The USC defense's best performance this season was against Fresno State. Since then, the defense has been a liability. Against Oregon, the defense's poor play was a big reason for the embarrassing loss. This week, the Trojans face a struggling Washington offense trying to bounce back.
Here is my take on which defense will show up the most in the battle between two former Pac-12 teams in USC vs. Washington:
The Huskies are coming into this game after giving up 329 total yards to the Gophers. That is right around where this team gives up on average, at 319.2 yards per game, 14th best in the country. The Huskies' defense has given the Huskies a chance to win every game. They are not a defense that suffocates its opponents. They tend to still give up more
than they should. It was not an overly dominant offensive performance by Minnesota. However, the Huskies did allow Drake Lindsey to have a day. Lindsey had 3 touchdowns and 204 yards through the air.
Jayden Maiava is a better quarterback than Lindsey, so he should still be able to be his usual productive self against the Huskies. USC's offense should not be slowed down. I expect King Miller to also have some good success against the Huskies' run defense. Who allowed Utah State's 1- 3 quarterback to run for 81 yards on them.
The Trojans' defense should be in store for a bounce-back game. The Huskies' offense is talented, but it struggled mightily against the Gophers' defensive line. They surrendered 3 of 7 total sacks in the 4th quarter alone. The offensive line for Washington should give a great opportunity to the Trojans' pass rush to build confidence. The run game also creates no real worries for USC, as their leading rusher is quarterback Demond Williams, who has 165 total yards on the ground this season.
Demond Williams will be the key X-factor in this game. The dual-threat archetype quarterback usually tends to get the best of USC. He does not have enough talent around him and a good offensive line to help him maximize what he can do. Other teams have been able to bottle him up. I think USC has the better defense, and its defense will be a big reason why the Trojans get back on the right track with a win over Washington. I expect Luke Wafle and Jahkeem Stewart to shine and win their matchups by a wide margin.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC defense, currently humiliated, has a chance to improve in Week 5
