Washington-USC Preview Capsule

In this week’s early Pac-12 matchup in the Coliseum, Throwback Thursday will take a whole different meaning thanks to the connection between Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies.

“At the time, USC had seven consecutive conference championships”, Sarkisian said of the 2009 win. I like USC to win big against a mediocre Washington team. Despite the program’s positive trajectory upon Sarkisian’s departure, culminating in a nine-win 2013 season, the Huskies underachieved in Year 1 of the Petersen era.

And while the UW defense nearly certainly won’t be on the field as long on Thursday – USC’s ramped-up offense ranks last in the Pac-12 in time of possession – the Trojans’ firepower is probably the most dynamic the Huskies (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) will face all season.

“It doesn’t mean more”, he said.

“I’m a firm believer that it’s about us, about focusing on us”, Sarkisian said. “(But) I want this game for our players”. But here’s the stat I kept telling people: the last time Washington’s coach left voluntarily was when Darryl Royal bailed for Texas after the 1952 season. “We gotta go in there and make it a game”.

The Trojans could very well be the most talented team in the Pac-12, with a quality, senior quarterback (Cody Kessler), a veteran offensive line, a bunch of offensive weapons (JuJu Smith-Schuster, two-way star Adoree Jackson, three capable tailbacks), and a defense loaded with 4-and-5-star athleticism.

But instead of the purple uniforms across the way, Sarkisian and his staff are focusing on matchups, schemes and the imperative of keeping the Trojans away from their second loss. And all those turnovers? It’s a Thursday night home game for USC and the team has had two weeks to prepare for Washington. Or even Jim Lambright.

Mickens, a Los Angeles native who attended Dorsey High School – fewer than four miles from the Coliseum – is one of 42 players on UW’s roster who list hometowns in southern California. That could have been more favorable to UW had Baker played, but it’s still not awful from Washington’s perspective. Gaining a ton of yards against Washington’s decent defense could be tough though. Defensive tackle Elijah Qualls admitted this week, “It’s going to be a little weird at first, but my focus isn’t going to be their sidelines”.

WILCOX’S TIES: Wilcox was the Huskies’ defensive coordinator for two years, but he also had the same job under Petersen at Boise State. Wilcox was criticized last month after Stanford’s victory over USC, but rebounded slightly in public estimation with the Trojans’ performance at Arizona State.

Chris Petersen has said all along that it’s one step forward, two steps back for freshman quarterback Jake Browning.