USC football plays Washington in just under one month. The Huskies did not look good in their first game of the 2026 season. Huskies Wire has more details:
"That wasn't pretty. The Washington Huskies were able to escape the 118th Apple Cup with a 24-10 victory over the Washington State Cougars, but the contest was marred by injuries and self-inflicted mistakes by Jedd Fisch's team as it entered its third season. The Huskies were called for 12 penalties, totaling 130 yards, while running backs Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar, wide receiver Christian Moss, and defensive tackle Elinneus Davis all left the game with various injuries. Fisch was less than pleased by the flags, especially harkening back to the 2024 Apple Cup, when Washington committed 16
penalties for 135 yards.
"'It's concerning when you give first downs away,' (coach Jedd) Fisch said. 'I think that our team plays with an edge, and I felt it all of camp, and all of spring, and no matter how many times, as coaches, you remind them that there's gonna be a time where that edge is gonna get you; and they have to feel that edge, and they have to feel it also getting them. And today, it got them, so my thought process and my hope is that happens; we're over it. We learn that you can take it so far, and then you have to stop, and they're gonna continue to play extremely hard. But on the same token, they need to know where to just draw the line, to have that discipline, to make sure we don't give anything away.'
"The penalties included three personal fouls, headlined by a targeting call on safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, which got him ejected, overturning a fourth UW turnover on a fumble from Caden Pinnick, two delay of games (one of which was on the first play of the second half), and two unsportsmanlike conduct calls, including one on senior linebacker Jacob Manu."
None of this means USC will beat Washington, but it does show that USC's competitors in the Big Ten aren't thriving early in the season. The Trojans aren't behind the curve relative to their opponents, even though they have plenty to work on in their own right.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC opponent Washington struggles in ugly opener vs Washington State
