The No. 17 USC Trojans finally got their Pac-12 campaign off and running with a comprehensive 28-point victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils. They will look to keep the momentum going this coming Thursday when they take on the Washington Huskies in a blockbuster matchup at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Who will emerge victorious in this important clash? Read on below for a preview of this college football showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Northwestern vs. Michigan and Georgia Tech vs. Clemson.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Washington Huskies vs. USC Trojans Preview
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
When: Thursday, October 8, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Washington Huskies at USC Trojans – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Washington Huskies
Washington’s playoff hopes were dealt a major blow when it suffered a disappointing 30-24 defeat to the California Golden Bears at Husky Stadium. The Sun Devils had no answer for California quarterback Jared Goff who threw for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]It was a frustrating result for Washington who had won all of its six previous games against California. The main reason behind the Huskies’ defeat was their unforgivable sloppy play. Washington turned the ball over a season-high five times in the game against California. The Golden Bears entered the game with a Pac-12-best nine takeaways, and they definitely took advantage of the Huskies’ errors, turning those five turnovers into 13 huge points.
For the Huskies to return to winning ways this coming Thursday, they will need to improve on their ball possession. California overwhelmingly won the time of possession battle against Washington, 39:49 to 20:11. The onus then is on freshman QB Jake Browning to deliver huge plays for the Huskies offense against USC. He struggled mightily in his first Pac-12 game, completing just 17 of 28 passes for 152 yards with no touchdowns and two picks. He will look to get his game going against a USC secondary that’s allowing 246.0 passing yards per game this season, 89th in the FBS.
The Huskies are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Trojans.
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Betting on the USC Trojans
USC will head to its Pac-12 showdown with Washington with momentum on its side after trouncing Arizona State, 42-14, on September 26. It was a huge bounce-back win for the Trojans who suffered a gut-wrenching 41-31 defeat to Stanford in their previous game. With the victory, the Ducks improved their record this season to 3-1 (1-1 in conference play).
Leading the way for USC in this contest was Cody Kessler. The quarterback completed 19 of 33 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns. His string of 103 passes without an interception ended though, when Kareem Orr picked off an attempt at the Sun Devils 1 in the first series of the ballgame. Kessler is third among starting quarterbacks in passing touchdowns this season with 15 to his name.
Also starring for the Trojans in this game was Adoree’ Jackson. Primarily a defensive player, he led the Trojans with 131 yards receiving on three catches. Eighty of those yards came on a touchdown reception to open the scoring for USC. He also had a pair of punt returns, including an impressive 45-yarder.
For the Trojans to record back-to-back wins this coming Thursday, they need to continue their excellent play on the defensive end. USC capitalized on Arizona State’s miscues the last time out, scoring touchdowns after all four Sun Devil turnovers in the first half. They will need to apply the same defensive pressure against Washington QB Jake Browning who threw two costly interceptions in his last game against California.
The Trojans are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games against the Huskies.
Writer’s Prediction
USC wins, 35-21.
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