Saturday, November 12, 2016 07:30 PM
(ET)
Darnold helps USC upend No. 4 Washington
The Sports Xchange
Nov 12, 2016
SEATTLE -- Redshirt freshman Sam Darnold threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns as unranked USC upset the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies 26-13 on Saturday to further cloud the playoff picture.
The Trojans (7-3 overall, 6-2 in the Pac-12 South) jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and held on for their sixth consecutive win, while Washington (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12 North) became the second previously unbeaten team to lose Saturday. Only Alabama and Michigan had perfect records as of late Saturday night, with the second-ranked Wolverines still in action against unranked Iowa.
Darnold completed 23-of-33 passes and overcame two interceptions to improve to 6-1 as a starter. USC's defense held the Huskies to 276 total yards, including just 17 on the ground, and limited Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Browning to 17-of-36 passing for 259 yards.
Browning also threw two interceptions, including a pick by USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson with 4:09 remaining and the Trojans leading 24-13. His final play resulted in a safety with 56 seconds remaining.
Darnold's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe with 13:33 remaining opened up a 24-13 lead after the Trojans blocked a Washington field goal attempt a little less than five minutes earlier.
USC running back Ronald Jones had 22 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown as the Trojans piled up 401 yards of offense against the Pac-12's second-ranked defense.
Washington receiver John Ross caught eight passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, while safety Taylor Rapp had both of the Huskies' interceptions.
Washington tried to rally from an 11-point halftime deficit with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Browning to Ross midway through the third quarter, pulling the Huskies to within 17-13. The momentum carried over when Rapp recorded his second interception of the game 40 seconds later, but the Huskies failed to capitalize as USC's Jack Jones blocked a Huskies' field goal attempt with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter.
USC marched down the field and scored on Darnold's 8-yard touchdown pass to Imatorbhebhe to take a 24-13 lead with 13:33 remaining in the game.
Darnold threw a touchdown pass and engineered another scoring drive to close out the half as the Trojans took a 17-6 lead into halftime. After hitting Darreus Rogers with a 13-yard touchdown pass earlier in the quarter, Darnold completed 4 of 7 passes for 75 yards over a two-minute drive that culminated in Jones' 4-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left in the half.
Darnold completed 13 of 18 passes for 185 yards and the touchdown during the first half. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Rogers gave the Trojans a 10-3 lead with 8:51 remaining in the second quarter. Washington responded with a six-minute drive that resulted in kicker Cameron Van Winkle's second field goal of the half, with 2:34 remaining, but Darnold took the USC offense 82 yards in a span of two minutes to open up the 17-6 lead on Jones's 4-yard run.
The Trojans had a touchdown called back in the first half, as linebacker Porter Gustin's apparent fumble-return score was reversed by an instant-replay review. The replay clearly showed the Gustin batted down a pass from Browning before picking up the loose football and returning it for what game officials initially ruled a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Washington lost linebacker Azeem Victor, the Huskies' leading tackler, to a leg injury in the second quarter. Victor was taken off the field on a cart and did not return.
USC converted both of its third downs on the Trojans' first offensive possession, but an interception by Rapp ended that drive and set up the first score of the game. Van Winkle's 48-yard field goal gave the Huskies a 3-0 lead with 3:58 left in the first quarter.
USC came back to tie the score after a seven-play, 55-yard drive that led to Matt Boermeester's 38-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in the quarter.
NOTES: Washington running back Miles Gaskin went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season during Saturday's third quarter. ... Washington went into Saturday with a 12-game winning streak, the second-longest streak in the nation. ... Huskies coach Chris Petersen was chasing his eighth 10-win season and his first at Washington. Petersen reached double-digit victories in each of his first seven years at Boise State and has never had a losing season in 11 seasons as a head coach. ... USC was playing at Husky Stadium for the first time since 2009. The last time the Trojans were in Seattle, the game was played at the Seattle Seahawks' stadium in downtown Seattle while the University of Washington renovated its facility. ... USC is 5-0 at home this season but entered Saturday's game with a 1-3 road record. All three losses came against ranked teams.
