No. 20 USC has just three games remaining in the regular season, and all three come against ranked Pac-12 opponents. After the Golden Bears gave the Trojans everything they could handle up in Berkeley, USC is looking ahead to a home matchup against the No. 5 ranked Washington Huskies.

After snapping its two-game losing streak against Cal (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12), No. 20 USC (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12) will look to pull off a massive upset win over Washington (8-0, 5-0). The Huskies are led by senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

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If the Trojans are going to upset Washington on Saturday, a victory will most likely have to come in a shootout. USC’s defense is fourth worst in the Pac-12 in yards allowed, giving up nearly 421 per game. The Trojans are also surrendering 33 points per game this season. On top of this, USC will be without redshirt freshman safety Zion Branch for the remainder of the season after sustaining a season-ending injury against Cal.

“I hate it for him,” said Head Coach Lincoln Riley in an interview after practice Tuesday, “because it was his first start and it’s just terrible luck. That kid is so headstrong, positive and driven, so he’ll come back way stronger from it.”

Although the Trojans did surrender a season-high 49 points against the Golden Bears, USC forcing four turnovers played a big role in the Trojans being able to come back from a 43-29 deficit and steal the victory. Players such as junior linebacker Eric Gentry, who had six total tackles and forced two turnovers, will need to step up on the defensive side of the ball and make it tough on the Huskies’ offense.

Currently, Washington is averaging 501 yards and 40 points per game. Heading into Saturday, Penix Jr. has 2,945 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. On the outside, the USC defense must key in on junior wide receiver Rome Odunze and sophomore wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. Combined, the two make up one of the best wide receiver duos in the country, with 97 catches for 1,743 yards and 14 touchdowns between them.

Polk and Odunze are vital to Washington’s offense. Odunze leads the Huskies in receptions and receiving yards with 51 catches for 907 yards. Polk is second with 46 catches for 836 yards, and there is a three-way tie for third in receptions with 20 between junior wide receiver Jalen McMillan, sophomore wide receiver Germie Bernard and senior tight end Jack Westover. The next closest in yards is currently held by McMillan with 311.

“We’ve had bad offense that puts the defense in terrible positions,” Riley said. “We’ve had too much of that here the last few weeks. It all feeds off one another, so the bottom line is the team’s fighting like crazy and we have to play a little better.”

For the Trojans to have a legitimate shot at victory, USC’s offense will need to carry on the momentum it built during a 50-point showing against Cal. Last weekend’s game was the fourth time USC’s offense scored at least 50 points, and after what many would consider a shaky last few weeks for the unit, the Trojans are still third in the Pac-12 in yards per game at 482. USC also remains the conference’s top-scoring offense, averaging nearly 46 points per game.

Junior quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off of a game in which he threw for 369 yards and scored four touchdowns against a Cal defense that has surrendered more than 400 yards and 34 points per game this season.

This week, however, Williams faces a much tougher task in the Huskies’ defense as Washington is currently only giving up 21 points per game, the fourth fewest in the Pac-12. Despite the difficult road ahead, Williams said he believes the Trojans have a chance to accomplish something special this season.

“You can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Williams said after practice Tuesday. “Me and Coach Riley called each other and we still have a feeling inside that we can do something special.”

Although Washington’s defense is tough to score on, it is worth noting that the Huskies only have 10 sacks as a team on the season, which ranks last in the conference. Williams has demonstrated his abilities as one of the most elusive quarterbacks in college football, but is still trying to figure out the balance between extending plays and living to see another down.

“It’s a weird and kind of challenging thing for me,” Williams said. “Some guidance I have gotten on it is to just understand the situation. That helps out a lot in those situations of thinking about when to scramble.”

The Trojans lead the all-time series against the Huskies with a record of 51-29-4. Saturday’s critical matchup between Washington and USC kicks off at 4:30 p.m. at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.