University Southern California Trojans
No. 17 USC Football Hosts Washington In Thursday Night Game
October 04, 2015 | Football
After a 2-year hiatus due to the Pac-12 schedule rotation, No. 17 USC and Washington resume their South-versus-North battle. Trojan head coach Steve Sarkisian's former team comes to the Coliseum for a Thursday night ESPN encounter (just Troy's third non-holiday Thursday game there). The game features the Pac-12's top offense statistically (USC) versus the league's top defense (Washington). Although USC has lost just twice to the Huskies since 2002, the series traditionally features close outcomes. Besides Sarkisian, several Trojan assistants and staffers have Husky ties. Because the game is on a school day, on-campus tailgating and parking will not be allowed, but there are many alternatives available for fans (see USCTrojans.com/Thursday). USC is coming off a bye following a big bounceback win at Arizona State. The Trojans have one of the nation's top offenses when it comes to total yards (more than 530 per game) and passing yardage and efficiency, as well as scoring (over 45 a game). And Troy has a hard-to-score-on and opportunistic defense that twice this season has created 4 turnovers in a game. Third-year QB Cody Kessler, a 2015 Heisman Trophy candidate who remains in the Top 3 nationally in completion percentage (73.0%), passing TDs (15) and passing efficiency, is above Russell Wilson's NCAA season record for pass efficiency rating and above Andrew Luck's Pac-12 mark for completion percentage. Biletnikoff Award candidate WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ranks in the national Top 5 in receiving yards and receiving TDs. The Trojan rushing corps, with veteran TBs Tre Madden and Justin Davis plus some exciting youngsters, has helped the USC offense average more than 8 yards per play. Rimington Trophy candidate C Max Tuerk anchors USC's O-line. The USC defense features Butkus nominee OLB Su'a Cravens and big-play honors nominee CB-WR-RET Adoree' Jackson. Fifteen true freshmen have seen action for the Trojans in 2015. For more on USC's awards candidates, check out the new USCTrojans.com/awards. Washington head coach Chris Petersen, who succeeded Sarkisian at Washington, had a bye last week following a home loss to California (UW also dropped its opener at Boise State, Petersen's previous stop). The Huskies start upwards of 12 underclassmen, including QB Jake Browning, just the second UW true freshman to start at QB (the other was current USC assistant Marques Tuiasosopo). TB Myles Gaskin (also a first-year frosh) leads the team in rushing, followed by TB Dwayne Washington, who also is UW's top pass catcher. WR Jaydon Mickens is fifth on the school's career receptions list. Washington's stout defense leads the Pac-12 in total defense and is in the national Top 20 in scoring defense and rushing defense. LB Azeem Victor is the Huskies' leading tackler, and he is joined by the likes of LB Travis Feeney, who has 195 career stops, LB Keishawn Bierria, S Budda Baker and CB Kevin King, who is 10th nationally in interceptions.
