Washington vs. USC: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Huskies Should Make

We should be in for a great finish as the Washington Huskies take on the USC Trojans at the historic L.A. Coliseum. 

Today's matchup has definitely been a heated one, as the Huskies, led by head coach Steve Sarkisian, are looking to finish off the Trojans and QB Matt Barkley. 

Can Washington come out firing in the second half and come back for a huge Pac-12 victory?

Here are five halftime adjustments the Huskies should make if they want to complete the upset. 

Eliminate Penalties 

The Huskies must stop committing stupid penalties in the second half. USC's offense is too potent and will continue to capitalize on every Washington mistake. 

The Huskies cannot afford any more big penalties down the field by their secondary. 

Out-Coach Kiffin 

As much as football is about the players are on the field, today's game is very much about the coaching dynamic between Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian. In the second half, the Huskies honestly need to "out-coach" Kiffin.

Sarkisian and Kiffin know each other very well, and thus far Kiffin has had the upper hand. If Washington wants to win this game, Sarkisian needs to counter USC's play-call and begin to roll the dice. 

More Chris Polk

The Huskies need to get their biggest playmaker more looks in the second half. Polk has the ability to both make an impact with the run and outside as a receiver. Look for Washington to set him up with quick screens and outs so he can have some room to make a big play.

Establish the Down Hill Pass Game

USC has three freshman at LB.

In the second half, the Huskies should keep drawing up plays down the middle of the field that attack the Trojans' inexperience. Expect Sarkisian to throw a number of different looks at the defense, which should give QB Keith Price easy targets to his massive TE Austin Jenkins. 

Shorten the Third Downs

Washington's struggles on third down can be traced to their inability to consistently get positive yards on first and second down. They have been forced into 3rd-and-long far too many times in the first half, and as a result have been severely handicapped on third down.

If they want to win this game, they need to get the run going early and leave themselves with 3rd-and-manageable.