USC’s struggles behind the goal cost Washington dearly

SEATTLE — A long, cold night for USC has led here to the threshold of Washington’s goal line. For much of this slog of a football game, despite the rain and icy winds on the lake, Lincoln Riley doggedly stuck to his approach, regularly throwing the ball into the pouring rain, testing the nation’s No. 1 pass defense with his struggling quarterback.

But after USC’s coach raced ahead against the odds, took the lead, and then gave it back, USC’s coach turned back to earth, tearing apart Washington’s defense until his Trojans were just feet away from a comeback. game.

Eleven runs on one drive led to this point on the one-yard line. But by the time the ball got to Woody Marks on the crucial fourth down, he was immediately stopped in the backfield. And soon enough, Washington would slam the door forever, handing USC a 26-21 loss, its fourth straight on the road.

Very often, USC (4-5, 2-5) lost the lead late, losing all four games despite leading early in the fourth quarter. This time, the Trojans threatened to inflict a crushing defeat on a Big Ten opponent.

Turning away from the Trojans at the goal line, Washington (5-4, 3-3) made one more stop to seal the deal. After covering most of the field in less than a minute, USC lost the fourth.

But as Miller Moss retreated, the Huskies’ front broke through the USC line again, chasing the Trojan defender, who had to flinch in frustration as Washington’s pass knocked him to the ground, ending the comeback.

Throughout the night, Riley continued to return to his quarterback, even as Moss struggled to get the offense moving. He caught 50 passes (the third time this season he passed that threshold), but in all those attempts he only managed 293 yards and two interceptions.

The successful pass seemed to doom the Trojans until midway through the third quarter, when Moss dropped back on fourth-and-9, desperate for a spark.

He found it in the rushing Makai Lemon, who caught a perfect pass on the run for a 37-yard score.

The touchdown would turn the game on its head as the USC defense immediately struck, giving the ball back to Moss, who needed only three plays to go the length of the field before finding a wide open Kyle Ford for the go-ahead kick. check.

But this leadership did not last long. Not when Washington turned Moss’ interception into a scoring drive.

That doesn’t mean USC didn’t have a chance.

The Trojans were given every opportunity to start the game quickly on Saturday, with two of their first three drives starting in Washington territory and the other at their 40-yard line. But the Trojans advanced just three yards on their first possession, had the ball intercepted on their second possession, and then watched as a 52-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar on their third possession.

By the time they got the ball again, the Trojans were already in the 10-point hole.

Nothing came easy from here. With its back already against the wall, USC set up a 12-play drive that required two third-and-long conversions, one of which came on a pass interference call. Marks eventually ran for a one-yard touchdown, giving the Trojans some semblance of an offense to build on.

USC will have to wait to really capitalize on this momentum. As the rain continued to fall, Washington had no trouble scoring on four of its five drives in the first half, while only one of USC’s drives lasted more than 34 yards.

All of that would change after the half when USC got back into the game. But ultimately it wasn’t enough as the Trojans returned home with losses in hand once again.