The 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game will see No. 11 Utah face off against the No. 4 USC (5 p.m. PT on FOX). The Utes handed the Trojans their only loss back on Oct. 15, a 43-42 nail-biter in Salt Lake City. Utah has proven it can upset USC already and the Utes can do it again Friday night in Las Vegas if these three things happen. 

A lot of Dalton Kincaid again

Dalton Kincaid was the star of Utah's win over USC. The tight end caught 16 passes — the most anyone has ever hauled in against the Trojans — for 234 yards and a touchdown. It would be unfair to expect him to have a similar performance but Kincaid should and likely will be the focal point of the Utah offense once again. Throughout most of the contest against the Trojans, Utah wasn't specially scheming up plays for the tight end. He was simply a mismatch in multiple ways versus the USC defense. 

Kincaid was able to find the soft spots in zone coverage against linebackers and even defensive lineman, who he was more athletic than to get most of his production. However, Cam Rising also trusted his 6-foot-4 playmaker to go up and grab a 50-50 ball. This pass up the seam from Rising is a perfect example of how even perfect coverage isn't enough against Kincaid. 

DALTON KINCAID! 🙌

📺 FOX
📱 https://t.co/6f25TYqMrQ#Pac12FB x @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/6mE2ePFDVK

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 16, 2022

There's a good chance USC rolls out a different game plan to limit Kincaid. It'll interesting how Utah reacts if that's the case. Nevertheless, Kincaid will be featured someway, somehow and he'll need to be for Utah to repeat as Pac-12 Champions. 

Contain Caleb Williams in the pocket and tackle well on the boundary 

The nation couldn't get enough of Caleb Williams slipping away from sacks and extending plays into positive gains for USC against Notre Dame. It's easier said than done, but for the Utah defense to get stops it'll need to get Williams to the ground when the opportunity presents itself. The Utes only forced two punts in their win over the Trojans. They sacked Williams three times in both drives to get the ball back. 

Utah will also need to tackle Williams' weapons as well. USC used a lot of motion and RPOs to get their playmakers with space on the boundary in the first matchup. Expect those plays to be in the game plan again especially with Jordan Addison, Mario Williams and Tahj Washington all healthy for this contest. Utah will need to stop those plays for short gains and keep the pressure on Williams to limit the USC passing attack as much as possible.

Get off to a good start, control the time of possession and win the turnover margin 

Of course, every team wants to have a good start, control the ball and force turnovers. Although, when facing the explosive USC offense it becomes even more vital. Utah didn't have its first lead against USC in the October matchup until Rising scored the go-ahead two-point conversation with 48 seconds left in regulation. This led to Rising throwing a season-high 44 times. That's not what Utah wants its identity to be on offense, as Rising averages 30 passing attempts per game. 

If Utah gets off to a good start it will allow the Utes to dictate the tempo of the game. Although they won the shootout already with USC, they probably don't want to go toe-to-toe with the third-ranked scoring offense in the country again. The Trojan offense can't score when it's not on the field. Utah putting together long, methodical drives and taking care of the ball will put them in a position to repeat as Pac-12 champions. Winning the turnover battle will be easier said than done as the Trojans enter with a nation-best +23 turnover margin.