USC vs. Washington Football 2009
No. 3 Trojans Face Old Friend in Pac-10 Opener
No. 3-ranked USC (2-0) needed an 86-yard drive in the final quarter to upend No. 11 Ohio State 18-15 in Columbus, Ohio, last week. They're hoping things won't be as tense when they meet a Washington team guided by first-year coach Steve Sarkisian, their former offensive coordinator.
Sarkisian spent seven years at USC under coach Pete Carroll before accepting the Huskies' job last December. The former Brigham Young quarterback took over a team that was 0-12 in 2008, and he got his first win in his second try.
That came last week, when Washington defeated Idaho 42-23 to end a 15-game losing streak that dated back to 2007.
Saturday's matchup, which will be telecast on a regional basis by ABC, will be the finale of a three-game season-opening homestand for the Huskies.
They'll also be playing a ranked opponent for the second time in three weeks. They lost their opener, 31-23, to No. 9 Louisiana State.
Talented QB Leads Washington
USC faced an athletic quarterback last week in Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor. It'll be the same Saturday when they look to contain Washington's Jake Locker.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior is 42-for-70 passing for 574 yards, with five touchdowns and one interception. Locker, who was limited to four games last season because of a thumb injury, is also second on the team in rushing with 18 carries for 69 yards and a TD.
Freshman Chris Polk heads the Huskies rushing attack with 40 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown. Another freshman, James Johnson, is the leading receiver with nine catches for 111 yards and two TDs.
The Huskies also have pass-catching threats in sophomore tight end Kavario Middleton (7 catches, 58 yards 1 TD), D'Andre Goodwin (5 catches for 102 yards) and sophomore Devin Aguilar (5 receptions, 90 yards).
Washington's offense is averaging 426 yards per game, including 287 yards passing.
Huskies Defense Is Guided by Former USC Assistant
In addition to squaring off with Sarkisian, USC will face Nick Holt, who was Trojans defensive coordinator for three years before heading north to take the same position under Sarkisian.
So far, it's been an up-and-down campaign for Holt's defense. Ironically, the Huskies gave up more yards to underdog Idaho (411) than they did against ranked LSU (323).
E.J. Savannah leads Washington with 19 tackles, and fellow linebacker Donald Butler has 13.
And Mason Foster, who had a team-best 103 tackles last season, is continuing to make plays. The junior linebacker has 11 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception he returned 56 yards to set up a touchdown vs. Idaho.
Cameron Elisara leads the Huskies' defensive linemen with six tackles, including one of the team's four sacks.
Picking up the pressure will definitely help vs. USC. And Washington will also need to slow down the Trojans' rushing attack. The Huskies are surrendering just 106 yards per game on the ground, but they're also giving up 4.1 yards per carry.
Trojans Rough on Opposing Runners
USC, meanwhile, is yielding just 1.59 yards per carry -- and only 48.5 rushing yards per game.
The Trojans allowed just nine rushing yards in their season-opening 56-3 smashing of overmatched San Jose State, then held Ohio State to just 88, on 2.9 yards per attempt.
Overall, the Trojans defense is giving up 193 yards per game.
Safety Taylor Mays, USC's 6-foot-3, 235-pound destroyer, has collected a team-high14 tackles. So has sophomore linebacker Chris Gallipo, who's made three tackles for losses, forced a fumble, and returned an interception 51 yards to set up the Trojans' first TD vs. Ohio State.
Other standouts for the USC defense include linebacker Michael Morgan (10 tackles, 3 tackles for losses), defensive back Josh Pinkard (9 tackles, 2 pass breakups), sophomore tackle Jurrell Casey (7 tackles, 2 tackles for losses, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery) and freshman end Nick Perry (6 tackles, 2 sacks).
The Trojans have recorded six sacks this season, but had just one against Ohio State.
USC Offense Maintains Balance
USC has given up four sacks this season, and the offense has been slow to get rolling in both of its games.
But the Trojans still find themselves averaging 466.5 yards per game, with the production almost perfectly distributed between the run (230) and the pass (236.5).
USC's deep backfield continues to produce, with Joe McKnight emerging as the go-to guy. McKnight has rushed 30 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
But Stafon Johnson leads the Trojans with four touchdown runs, including the go-ahead score at Ohio State. Johnson has 17 rushes for 77 yards.
Freshman QB Matt Barkley is 30-for-50 passing for 428 yards with one TD and one interception. But ESPN reported Friday that sophomore Aaron Corp, a source said, will start at quarterback vs. Washington while Barkley recovers from a bruised shoulder.
Corp, who was No. 1 on the USC depth chart before being injured during training camp, saw action vs. San Jose State. He was 4-for-4 passing with a touchdown.
Even with receiving standout Ronald Johnson still out with a broken collarbone, USC has plenty of other targets. Damian Williams leads the way eight eight catches for 81 yards. Tight end Anthony McCoy, wide receiver David Ausberry and fullback Stanley Havili have five catches apiece, with McCoy averaging nearly 22 yards per catch.
USC Seeks 6th Straight Win over Huskies
Saturday's meeting will be the 80th between the teams. USC holds a 49-26-4 advantage, and has won the last eight games vs. Washington. The Trojans routed the Huskies 56-0 last season in Los Angeles, but had to squeak out a 27-24 win in 2007.
Both teams will continue Pac-10 play on Sept. 26. The Trojans will be at home vs. Washington State, and the Huskies will be on the road vs. Stanford.
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