Nov 12, 2016
SEATTLE -- Redshirt freshman Sam Darnold threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns as unranked USC upset the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies 26-13 on Saturday to further cloud the playoff picture.
The Trojans (7-3 overall, 6-2 in the Pac-12 South) jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and held on for their sixth consecutive win, while Washington (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12 North) became the second previously unbeaten team to lose Saturday. Only Alabama and Michigan had perfect records as of late Saturday night, with the second-ranked Wolverines still in action against unranked Iowa.
Darnold completed 23-of-33 passes and overcame two interceptions to improve to 6-1 as a starter. USC's defense held the Huskies to 276 total yards, including just 17 on the ground, and limited Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Browning to 17-of-36 passing for 259 yards.
Browning also threw two interceptions, including a pick by USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson with 4:09 remaining and the Trojans leading 24-13. His final play resulted in a safety with 56 seconds remaining.
Darnold's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe with 13:33 remaining opened up a 24-13 lead after the Trojans blocked a Washington field goal attempt a little less than five minutes earlier.
USC running back Ronald Jones had 22 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown as the Trojans piled up 401 yards of offense against the Pac-12's second-ranked defense.
Washington receiver John Ross caught eight passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, while safety Taylor Rapp had both of the Huskies' interceptions.
Washington tried to rally from an 11-point halftime deficit with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Browning to Ross midway through the third quarter, pulling the Huskies to within 17-13. The momentum carried over when Rapp recorded his second interception of the game 40 seconds later, but the Huskies failed to capitalize as USC's Jack Jones blocked a Huskies' field goal attempt with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter.
USC marched down the field and scored on Darnold's 8-yard touchdown pass to Imatorbhebhe to take a 24-13 lead with 13:33 remaining in the game.
Darnold threw a touchdown pass and engineered another scoring drive to close out the half as the Trojans took a 17-6 lead into halftime. After hitting Darreus Rogers with a 13-yard touchdown pass earlier in the quarter, Darnold completed 4 of 7 passes for 75 yards over a two-minute drive that culminated in Jones' 4-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left in the half.
Darnold completed 13 of 18 passes for 185 yards and the touchdown during the first half. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Rogers gave the Trojans a 10-3 lead with 8:51 remaining in the second quarter. Washington responded with a six-minute drive that resulted in kicker Cameron Van Winkle's second field goal of the half, with 2:34 remaining, but Darnold took the USC offense 82 yards in a span of two minutes to open up the 17-6 lead on Jones's 4-yard run.
The Trojans had a touchdown called back in the first half, as linebacker Porter Gustin's apparent fumble-return score was reversed by an instant-replay review. The replay clearly showed the Gustin batted down a pass from Browning before picking up the loose football and returning it for what game officials initially ruled a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Washington lost linebacker Azeem Victor, the Huskies' leading tackler, to a leg injury in the second quarter. Victor was taken off the field on a cart and did not return.
USC converted both of its third downs on the Trojans' first offensive possession, but an interception by Rapp ended that drive and set up the first score of the game. Van Winkle's 48-yard field goal gave the Huskies a 3-0 lead with 3:58 left in the first quarter.
USC came back to tie the score after a seven-play, 55-yard drive that led to Matt Boermeester's 38-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in the quarter.
NOTES: Washington running back Miles Gaskin went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season during Saturday's third quarter. ... Washington went into Saturday with a 12-game winning streak, the second-longest streak in the nation. ... Huskies coach Chris Petersen was chasing his eighth 10-win season and his first at Washington. Petersen reached double-digit victories in each of his first seven years at Boise State and has never had a losing season in 11 seasons as a head coach. ... USC was playing at Husky Stadium for the first time since 2009. The last time the Trojans were in Seattle, the game was played at the Seattle Seahawks' stadium in downtown Seattle while the University of Washington renovated its facility. ... USC is 5-0 at home this season but entered Saturday's game with a 1-3 road record. All three losses came against ranked teams.
