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LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Southern California was on a roll before being bowled over by Utah.

Behind its two bruising senior running backs, the Utes edged the Trojans, 10-6, for their second win in three years at the Las Vegas Bowl.

Adam Tate and Dameon Hunter combined for 197 yards and a score for Utah (8-4), which limited USC (6-6) to one yard rushing in a dominating defensive effort.

The Trojans had won four straight games and entered Sam Boyd Stadium with a ton of confidence. But Tate and Hunter proved to be too much for Carson Palmer and a quiet USC offense.

The 6-1, 229-pound Tate carried 23 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, opening the scoring with a three-yard run in the first quarter.

Hunter, a punishing 5-11, 236-pounder, finished with 94 yards on 17 carries.

Lance Rice helped when he could, completing 12-of-21 passes for 136 yards.

Rice may have made the biggest play of the game, throwing a 20-yard pass to tight end Michael Richardson on 3rd-and-14 from Utah's 9-yard line with 3 1/2 minutes left.

Richardson, who also has played guard and center for Utah, had three catches for 35 yards.

With under 2 1/2 minutes to play, Tate salted away the win with a 17-yard run off a draw on 3rd-and-6.

Behind their two-man show, the Utes finished with 358 yards of total offense to 151 for the Trojans. Utah also controlled the ball for more than 38 minutes.

The Utes have had incredible success in Vegas, where they have claimed each of their last two bowl wins. They won twice at Sam Boyd Stadium this season, posting a 42-14 victory over Nevada-Las Vegas on November 3.

Palmer went 15-of-26 for just 150 yards for the Trojans, who played for the first time in more than five weeks.

USC had an impressive drive to start the second half, going 80 yards in 12 plays. Sunny Byrd scored from two yards, but David Davis missed the extra point, and the Trojans trailed, 10-6.

Davis also missed a 47-yard field goal in the first half after making 12 straight attempts.

The game turned sloppy following Byrd's TD as USC committed a pair of turnovers around a shanked punt by Utah's Brian Lewis. Both of the turnovers -- the only two of the game -- came in Utes' territory.

Byrd had only 31 yards on 10 carries for the Trojans, who averaged nearly 35 points during their four-game winning streak.

USC fell to 0-2 in bowl games since defeating Northwestern, 41-32, in the 1996 Rose Bowl.