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USC looks to upset #4 Washington on Saturday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 11/11/2016  at  6:30:00 PM
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USC TROJANS (6-3)
at WASHINGTON HUSKIES (9-0)

Husky Stadium – Seattle, WA
Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -8.0, Total: 62.5

#4 Washington will be looking to stay unbeaten against a USC team that is playing some inspired football lately.

USC has found some new life, as the team has now won five straight games and covered in each of the past three. The most impressive victory in that span was a 21-17 win at home over Colorado. The Trojans likely aren’t going to play in one of the major bowl games this season, but they can finish their season on a positive note and improve for next year. A win over Washington would mean a lot for the program, and the Trojans definitely want to spoil the Huskies’ perfect season. Washington, however, knows that it has a serious threat on the other side of the field in this one. USC is 12-7 SU versus Washington since 1992, and the Huskies will want to change that on Saturday. When the teams met last year, Washington won 17-12 as a 17-point underdog at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It would mean a lot for the Huskies to win a second straight against USC, so they’ll play with a ton of energy this weekend. One trend worth pointing out is the fact that USC is 0-6 ATS when playing as an underdog over the past two seasons. The Trojans are also 0-6 ATS in road games after having won five or six of their past seven games over the past three seasons.

USC is no longer getting walked over by Pac-12 opponents and QB Sam Darnold (1,874 yards, 20 TD, 4 INT) is a huge reason for that. The Trojans had awful quarterback play early in the season, and Darnold has completely come in and changed the USC offense. Over the past five games, Darnold has thrown for 18 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He is also a threat to beat teams with his legs and that’ll be big against Washington. Darnold will need to be able to improvise, as the Huskies have one of the best defenses in the country. When he does look to throw, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (48 rec, 641 yards, 8 TD) is his favorite target. Before catching just two passes for 10 yards against Oregon, Smith-Schuster had a five-game stretch where he caught 35 passes for 532 yards and six touchdowns. Look for him to be a big part of the USC offense in this one, as the team needs him to make plays against this elite defense. Another guy that will be counted on to produce in this one is RB Ronald Jones II (679 yards, 7 TD). Jones II has emerged as the best back in this USC backfield over the past two weeks, as he has rushed for 394 yards with five touchdowns over the past two games. He is very quick and also runs with power, and the Trojans know that they’ll need to get him involved once again on Saturday. Defensively, USC could have some trouble in this one. The most important thing the team must do is stop John Ross. Ross is one of the best receivers in the country and the Trojans will have no chance of winning if he is able to get open at will in this one.

Washington has been pretty flawless this season, as the Huskies are allowing just 17.0 PPG this season (11th in NCAAF) and scoring an absurd 48.3 PPG (2nd in NCAAF). This is as balanced a team as there is in the country and Washington will be hoping to keep it up moving forward. QB Jake Browning (2,273 yards, 34 TD, 3 INT) is the guy that must be mentioned first when talking about this Huskies team. Browning is coming off of a game against California where he threw for 378 yards with six touchdowns and zero picks. He has now thrown for 17 touchdowns with just one interception over the past four games and he’ll look to pick apart this USC team on Saturday. One guy that will help him do that is WR John Ross (44 rec, 742 yards, 14 TD). Ross is one the most dangerous receivers in the nation, as he has some serious speed and knows how to use it. He has scored five touchdowns over the past two contests and the Huskies will do anything they can to get him the ball in open space. If the Trojans focus too much attention on stopping Browning and the passing game then RB Myles Gaskin (952 yards, 8 TD) will have no problem shredding USC’s defense. Gaskin has rushed for a touchdown in five straight games, and had rushed for over 100 yards in four straight before rushing for just 74 yards in last week’s win over Cal. Defensively, stopping Darnold is the main priority for Washington. Ronald Jones II has been impressive lately, but he has not faced great competition. The Huskies will need to believe in their ability to stop him, as they can’t allow Darnold and Smith-Schuster to get going.


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