Washington had No. 18 USC right where it wanted it for long stretches Saturday, but the Huskies couldn’t finish the job after the game turned late in a 25-21 loss at the Memorial Coliseum.
The loss dropped Washington to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play, making it the second straight week the Huskies were right there against a conference opponent and came up short by one possession.
The swing moment arrived in the third quarter. Third-year quarterback Demond Williams Jr. lost a fumble, and USC turned it into a 48-yard defensive touchdown to grab a 22-21 lead. The Trojans then added a 39-yard field goal with 9:36 remaining, and that was enough to force Washington into chasing a touchdown the rest of the way.
The Huskies never found one. After that field goal, they were blanked for the final quarter and didn’t put together a sustained drive until the closing minutes.
Washington’s best sequence came on its last meaningful possession. Facing third-and-11 at its own 4-yard line, Williams hit second-year wide receiver Chris Lawson for 15 yards. Later in the same drive, with the Huskies staring at fourth-and-2 from their own 27, Williams stood in against pressure and found Lawson again for a 43-yard gain.
But the rally stopped there. On fourth-and-10 from the USC 18, Williams tried to drop a pass into the back corner of the end zone for second-year wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, and the ball slipped away over two defenders.
Even with USC controlling the ball for 34:58 to Washington’s 25:02, the Huskies spent much of the game in front. Their first touchdown came on a trick play, when second-year tight end Baron Naone caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Roebuck with 1:46 left in the first quarter.
All three Washington touchdowns came from tight ends. Fourth-year tight end Kade Eldridge, lined up at running back, punched in a 1-yard score with 1:50 left in the first half to send the Huskies to halftime up 14-10. Then third-year tight end Decker DeGraaf broke free for a 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 13:30 left in the third quarter.
Williams finished 15 of 26 for 198 yards with a touchdown and added 26 rushing yards on 13 carries. First-year running back Brian Bonner had 19 carries for 89 yards, and Lawson caught five passes for 82 yards.
Washington’s next test comes Oct. 9 at Husky Stadium, where the No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes will visit at 6 p.m. PT.
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