USC’s reset begins Saturday night in the Coliseum, and the opponent across from the Trojans will bring a familiar mix of problems. Washington arrives at 3-1 after a 27-24 loss to Minnesota, carrying a defense that has been one of the better units in the Big Ten and an offense built around quarterback Demond Williams Jr.
The Huskies have also had USC’s number lately. Washington has won three straight and four of the last five in the series, and it has taken three of its last four trips to the Coliseum. The teams have met on USC’s home field only twice in the last 14 seasons, in 2015 and 2023.
Jedd Fisch is now in his third season leading Washington in 2026, and the Huskies have gone 21-13 under him. That includes a 6-7 debut and a jump to 9-4 last season. Washington did not finish ranked in the final AP poll in either of those years.
The numbers suggest a team that can win with balance and play stingy on defense. Washington’s 2026 efficiency marks list the Huskies at No. 40 in OFEI, No. 23 in DFEI and No. 77 in SFEI.
In Big Ten play across all games, they are averaging 28.0 points per game, good for No. 16, while ranking No. 13 in yards per play at 6.2. Defensively, they’re giving up 16.8 points per game, seventh in the league, and 4.6 yards per play, eighth.
Williams is the center of it all. He passed for 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss to Minnesota, going 18-for-28.
On the season, he has completed 69 percent of his throws, averaged 8.2 yards per attempt and thrown seven touchdowns against three interceptions. He’s also a threat on the ground, with 40 carries for 165 rushing yards and two scores, and he crossed 1,000 career rushing yards in the Utah State game.
He now has 1,058, making him the third Washington quarterback to reach that mark, alongside Jake Locker (1,939) and Marques Tuiasosopo (1,495).
USC also has to account for a deep receiving group, with Dezmen Roebuck standing out as the main target. Roebuck leads the Huskies with 30 catches and 308 receiving yards and has one touchdown.
Chris Lawson and Baron Naone have both caught 13 passes and are each averaging at least 15.8 yards per reception. Senior Rashid Williams leads Washington with three receiving touchdowns.
The Huskies have not leaned heavily on the run, but they’ve been efficient enough to matter. They rank 16th in the Big Ten with 3.7 yards per carry, have the second-fewest rushing attempts in the conference at 115 and average just 29 rushes per game, the lowest mark in the league. Williams leads the team with 165 rushing yards, and freshman Brian Bonner Jr. has started the last three games while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Washington’s defense has been active at the top. Senior safety Alex McLaughlin leads the team with 21 tackles, while linebacker Jacob Manu has 16. McLaughlin has four tackles for loss and two sacks; Manu has three tackles for loss and two sacks as well.
Up front, the Huskies are starting a freshman at left tackle in Kodi Greene, a Renton, Wash., native who spent his junior and senior seasons at Mater Dei after attending Sammamish Eastside Catholic. Washington’s offensive line averages 322 pounds per player, and the depth chart also lists “OR” designations at both center and right guard.
There’s some familiar coaching blood on Washington’s staff, too. Inside linebackers coach Brian Odom was on Lincoln Riley’s staff before Matt Entz took over that role, and safeties coach Taylor Mays also worked under Riley.
Mays has especially deep ties to USC and the Northwest. A Seattle O’Dea High School graduate, he earned first-team All-America honors in 2007, 2008 and 2009 at USC after being named second-team All-America and Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year in 2006.
He was part of three Pac-10 championship teams from 2006 to 2008 and won the Rose Bowl in each of his first three college seasons. Over his four-year career, he started 50 of a possible 51 games.
Washington’s ball production has been a major part of its early-season profile. The Huskies have scored 24 points off eight takeaways, including six interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Their opponents have managed seven points off three takeaways, all interceptions. Washington has also avoided turnovers in its last two games.
Penalties have been an issue, though. The Huskies have been flagged 31 times and are averaging just under 80 penalty yards per game.
USC has 32 penalties and is averaging 54 penalty yards per game. One more number looms over this matchup: the last time Washington had a player rush for 200 yards was at USC, when Dillon Johnson ran for 256 yards in the Huskies’ win at the Coliseum on Nov.
4, 2023. Washington hasn’t allowed an opponent to hit 200 rushing yards since Travis Dye had 211 for Oregon in 2021.
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