Washington vs. USC: Game Grades, Analysis for Trojans

An offseason's worth of expectations, national rankings and conference championship predictions proved overwhelming for Southern California Thursday night at the Coliseum, as the 17th-ranked Trojans fell short against Pac-12 North foe Washington, 17-12. For more details, check out the NCAA box score here. 

After suffering a home upset to Stanford three weeks prior while ranked No. 6, USC slogged through its Thursday night prime-time matchup against the Huskies, eventually suffering its second loss of the season. Next up on the schedule, the Trojans will face a tough road test against No. 15 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, as they attempt to save face for their early-season shortcomings. 

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	C-	C
Rush Offense	B	B+
Pass Defense	A	B
Rush Defense	A-	C+
Special Teams	B+	B-
Coaching	C+	C-

Pass Offense: Following a dismal performance in the first half, including two interceptions and no scores, USC starting quarterback Cody Kessler failed to create a rebound second half as he finished the day 16-of-29 for 156 yards passing, as well as minus-25 yards rushing. The pass protection wasn't much better, as the Washington defensive front consistently harassed Kessler throughout the matchup.

Rush Offense: The lone bright spot for the USC offense came in the form of the rush attack, as backs Tre Madden and Ronald Jones II combined on the day for 185 yards and one score behind 25 carries. Madden racked up 96 yards in the first half, while Jones II provided the sole spark for the Trojans in their attempted second-half comeback, earning 65 yards of his own and the touchdown. 

Pass Defense: As expected, Washington true freshman QB Jake Browning failed to create much offense for the Huskies in his second conference appearance. However, the USC defense, while holding Browning to just 137 yards on 16-of-32 passing with one interception, was unable to capitalize on all the young quarterback's miscues. 

Rush Defense: After a first half that included just 48 rushing yards for the Huskies, USC surrendered 87 yards and a score in the second, as the ground game paid dividends for Washington down the stretch. True freshman Myles Gaskin forced the USC defense into short third downs and took pressure off Browning when necessary. 

Special Teams: The first half was uneventful, with two short field goals easily drilled by Alex Wood. However, a fourth-quarter miss by Wood on a makeable 46-yarder served only to undercut the Trojans' comeback attempt. 

Coaching: In a game that constantly featured a pissed-off Steve Sarkisian, the Trojans committed multiple penalties that dug into their offensive bottom line. Further, expectation following a bye week usually includes a mentally ready squad, and the mistake-ridden USC team that took the field on Thursday night was anything but mentally prepared. And that's all on coaching.