By Khalid Bennett, The Seattle Medium
The University of Washington Huskies pulled off a crucial 26-21 victory over the USC Trojans on Saturday, with a fourth-quarter defensive stand sealing the win and bolstering their hopes of securing a bowl game. Now 5-4, the Huskies managed to end a challenging October with a much-needed win, keeping them in the running as they face one of the toughest November schedules in college football.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get 15 more practices. I believe 100% in celebrating the season and hopefully we can celebrate with a bowl game, but we got to go 1-0 this week,” Washington head coach Jeff Fisch said before the game.
The Huskies started strong, leaning on senior linebacker Carson Bruener, whose interception on USC quarterback Miller Moss gave Washington excellent field position in the first quarter. Despite moving into the red zone, the offense stalled, settling for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. Another offensive push put Washington in USC territory again, and running back Jonah Coleman found the end zone with a 19-yard rush, putting the Huskies up 10-0.
USC responded with a 73-yard drive capped by a touchdown to narrow the lead to 10-7, but Washington special teams came up big as redshirt freshman Keith Reynolds returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards, setting up Coleman’s second touchdown—a 17-yard run that extended the lead to 17-7. Washington’s defense came through once again, as Kam Fabiculanan intercepted Moss to end the half with a 20-7 advantage.
“We executed well, and everybody did their job,” said Washington quarterback Will Rodgers on his team’s performance in the first half.
However, the Trojans weren’t finished. Running back Woody Marks led a strong USC ground game that set up a 37-yard touchdown pass from Moss to receiver Makai Lemon, cutting Washington’s lead to 20-14 early in the third quarter. The Huskies then failed to convert on fourth-and-7 from USC’s 30-yard line, and USC capitalized. Moss connected with Zachariah Branch for a 42-yard pass, setting up another score that gave the Trojans their first lead of the game at 21-20.
The Huskies responded as Bruener picked off Moss for a second time, setting up the offense on USC’s 39-yard line. Keith Reynolds then scored his first touchdown as a Husky, breaking a 4-yard run to the right side and putting Washington back on top, 26-21, with just over 13 minutes left in the game. Washington’s defense stepped up yet again, as freshman linebacker Khmori House stopped Marks on a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, stifling USC’s chance to take back the lead.
“I mean Khmori being a freshman and to make that specific play. We talked about it beforehand, and he just shot in there. He’s just an instinctual player, and I’m happy he made that stop,” Bruener said.
Washington’s offense ran valuable time off the clock, but a miscommunication on the sideline led to a 12-men-on-the-field penalty, forcing the Huskies to punt back to USC with 1:25 remaining.
“We made an error. We sent three receivers and two tight ends in. That’s on me,” Fisch said. “You can’t have that, we were able to overcome it with a stop defensively, but we shouldn’t have miscommunication on the sideline.”
With just 26 seconds left, the Trojans reached Washington’s 14-yard line. Four consecutive incompletions followed, with Bruener breaking up the final pass to clinch the Huskies’ victory. Coleman finished with 104 rushing yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns, while Bruener tallied 12 tackles and two interceptions in a standout performance. Coach Fisch praised the senior linebacker, calling it “the best game of the season for Bruener.”
The Huskies, now one win away from bowl eligibility, will face a top-ranked Penn State team next week in State College, Pennsylvania, in what promises to be one of their toughest tests this season.
