Finding Adoree — U$c blows a 14-point Second Half lead, as Utah scores with 16 seconds left on a TD pass that beats former Heisman candidate Adoree Jackson, who loses a shoe and blows the coverage; The trojans are now 1-and-3, after this 31-27 heartbreaking, backbreaking and hilarious loss
Until tonight, u$c had won 84 straight games when they had a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter. Not since the iconic Texas Rose Bowl Comeback that beat Reggie “Lateral” Bush, Pete Carroll, and all the other disgraced cheaters has troy blown a last quarter double-digit lead. But it happened tonight, on National Television, on a night when this was the only game on, so sports fans around the Country were watching.
The trojans were down 7-0 after a 1st Quarter Utah TD early, but only for 10 seconds, as the trojans’ best player Adoree Jackson returned the ensuing Kickoff for a Touchdown. Why Utah would kick the ball to him is a mystery, and it was a mistake that was not duplicated for the remainder of the night. Utah then got a Field Goal to go up 10-7, thanks in part to three trojan lost fumbles. But sc reeled off 17 straight points, so it was 24-10 in the third. It was looking bleak for Utah, because once sc stopped fumbling, their Offense was never stopped. They didn’t punt until their was less than 6 minutes left in the game. Not only was Utah’s Defense getting bested, their Offense, which was potent in the first quarter, especially on the ground, was ground into impotency for most of the rest of the game.
But just when you thought sc was taking command, Utah kicked it into another gear. They finally started getting a passing game going, with quick slants piling up first downs. They scored a TD in the 3rd, and then another in the 4th, to cut the lead to 27-24. Then they held sc and new starting QB Freshman Sam Darnold, forcing that lone punt. That gave Utah about 5 minutes to drive the length of the field and either tie or win. They had to convert TWO FOURTH DOWNS, AND THEY DID, putting them in position in the red zone in the final minute. Then, Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham called for a pass play attacking Adoree Jackson. Jackson was battling Wide Receiver Tim Patrick, when he threw a shoe just like a (trojan) horse. Playing on his sock, which was also sliding off, making his foot look like clown-like Simpsons character Sideshow Bob, he lost his footing, allowing Patrick to get open in the end zone. Williams hit his target, and the Utes took the lead.
Utah kicked off with 16 seconds left, and sc wasted 8 seconds on the failed return. So with 8 seconds left, Darnold scrambled all over the field, finally heaving it downfield for a completion to Juju Smith. Smith was getting tackled, so he lateraled to big man Zach Banner, who looked like the Hulk, as he futilely lumbered for 3 yards before being smashed, and dragged to the ground. Instead of trying to lateral, he inexplicably just ate the pigskin, and the game was history.
That drops Clown College to 1-3, for the first time since Carroll’s first year, which led to him instituting the Thug Culture of cheating, payouts, and steroid abuse. Many of the wins he got after that have since been vacated. If current Head Coach Clay Helton gets caught carrying on Carroll’s tradition of violations, he would have only ONE win to vacate!
Yes, yes, yes, I am going to enjoy this trojan face plant tonight, because by tomorrow night, Bruin fans very well may be lamenting yet another loss to Stanford. No shame in losing to a team as good as the Cardinal, but it will represent an ongoing failure to be elite in the Conference, especially if it is a beatdown. So let’s enjoy the sc loss, and THE WAY that they choked and died, crumbling to dust (from Clay) in the final minutes. It was rumored after they lost to Stanford that one trojan player slugged Helton in the face. Helton denies it, but that player transferred. Then rumors sprang up that several other trojans were going to transfer. Let’s see if any rats jump off the sinking ship in the wake of yet another gut-wrenching trojan loss.
Meanwhile, let’s enjoy one of the best parts of being a Bruin (besides laughing at sc): Our beautiful and talented UCLA Spirit Squad. Here are 66 more photos from the last home game, with about 50 more still to follow. I’m trying to share them all before the new batch that I will capture tomorrow at the Stanford game.
So after you view the photos below, make sure to check out the previous articles, which also have vast collections of Bruin Beauties.
