233 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 146 games last year between San Francisco and Kansas City.
Yastrzemski, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Giants before being sent to the Royals in July, will make $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. Atlanta holds a club option for 2028. Yastrzemski will make $7 million if the Braves pick up the option. He will receive a $4 million buyout if they do not.
The versatile Yastrzemski, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, can play all three outfield positions and is a career .238 hitter. His best season came in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, when he batted .297 with 10 homers in 54 games and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting.
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Jorge Castillo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Yankees made their first selection in a Rule 5 draft since 2011 on Wednesday, taking right-hander Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Winquest was one of 13 players — and 12 right-handed pitchers — chosen in the major league portion of the draft.
The Rockies took RJ Petit, a 6-foot-8 reliever, with the first pick from the Detroit Tigers. Petit, 26, had a 2.44 ERA in 45 relief appearances and two starts between Double A and Triple A last season. The Minnesota Twins chose the only position player, selecting catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics.
Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player and must keep him on the active major league roster for the entire following season unless he lands on the injured list. Players taken off the roster must be offered back to the former club for $50,000.
The 25-year-old Winquest recorded a 4.58 ERA with a 48% groundball rate in 106 innings across 25 games, including 23 starts, between Single A and Double A last season. He features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph plus a curveball, cutter and sweeper. He is expected to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ bullpen next season.
Right-hander Brad Meyers was the last player the Yankees had chosen in a Rule 5 draft. He suffered a right shoulder injury in spring training and was on the injured list for the entire 2012 season before he was offered back to the Washington Nationals. He never appeared in a major league game.
Also picked were right-hander Jedixson Paez (Colorado from Boston), right-hander Griff McGarry (Washington from Philadelphia), catcher Carter Baumler (Pittsburgh from Baltimore), right-hander Ryan Watson (Athletics from San Francisco), right-hander Matthew Pushard (St. Louis from Miami), right-hander Roddery Munoz (Houston from Cincinnati), right-hander Peyton Pallette (Cleveland from Chicago White Sox), right-hander Spencer Miles (Toronto from San Francisco), right-hander Zach McCambley (Philadelphia from Miami) and right-hander Alexander Alberto (White Sox from Tampa Bay).
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