No. 20 USC stuns No. 4 Washington in road upset

The noise at Husky Stadium was deafening, a sea of 72,364 fans packed in and roaring as their No. 4 Huskies took the field against No. 20 USC on Saturday night.

But by the end of the first half, as sophomore running back Ronald Jones II dove into the end zone to put the Trojans ahead by double-digits — the biggest deficit for Washington this season — the crowd had fallen silent, the only noise coming from a small pocket of USC fans in the southeast corner of the stadium.

“U-S-C, U-S-C,” they chanted, met with little resistance from the Husky faithful.

For fans of a Trojans’ team that was 1-3 and dead in the water seven weeks ago, it must feel like  cloud nine. With a stunning 26-13 road upset over the undefeated Huskies, USC has won six straight games and its once-lost season is more than revitalized.

“I told our team how proud I am of them,” head coach Clay Helton said. “They’ve believed in each other … This was the next step to go out on the road in a hostile environment versus a top-ranked team and play playoff football. We got an opportunity to continue our dream of winning a Pac-12 South title and we would not have been able to do that if we didn’t win tonight.”

An interception by junior cornerback Adoree’ Jackson — his second of the game — late in the fourth quarter with the Trojans ahead by 11 sealed the deal. The defense added a safety to extend the margin of victory, rightfully capping a game in which it dominated. USC held Washington to just 276 yards of total offense, well below its season average of 499.4 yards per game. The Huskies’ 13 points was also far under the Pac-12 leading 48.3 points they score each game. Their run game was non-existent rushing for just 17 yards total.

“We shut down the run game and forced them to pass,” sophomore defensive end Porter Gustin said. “When that happened, I was able to get off the ball better, knowing I was pass-rushing and didn’t have to read anything.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold outdueled Jake Browning, the Heisman-trophy contending quarterback for Washington. Darnold completed 23-of-33 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown.

Browning, meanwhile, finished 17-of-36 for 259 yards and a touchdown, but had a 105.7 quarterback rating. He was sacked three times and threw two interceptions.

“It felt like Jake was off his spot all night from our defensive pass rush,” Helton said.

With a sizable lead in the second half, the Trojans bent, but did not break. Ahead 17-6, USC quickly let Washington back in the game when Browning found John Ross for a 70-yard touchdown reception. Ross put a few moves on Jackson to get open down the sideline. It was Browning’s longest completion of the season and also Ross’ longest reception to pull the Huskies within four points.

Then, the Trojans gave the ball back immediately to the Huskies, as Darnold was intercepted in USC territory. But freshman defensive back Jack Jones blocked Washington’s field goal attempt to give possession back to USC.

And the Trojans took advantage. Four minutes and thirty seconds later, Darnold led the Trojans down the field and found sophomore tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe in the back of the end zone on third and goal to extend the lead to 24-13. It was a pinpoint pass, through the seam of the defense, right to where Imatorbhebhe could reach up and grab it.

“I don’t question Sam anymore,” said Imatorbhebhe, who finished with five catches for 78 yards on the night. “I know he’s going to put it right where I can catch it, so it’s my job to catch it. He can make pretty much every throw on the field.”

USC took its first lead on an impressive drive early in the second quarter as Darnold led them down the field. He completed a third-down pass to senior wide receiver Darreus Rogers and then a 23-yard connection to Imatorbhebhe that set up USC in the red zone.

Then, on second and 11, Darnold bided his time and found Rogers again, this time in the back of the end zone to give the Trojans a 10-3 lead. It was yet another example of the mobile quarterback staying calm when the defense took away his first option.

“The play was a post route, but it wasn’t there,” Rogers said. “I saw him roll to the right, and I kept rolling to the end zone. He found me right then and there, believed in me and I caught it.”

Darnold, his usual humble self postgame, said it’s on him to stay calm and collected, especially in the loud environment of Husky Stadium.

“I think you have to [stay calm] as the quarterback,” Darnold said. “As the guy who runs the offense, you can’t show too much emotion … I try to stay as poised as much as possible, especially when you’re in a loud atmosphere like that when it’s rocking all the time. That’s when you really have to stay calm and show you team that we can win this one.”

After the Huskies kicked a field goal on their next drive, the Trojans answered with a two-minute drill executed to perfection to go up 17-6 at halftime. In just over two minutes, they drove 82 yards in nine plays, with Darnold zipping passes all over the field. Consecutive long completions to Imatorbhebhe gave USC a first and goal at the five yard line, and Jones punched it in for the score.

USC’s 17-6 halftime lead was the first time Washington had trailed by double digits this season. Darnold had 185 passing yards at halftime, more than Washington’s 159 yards of total offense.

“I think we were very confident with the way our team was responding to all of the different punches Washington threw at us and I thought we responded really well,” Darnold said.

Both teams kicked field goals in the first quarter. USC made a couple of errors when Darnold threw an interception on a pass into triple coverage intended for sophomore wide receiver Deontay Burnett and sophomore tight end Tyler Petite dropped a third down completion in the red zone.

But Darnold made several quality throws to junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for first downs that kept drives alive and was enough to keep up with Ross’ three catches for 49 yards in the quarter for Washington. Jackson also intercepted Browning on a deep ball.

A 38-yard field goal by redshirt junior placekicker Matt Boermeester evened the score a 3-3 heading into the second quarter.

For several USC players, this marked one of the signature wins of their college careers.

“Number one,” redshirt junior defensive back Chris Hawkins said. “This tops them all. This is one of the most exciting atmospheres I’ve ever been in.”

As the second half went on and the Trojans fended off push after push from the Huskies, the crowd grew restless and quiet, the possibility of a national championship slipping away becoming more real by the minute. And after the final seconds ticked off amidst the “We are ‘SC” chants, all the noise came from the corner of USC fans as Banner stood on a ladder with a sword and led the marching band in “Conquest.”

These were the sweet sights and sounds of a road upset that could not have gone more perfectly for a team still fighting for its shot at a Pac-12 title. USC plays UCLA in a rivalry game next week at the Rose Bowl, looking to keep its splendid second half going.

“It’s not always how you start,” Jackson said, “but it’s how you finish and I feel like we’re taking these steps to make that justice for our season.”