Coming in against a USC team that was probably emotionally drained off a loss against Oregon, this seemed like a prime opportunity for the Huskies to score an upset, and for a while, it looked like they just might. But as we’ve seen, self inflicted wounds sucked most of the air out of the Huskies, and probably most of Husky Nation along with them.
After 2 drives where the Huskies managed only 14 total yards, they came alive, going 41 yards in 8 plays, capped off by a Dezmen Roebuck pass out of the backfield
to an open Baron Naone for 6. After USC answered in the second quarter with a Waymond Jordan rushing touchdown, the Huskies responded after trading punts with USC, on an 8 play, 80 yard drive.
This was probably the most complete drive of the year. Brian Bonner rushed for 32 of his 89 yards on that drive, and Williams completed passes of 14 and 17 yards, while rushing for 9. The drive was capped with some more creativity, as FB/TE Kade Eldridge shifted spots with Demond and took the direct snap for a 1 yard score. It looked as though Jedd was getting comfortable emptying his bag of tricks to get something going, and it was working, as the Huskies took a 14-10 lead into the second half.
After a USC punt to open the proceedings in the second half, a short 2 play drive left Decker Degraaf rumbling down the sideline, the hapless USC tackling allowing him to sprint 42 yards, almost untouched. With the Dawgs up 21-10, it felt like it would be another victory in the Coliseum, a much needed shot in the arm for a team that badly needed it after last week’s drubbing against Minnesota.
Alas, it was not to be. On the very next drive, USC took 7 minutes off the clock, going 75 yards in 13 plays, finishing with a Jaiden Maiava touchdown pass to Tanook Hines from 10 yards out. A missed 2 point play made it 21-16. On the next Husky drive, Brian Bonner continued his stellar performance, rushing for gains of 6, 16 and 2 before Demond took the shotgun snap, pump faked, stepped up, and fumbled. The ball would be recovered by Jahkeem Stewart, who would take it all the way home, giving USC the lead, 22-21.
From there, Williams was shut down, as he was for much of the first quarter. At times, he looks unsure making his reads, like he’s not in rhythm. This allowed USC to sack Williams 5 times, and keep his rushing ability in check to the tune of only 26 yards. But the big story of the game was the penalties. 10 for 74 yards for the Huskies, and 9 for 84 for the Trojans. To the Trojans credit, they tightened up when they had to, in spite of a line of bad performances from their unit.
In the fourth, all USC scored was a field goal. They got it, thanks in part to a defensive pass interference penalty on Dylan Robinson that looked like it was on the offense. This was the play that, in concert with the earlier fumble, fully turned the game in USC’s favor. From there, all USC had to do was hold the line. Whether or not they could was in doubt for a while, as Demond made some plays, like a 15 yard pass to Chris Lawson and a 43 yard pass, also to Lawson. But then you have plays like the 2 yard flat pass to Brian Bonner, and the final desperation throw by Demond, and with those, fans were left to wonder yet again if having him was worth the headache trying to get him back. Or maybe they were wondering if Fisch is really the guy to call the offense. Whatever the case may be, there will be a lot of finger pointing by the fanbase, as what really could’ve been a gallying upset turned out to be a crushing loss, in a season that is looking increasingly more lost as the weeks go on. We’ll see if the Huskies can get back some of the momentum back, but seeing as how their next game is Friday against an Iowa team looking to get some momentum of their own, it’ll be difficult.
