USC is moving quickly from one test to the next, and Saturday’s home matchup with Washington brings a familiar face back to the Coliseum. The Trojans, ranked No. 18, are trying to shake off a 41-27 loss to No. 15 Oregon, while the Huskies arrive after a 27-24 home defeat to Minnesota despite being double-digit favorites.
That meeting also puts former Washington linebacker Deven Bryant on the opposite sideline. Bryant is now a starter for USC, and Washington coach Jedd Fisch addressed the move during his weekly press conference on Monday.
“He wasn’t the starter at the end of the year; he got beat out. Deven was fantastic; he’s an awesome kid, but Deven wanted to start, and Jacob Manu and Zadriuys were the starters, and then Xe’ree was right there, and Deven wanted a chance, and Deven and I had an amazing conversation, and he’s a wonderful kid,” Fisch said.
“The conversations were real clear-cut, like I think I have an opportunity to start if I go into the portal, and here I probably don’t have an opportunity to start, so I’m gonna go in the portal and start, and we wished him absolutely the best, and I can’t wait to say hello to him after the game, but he’s a wonderful person and had three great years,” Fisch continued.
Fisch also laid out the challenge USC presents, pointing to the Trojans’ talent and the way Washington has to prepare for the defense.
“It’ll be a great challenge. He’s done some very elite things as a head coach, defensive play caller, and he’s always been the head coach and defensive play caller. There’s a lot of film you can watch if you want to go back, but the personnel you’re seeing now is really fitting into the scheme that he wants to run,” Fisch said.
“You’ve got to be really cautious of what you line up in because he’s very capable of getting in and out of a play call quickly on defense based on what you’re lined up as he’s been doing this for so many years,” Fisch continued.
“Our focus is on a really good SC team that’s 4-1, that has a ton of talent everywhere on that field, so we gotta go against a team that is loaded with talent, and we’re gonna have to find a way to move the ball and stop their offense,” Fisch said.
Washington’s offense still gives USC plenty to worry about, even after a sluggish stretch that included uneven showings in wins over Utah State and Washington State, plus the loss to Minnesota. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. has been the key piece, throwing for 1,129 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions through four games while completing 69.3 percent of his passes.
Williams also brings a rushing threat, and he’ll have Dezman Roebuck as his top receiving target. Roebuck has become Washington’s leading receiver after Denzel Boston left for the Cleveland Browns.
USC enters the game as a 9.5-point favorite, according to the latest DraftKings Sportsbook odds, with the over/under set at 57.5 points. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and NBC will carry the broadcast.
The Trojans are also trying to end a three-game losing streak against Washington. Their last win in the series came in 2016.
In Other News...
Former Huskies Linebacker Now Has A Chance To Haunt Washington
Deven Bryant spent last season as a key piece of Washingtons defense, logging 12 games and starting 10 of them while finishing with 62 total tackles in 2025. Now the former Huskies linebacker has moved on to USC, setting up the kind of transfer-portal storyline that always lingers a little longer when a player ends up on the other side of a rivalry.
Washingtons linebacker room became crowded enough that Bryant no longer projected as a starter, and the change opened the door for a fresh opportunity elsewhere. Head coach Kyle Whittingham confirmed Bryants decision and praised him, with Bryant making it clear he wanted a chance to start, so the Huskies will now have to prepare for a familiar face in a different jersey. [Read more 🡒]
USC Must Rework Its Linebackers At The Worst Possible Time
USCs linebacker room is suddenly in a tougher spot after the Trojans had to absorb the fallout from a recent game that also forced coach Lincoln Riley to revisit how he wants that unit arranged. Riley, speaking Sept. 28 on Trojans Live, said the group will need to be reworked and that the staff is looking closely at both the depth chart and the way key moments were handled against Oregon.
The timing is less than ideal because the Trojans are trying to steady their defense while also sorting through who fits where next. Riley stressed the importance of depth and better execution in the games ahead, and the coming week will give USC a chance to sort out different linebacker combinations before deciding on a more permanent answer. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Just Lost A Receiver It Could Struggle To Replace
Christian Moss had worked his way into a starting role after transferring from Kennesaw State, giving Washington a veteran presence at receiver just as the Huskies were trying to stabilize an offense already dealing with a rash of injuries. Instead, the sixth-year wideout is now out after quad surgery, leaving a unit that has already absorbed multiple blows, including several running backs lost for the season.
For Washington, the loss stings because Moss had become the kind of experienced target that can help ease pressure on a young offense and settle things down in key moments. There is at least some hope he could return later in the season, but with NCAA eligibility rules tightening the path to an extra year, the Huskies may be looking at this as more than a temporary setback. [Read more 🡒]