As much as Head Coach Lincoln Riley wants to put Saturday’s gut-wrenching, two-touchdown defeat to No. 15 Oregon behind him and get past the emotional, drama-filled events that transpired — which sparked national scrutiny, calls for his job and questions about the team’s culture — he won’t be able to forget about the loss anytime soon. 

In his weekly Tuesday post-practice news conference, Riley fielded a half dozen questions, and the inquiries didn’t have much variety: Riley wasn’t asked about X’s and O’s from the game film or his plan to prepare for the Trojans’ next opponent. Instead, every question focused on the outside noise surrounding the program, individual coaching decisions and how the team was rebounding from the consequential loss. 

“To put ourselves in that position to win it and not capitalize on it, I mean, it guts you,” Riley said. “I got to get up, and I got to go lead the charge, and I can’t walk up in here anything else but focused, hungry and motivated on what we got to do better. … We have to turn the page sometimes a lot faster than the outside does.”

No. 18 USC (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) isn’t lining up opposite a ranked opponent this week, so while a resounding victory won’t change the narrative on Riley’s big-game struggles, the contest is monumental nonetheless. The Trojans’ complicated College Football Playoff path notwithstanding, the team needs a feel-good win now more than ever. 

While Washington (3-1, 0-1) has been underwhelming this season, USC must be fully in the moment to take down a Husky team determined to grab a bounce-back win of its own. 

Washington, ranked No. 17 in this preseason’s AP Poll, began the year expected to make noise in the Big Ten. But the Huskies barely squeaked by Utah State University (1-3) in Week 2 before dropping their conference opener two weeks later to Minnesota (3-1, 1-0) in a shocking 27-24 upset. 

Washington travels south to Los Angeles

People have paid a lot of attention to USC’s recent travails against Oregon (3-1, 1-0), but the cardinal and gold haven’t fared much better against the Ducks’ rival to the north. 

The Huskies won their last three contests and haven’t lost at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 15 years. 

While the former Pac-12 rivals know each other well, USC’s defense will face uber-talented junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. for the first time Saturday as a starter. 

Williams is a gunslinger at its finest: His prolific arm can punish opponents through the air. And yet, he will most assuredly give USC chances to take the ball away, after eight interceptions in conference play last year and a two-interception game last week. 

Dynamic with his legs, Williams has already rushed for 220 gained yards in four games this season, after an 844-yard campaign in 2025. As the team’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season, Williams takes off early and often, averaging 10 carries per game.

Williams’ threat as a runner is worth monitoring, given the Trojans’ recent struggles containing mobile quarterbacks: In Week 2, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (3-1) redshirt junior quarterback Lunch Winfield ran roughshod over USC’s defense for 91 yards and two touchdowns. 

In a decimated tailback room and without starting junior running back Jordan Washington following a severe neck injury, the Huskies will rely on freshman running back Brian Bonner Jr., who has stepped in admirably, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. 

In the air, sophomore wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, typically Williams’ first read, already has 30 catches and looks primed to wreak havoc on a gettable Trojan secondary. 

Scheming away from and finding ways to block Washington senior safety Alex McLaughlin, who can make big tackles, rally to the ball and blitz opposing quarterbacks, is essential if USC wants to establish offensive momentum. 

Improving third-down execution on both sides

The Ducks dispatched USC’s leaky defense Saturday, taking advantage of blown coverages and communication breakdowns. The Trojans struggled to cover Oregon senior tight end Jamari Johnson and sophomore running back Dierre Hill Jr., who combined for 224 receiving yards.

“Watching it and going over [the film], it’s nothing super major that’s impossible to fix,” redshirt senior safety Prophet Brown said in a post-practice press conference Wednesday. “It’s a lot of very fixable mistakes, and so it gives us confidence heading into the next games.”

Getting off blocks faster and turning quarterback pressures into sacks is a primary area of focus for USC this week to put opposing offenses in a bind. 

“[The key is] playing as one, trusting each other, knowing when to take shots, knowing when to run certain stunts, run certain games, and just really relying on our edges to close the pocket and then the [defensive] tackles to close the inside and not let [the quarterback] have a run lane,” sophomore defensive end Jakheem Stewart said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday.

The defense has been ripe for the picking on money downs, giving up backbreaking third-and-longs. Oregon moved the chains on eight of its 14 third- or fourth-down offensive snaps, a concerning pattern after the Trojans struggled in similar situations against Rutgers (1-3, 0-1). 

Redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava must outduel a formidable Washington defense that allows an average of fewer than 17 points per game. The group makes its living on third-down stops and takeaways, with six interceptions in four games. 

While the Trojan offense scored 27 points, it wasn’t flawless Saturday, converting two of 11 third downs. 

“There’s a lot of good things on that tape,” Riley said. “We’ve got to capitalize on [that], and we got to attack the areas we got to be better at, and we get another great opportunity to do it here Saturday against Washington. We’re ready for it.”

Notable players questionable against Washington

The Trojans’ most high-profile absence isn’t for injury; rather, it’s junior linebacker Desman Stephens II’s one-game suspension, issued by USC on Sunday. Currently third on the team in tackles, the Trojans will desperately miss Stephens’ defensive presence.

On the injury front, multiple impact players are questionable entering this weekend. Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley is making progress recovering from a knee injury that cost the standout the previous two games. 

However, the unexpected additions of Stewart and freshman tight end Mark Bowman to the availability report are alarming: Stewart has been dealing with a foot issue but made his long-awaited season debut against the Ducks, while Bowman’s injury remains undisclosed. 

“It’s a long season, and with the way college football is nowadays, our season’s definitely not over,” Brown said. “[There] is everything ahead of us: Trusting our process, our preparation, trusting our techniques, trusting our calls, just all that stuff — trusting it more to get better results.”

The Trojans’ chance to respond emphatically to last week’s heartbreak begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. when USC takes on Washington at the Coliseum.