Postgame Notes: Utah vs. USC

Postgame Notes
(at) No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Sat., Oct. 15, 2022
Kick: 6:05 p.m. MT | End: 10:01 p.m.
Attendance: 53,609 (sellout; stadium record)
 
General

• Utah has won consecutive games over USC for the first time since 1915 and '16—the first two meetings of the teams in series history.
• It is the second straight win in Rice-Eccles Stadium over a top-10 AP-ranked team, following the win over No. 4 Oregon on Nov. 20, 2021.
• Utah is 110-36 when playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium since its 1998 opening. It includes an 82-25 record in the home confines under head coach Kyle Whittingham (2005-present).
• Utah has won 12 in a row at home since Dec. 5, 2020, the second-longest home winning streak of the Whittingham era. The longest home winning streak under Whittingham was 21 games, running from Sept. 15, 2007-Oct. 23, 2010.
• Since entering the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, the Utes are 56-43 in regular season league tilts and 32-19 in those games played at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
• Utah is 67-23 under Whittingham when ranked in the AP Poll.
• The official attendance of 53,609 was a Rice-Eccles Stadium record, surpassing the previous high attendance of 52,724 vs. Oregon in 2021.
• Utah has sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium in 74 consecutive games, dating back to the 2010 season opener. Capacity currently sits at 51,444 with the completion of the Ken Garff Red Zone in 2021. Previously, capacity was 45,807.
• USC won the coin toss and elected to receive. Utah defended the North goal to begin the game.

 
 
Offense

• Tight end Dalton Kincaid had 16 receptions on 16 targets for 234 yards and one touchdown. Due to a technical bug, the initial statistics book produced following this game lists Kincaid with 15 catches for 217 yards. An updated game book and season statistics will be distributed once the bug is corrected.
• Kincaid's 16 catches in the game are tied for second all-time in Utah history and the most by a tight end in a game in recorded program history. His 234 receiving yards rank second all-time at Utah and are the most by a tight end since at least 1996.
• ESPN Stats & Info reported that Kincaid's 16 catches was one short of tying the single-game record for a tight end. New Mexico's Emilio Vallez had 17 vs. UTEP in 1967 and Northwestern's Jon Harvey had 17 vs. Michigan in 1982.
• Kincaid's double-digit receptions marked the first 10-reception game by a Ute since Darren Carrington II vs. North Dakota on Aug. 31, 2017. Carrington also had the last 150-yard receiving game by a Ute (153) against San Jose State on Sept. 16, 2017.
• Quarterback Cameron Rising was 30-of-44 passing for 415 yards and two touchdowns, against no sacks and no interceptions. It was a career-high completions and passing yards for Rising, as well as the first 400-yard passing game by a Utah quarterback since Brian Johnson (417) against San Diego State on Oct. 15, 2005.
• Between his passing (415) and rushing totals (60), Rising himself was responsible for 475 total yards of offense. It is the most total yards of offense for a Utah quarterback since Johnson in that aforementioned SDSU game (Johnson rushed for 66 yards).
• Rising now has 35 career touchdown passes, which ranks 10th all-time in Utah history.
• Rising also rushed 11 times for 60 yards and three touchdowns. It was the first three-rushing-touchdown game by a Utah quarterback since Travis Wilson did so against Colorado State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 20, 2014.
• Rising is the sixth Utah quarterback since 1996 to rush for 10 or more career touchdowns (he now has 12).
• Rising has rushed for a touchdown in three consecutive games, the first such feat of his career. He is the first Utah quarterback to have three straight games with a rushing touchdown since Tyler Huntley did so in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl vs. Indiana, then the first two games of 2017.
• Running back Micah Bernard scored his second rushing touchdown of the season and fourth of his career. His last came at Florida on Sept. 3.
• Rising's first rushing score was set up by a career-long 45-yard reception for wide receiver Money Parks.
• On a trick play, wide receiver Devaughn Vele threw a nine-yard completion to Rising, the first career completion and reception, respectively, for both Vele and Rising.

 
Defense

• Safety R.J. Hubert had a team-leading nine tackles in the game. It is Hubert's third straight game with nine-plus tackles (career-high 12 vs. Oregon State; 11 at UCLA).
• Hubert had his first multi-PBU game and now has defended four passes (2 PBU, 2 INT) this season.
• Cornerback Clark Phillips III contributed his first career sack (eight yards) during the third quarter.
• Defensive end Gabe Reid provided a 20-yard sack during the second quarter. Fellow defensive end Jonah Elliss had his first sack of the season and linebacker Karene Reid added one of his own.
• Safety Cole Bishop had eight tackles on the night. Bishop has contributed six-plus tackles in back-to-back games and has four such performances this season.
• USC scored a touchdown on its game-opening drive, the first Utah opponent this season to produce points on its first drive. It was the first game-opening touchdown drive for an opponent since Nov. 13, 2021.

 
Special Teams

• Ben Norton made his collegiate debut in providing the opening kickoff, which Norton sent through the end zone for a touchback.
• Devaughn Vele provided a 23-yard punt return during the second quarter, both a season-long for Vele and the longest this season by a Ute.