The knives were already out. The boos were already ringing.
At the end of an already brutal week at USC, in which the nation was ready to dance on the graves of the Trojans and their coach, it seemed for much of Saturday that the last shreds of faith in coach Lincoln Riley might melt under the beating Southern California sun. Not only had the aftermath of their Oregon loss gone as poorly as possible, but now the Trojans were tripping over themselves again, behind Washington, an average Big Ten team right down to its fourth-string running back, and a chant began to rise above the fray, from the USC student section.
“FIRE LINCOLN!” they roared.
This refrain had only been heard in hushed tones until last week. But on Saturday, before the No. 18 Trojans won 25-21, it felt as if their embattled coach stood on the edge of a certain Rubicon, from which he might not return with a single misstep.
That tension was still high at the Coliseum until late in the third quarter, when linebacker Elijah Newby came roaring around Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. He snatched the ball with his right hand and defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart recovered it. He sprinted 48 yards on a sore foot to get a go-ahead score – and later joked that he hit 22 mph with his scoring run.
Just two minutes earlier, the Trojans were down 21-10, and it wasn’t hard to imagine how their season could continue from there. One mistake, one missed opportunity, one penalty after another brought them to this point, despite the fact that the Huskies struggled to move the ball on the USC defense throughout the game.
It seemed, for most of Saturday, that this unit had taken a step forward after the last two weeks, when Rutgers and Oregon marched all over them. For one half, USC held Washington to just 44 passing yards. Through three quarters, Washington averaged less than six yards per play.
“The rebound was huge for us,” freshman defensive end Luke Wafle said.
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., left, attempts to fend off USC linebacker Elijah Newby during the second quarter Saturday at the Coliseum.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
USC’s defense nearly collapsed in the fourth quarter, at the worst possible time. Washington hadn’t converted a single third down until its final drive, when Williams converted a third-and-11 pass, then hit a fourth-and-2 bomb for 43 yards. The Huskies closed in on the USC 12-yard line, before the Trojans finally closed the door.
“We had to dig deep for this one,” Riley said. “Especially as sloppy as we played.”
USC (5-1, 2-1) tried something a little different on defense, with defensive coordinator Gary Patterson calling the game from the press box rather than the sideline. Riley said the decision came down to “just trying to move the chess pieces to get everyone in the right position.” He also added that Patterson’s former staff at Texas Christian was much more familiar with Patterson’s plan and therefore handled things differently with that staff.
But the communication problems of recent weeks seem to pose less of a problem for the defense. The real concerns Saturday came on offense, where the Trojans sputtered uncharacteristically. Jayden Maiava finished 21 of 34 for 245 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Still, judging by the box score alone, you’d be hard-pressed to understand how USC could have almost wasted a game in which they racked up far more yards (360 to 319) and had the ball far longer (34:58 to 25:02) and dominated on third down.
“We’ll fix it,” Stewart said. “No team is perfect. It takes time.”
After a disappointing few weeks defensively, USC actually broke the game open by forcing Washington (3-2, 0-2) into three consecutive takedowns.
But the Trojans only managed a measly three points in those stops. Their first training, blocked in the red zone. The next one moved USC back to the one-yard line after Terrell Anderson muffed a punt.
Washington took advantage of field position on its next drive. Facing a fourth-and-7 in USC territory, Williams escaped pressure and scrambled for a first down. It was the first sign of life for the Huskies offense, which found itself in the end zone four plays later.
Then USC gave the ball back immediately. On the run, Maiava threw a pass with his back foot under heavy pressure. He failed to achieve his goal and was eliminated.
The USC defense held strong, forcing a three-and-out on the Huskies’ first four drives. And his offense finally held up its end of the bargain, with Waymond Jordan scoring an eight-yard touchdown.
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava struggles during the first half against Washington at the Coliseum on Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
Washington continued to struggle moving the ball, but USC’s mistakes helped its cause. An illegal formation penalty erased a deep Trojan touchdown pass to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Then, on the ensuing possession, Wafle grabbed Williams’ facemask as he pulled him down for a sack.
USC had more penalty yards (50) than Washington had passing yards (44) in the first half. And those penalties gave the Huskies life at the end of the half, as they drove down the field and scored again.
“We felt like we were outplaying them,” Riley said. “We just couldn’t get a little bit out of our way. That’s probably going to be a defining thing for this team going forward, how well we can do it.”
Having a chance to regroup, the Trojans also stumbled outside of halftime. An unsportsmanlike penalty killed their first drive. Then Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf caught a pass and flew down the sideline, making two weak-arm tackles en route to an inexplicable 42-yard touchdown.
After that, Riley’s chants rang out through the student section. But the Trojans’ offense went on a 13-goal run in response. Tanook Hines snatched the ball from a Washington defender in the end zone.
USC coach Lincoln Riley returns to the sideline after speaking with his players during a first-half timeout Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
Less than two minutes later, Stewart recovered the fumble and took off. His 48-yard return completed a 12-point swing for the Trojans.
“To overcome all of that and still win shows me some of the grit and toughness and culture in this room here,” Riley said. “We could have gone to bed.”
Still, USC couldn’t put Washington away. Until their final drive, the Huskies converted a third, an 11 and two fourth downs to push deep into Trojan territory late.
But Kameryn Crawford brought Williams down for a sack – the Trojans’ fifth of the game – and the defense held. And USC, at the end of a long and brutal week, breathed a sigh of relief.
Gn sports
