Saturday night’s Big Ten Conference matchup between Washington and No. 18 Southern California will take on added pressure because both teams are heading into Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum after losing last week.
Southern Cal (4-1, 1-1) saw its undefeated start come to an end with a 41-27 home loss to then-No. 20 Oregon last week. The defeat marked the Trojans’ fifth straight to the Ducks, spanning both programs’ latter years in the Pac-12 Conference and matchups in the last two Big Ten seasons.
Despite the setback, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley downplayed questions about the trajectory of his team.
“We didn’t get run out of the stadium,” Riley said on Tuesday evening. “There’s a lot of good things on that tape.”
Southern Cal quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He has surpassed 260 yards through the air every game in 2026 and has thrown for multiple scores in all five outings.
Wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt also is coming off a strong performance, hauling in seven passes for 114 yards with a touchdown against the Ducks.
However, USC’s 27 points in Week 4 marked the team’s lowest output of the season. Since shutting out Fresno State 39-0 on Sept. 4, the Trojans have surrendered 30 points to Louisiana on Sept. 12, 35 to Rutgers the following week, and a season-worst 41 to Oregon.
USC’s defense also faces the absence of linebacker Desman Stephens, who received a one-game suspension for his late hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and his celebration after the play.
Washington (3-1, 0-1), meanwhile, arrives in Los Angeles having rushed for just 40 yards on 27 attempts in a 27-24 home loss last week to Minnesota.
The Huskies’ average of 107.3 rushing yards per game this season ranks 124th among 138 FBS programs. Only Cal, Oklahoma, Stanford and Arkansas have been less productive among power-conference teams.
“We have to be better at running the football. We have to be better at taking care of the quarterback,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said on Monday. “We can’t let him get sacked, [and] he’s got to not get sacked. The receivers have to win [their matchups].”
Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has been sacked 10 times in four games this season, with seven sacks coming in the Big Ten opener against Minnesota.
Fisch pointed to protection woes and running-game struggles contributing to difficulty converting on third down. The Huskies are just 17 of 50 on third downs through four games.
Southern Cal’s opponents are 22-for-54 on third down through five games.
Under first-year defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, the Trojans’ defense racked up five sacks against Fresno State but got to opposing quarterbacks just once each vs. San Jose State, Louisiana and Rutgers.
Last week against Oregon, the Trojans did not record a sack.